Well Laura and I got up bright and early Saturday morning and were on the road by 6am. We both tried really hard to convince the belly’s that it was time to eat breakfast which was not an easy task that early. We both managed to throw some food of sorts and some Mtn. Air coffee in the tank before the race. This day was going to be sooooo good.
We had spent the last few months since the snow melted, on the trails hitting major confusing intersections in Pisgah and making them not so confusing in our minds. We also spent a day in the pouring rain climbing and descending Black Mountain trail. PMBAR was going to be Laura’s second race after she began riding bikes in March of 2009.
I had been checking the weather for the whole week now and it was looking like cloudy until 3pm then chances of thunder storms in Pisgah Forest. Well, it was raining in Mills River when we passed through… not raining at Turkey Pen road…sprinkling at the start… wow, a whole day of rain ahead of us? You never know in Pisgah…
PMBAR training day. Up and down black mountain 50 degrees and rain.
The buzz started as soon as Laura and I got dressed. It’s amazing the things you can see in Pisgah…
We went to gear check, checked in and finished getting our shit together for the day. So many things we could take… so many things…
When the rider meeting started we were just finishing up and I think we missed the first 30 seconds of Eric’s instructions… I hate that… we hustled on over and I threw the bag of Mtn. Air coffee and Endless Cog certificates under the prize tent and pulled Laura to the front-ish of the group of racers. I like to start in the front. Then I can talk to everyone who passes us and see more buddies.
When Eric said “GO” we hustled up Black Mountain trail. So far PMBAR has started and ended on Black Mountain trail as 276 is usually off limits… I like that… I HATE riding on 276, it’s terrifying. So I saved the map reading till after the first hike a bike. We hustled it on up to Pressley Gap and we decided to keep going up and cruise down Turkey Pen. We took a little pee break at Turkey Pen Gap and I watched a team head down Turkey Pen and right back up… that’s it… we’re going over Black Mountain! After thinking about Turkey Pen trail several times during the day, I realized it wouldn’t have been the ideal route anyway for the chosen checkpoints. I discussed the route options with Jeremy… it was nice to have someone very knowledgeable to discuss the route options with. I was stoked that he and Katie Miller (her first race) had chosen the same route that we did as we leap frogged with them and their great attitudes for most of the day. We also leaped frogged with Karlos and Luis a bunch. Karlos was rockin’ out to some neat tunes. Up and over Black Mountain we all went. Black Mountain trail had no view today but Laura and I stopped for a photo shoot anyway cause that’s how we do. Racing for fun and the best photos?
Black Mountain overlook
After the descent from Black Mountain to Buckhorn gap, I was stoked! That shit is soooo fun. Someone even commented on how that must have been so much better than Clawhammer Rd. That early in the day he was so right. Down Buckhorn Trail to S Mills river to the first checkpoint at Squirrel Gap and Cantrell Creek. Laura was so relieved to get Squirrel out of the way early in the day but she also noticed how much her skills are improving and how much more of Squirrel she rode this time than the last time she was on it. YES! WIN!
Intersection of Squirrel Gap and Cantrell Creek Mandatory Checkpoint 1
From here we headed on out Squirrel and down Laurel Creek. I love that… we got to go down Laurel Creek and not push up it! We hit the next checkpoint at the intersection of Bradley Creek and Laurel Creek where volunteer Allan Atkinson stamped our passport and posed for a photo in the SUN! We reapplied and shared sunscreen. Thanks again for being out there Allan and posing for our Shannanigans.
Checkpoint 2 Laurel Creek/Bradley Creek with Allan
From here we headed on up 5015 which is Bradley Creek Road. We cruised along chatting for a while and then we just kept our own pace. We saw Jeremy and Katie again, we saw Karlos and Luis again, we saw some other folks just grinding it on up to Yellow Gap.
Jeremy and I chatted away about bringing new racers into Pisgah through PMBAR and how important it is to show them a good time. Through this one day each year, none of us will ever be the same again. The new racers will solidly become just that if our attitudes remain positive. For these two teams, they did and Laura and Katie can’t wait until next year!
From Yellow Gap we had a ripping gravel descent into Mills River woo hooing to every team that went passed in the opposite direction. What can I say? I love being everyone’s personal cheerleader whether I know them or not. Who doesn’t need a little extra cheering sometimes?
We stopped at the campground to fill waters from the pump (no iodine needed here) and I got to use a real toilet! Score! Then we headed on up 5000/wash creek road to checkpoint 3. With a group of about 4 teams with us we approached a group of horses heading up 5000. We asked them what we should do… got off our bikes… walked around… then back to the gravel grind. Not such a good day to have a horse adventure with all of those bikes out there.
I thought a lot about geared bikes riding up this ascent with some and realized that if I had a granny… i’d be in it too! Glad I didn’t and never once did I wish I had gears. NEVER! More woo hoo’s to the teams coming down. When we got to the checkpoint that Kris Kjellquist was manning at Spencer Gap Trail we decided that since we had reached 3 checkpoints we were going to have a good break with good snacks. We even forgot to take a picture. I ate some turkey sandwich and chips. We reapplied sunscreen. We saw Jeremy and Katie again, Rich Dillen and Thad Hoffman, Emily Brock and Amanda Wisell.
The Bee's Knees, Bitches!
We goofed off most of the way back down 5000 while woo hooing to folks climbing on up. That’s just how we roll. Nothing but comedy. We stopped and got another refill on water at the campground and I got to see my good friend Buffy. My friends Kelly and Joel were playing in the campground that day and gave us a good shout out as we rolled on out 1206. I love that!
5000 Goofiness!
1206 had the potential to break us, but we did it right with sandwiches at checkpoint 3 and a little goofiness. We just kept moving forward and telling ourselves “we got this.” When we came around a bend and saw 2 folks dressed exactly alike, looking huge, on dirtbikes, rolling side by side, for a minute my brain couldn’t compute and I thought I might be losing it. I really did! It was freakin’ wierd. At yellow gap (the top) we came up on Mandy and Emily then they were gone. We filled water on 1206 before Pilot cause it was hot and we were afraid the sun would scorch and shrivel us all the way up Pilot. That fear would slowly dissolve and in it’s place came the fear that we might be stuck on Pilot as the storm clouds were rolling in. We passed Emily and Amanda as well as a few other teams as we slowly pushed our bikes up Pilot Rock trail.
The Majesty of Pisgah!
This 2.5 mile push is brutal but it’s not so bad if you remember to look out at the amazing views that we would miss on the ripping descent back down. At least that’s my story. We killed that hike a bike! We made it to the top. Karlos and Luis would be just leaving as we arrived. Emily and Amanda would be arriving just as we left-ish. We took the opportunity to get another photo with Shane? our lovely Mandatory checkpoint #2 final checkpoint #4 of the day volunteer. I also ate the rest of my turkey sandwich and some chips.
That's right! #4. Now we can quit and ride back to the car, I mean finish! HA!
Back down Pilot we went. I loved riding back down Pilot! I got to take the time to turn around and watch Laura ride more of this trail than she had ever ridden in the past and this was almost 45 miles and 9 hours into the race. The time is now 5:20. The first time we checked it all day. We knew where we were so we didn’t need to stop and check the map. We bombed back down Pilot, right on 1206, left on 476 which basically becomes South Mills River trail, right onto Buckhorn Gap trail to Buckhorn Gap. I ate a nutty bar.
We saw Paul and Kip, wondering if they should take Clawhammer/Maxwell or push up Black Mountain… Nate H. and his partner convinced them Clawhammer/Maxwell. Nate also announced that he was not going to be beaten in the race by a tutu! Funny!
We saw Curtis and Rob (my partner from last year) they opted to hit the hike a bike of Black Mountain rather than the climb up Maxwell. Guess it depends at this point whether the gravel grind or the hike a bike is more likely to crush your soul 11 hours into the race. I guess that depends on the previous events of the day.
Laura and I opted to descend Clawhammer and climb Maxwell. When we reached Pressley Gap, there were lots of folks setting up camp there and one fellow was nice enough to point us in the right direction. I hope it didn’t sound mean when I said, “yeah, we know. Thanks.”
We knew we were on the home stretch so we put our heads down and pushed up the hike-a-bike section. No energy left to even try riding. When we hit the top Woooo Hoooooooo! Down we went. It had begun to sprinkle and was beginning to get very dark like. You know the dark I mean… it’s almost time to turn the lights on but the daylight is just bright enough that it would just be harder to see with them. We made it back to the parking lot at 8:20 with still a few moments of light to spare (from the photo you can’t tell) and 1hour and 40 minutes before the cutoff. YES!!!! SUCCESS!!!
Lady bug and Killer bee still smiling at the finish. Photo credit Namrita Kumar O'Dea
As usual, it was really great riding with all of you especially Laura and I can’t wait to do it again soon. Until then. Don’t forget to smile!
Cover of Urban Velo #19
That’s me riding my cute little Sally Jean. She looks good riding the city. Awesome article about riding in Asheville with a photo of Marshall on his Endless Shortcut frame riding a wall too! Thanks again Jeff Z. for hooking me up with those awesome photos and getting them out there. Asheville and EndlessBikeCo. love you.
Well, PMBAR is tomorrow. We are ready. Here’s a small taste of what is to come. Goodnight all! Have a great weekend of riding… I know I will.
Laura and I jumped in the car at 5am for the 3 hour drive to the 6 Hours of Warrior Creek. Well the drive ended up being only 2 hours so we arrived bright and early around 7:15 with the sun just having risen. The sun rise was beautiful and the only I have seen in quite a while. On the way in I started to get nervous about my gear selection and bike choice. The area looked really steep but as with single speeding, run what ya brung…
We got an awesome spot in the vendor area of the pit and after a little deliberation and moving once we settled on a spot, got our tent up and headed to registration. I got to meet Paul and Jason who as part of the BMCC put on the event. I had time to mingle with some friends new and old and hand out some spoke cards too.
I was a little nervous about the “kit” I had chosen for this event… would it be too loud? would the pocket I sewed on last night hold? would folks be offended by my seriousness? I mean the rigid bike with a bell, horn, streamers, 8 spoke cards and a matching helmet might be enough. Have I gone too far? I decided that I didn’t care and since I had left no choice as far as the bike or “kit” were concerned I relaxed, put it on and was ready to race.
This race was a special one for me. It was my first 6 hour race and my best friend was there to race too. This was going to be Laura’s first race!!! Yahoo!
Well as is the norm for me, I don’t really remember most of the specifics of the race. I know that I started near the front. I know that Mark told me I better get on it as we were climbing the road. I remember my legs were really tight on the pavement. The most memorable part of the first lap, aside from 20lbs too much pressure in the front tire, was hitting the section of single track berminess that was like a moving snake and just being overwhelmed by how cool it was to see the 10 riders or so in front of me swooping in those berms. If I have one photo in my mind of the race, that is it. I wish I really could have stopped and taken it in. It was amazing! I was so excited on the first lap that I did a lot of laughing and giggling. I had never ridden trails like this before. All photos courtesy of Ryan Sigsbey Photography
In lap 2 I started getting my first ever saddle sores. I changed my shorts and used chamois butter between laps 2&3. It was too late. I spent the rest of the race (3laps) trying to stay off the saddle as much as possible. Thats really hard and didn’t really work.
I chatted with a lot of people during the race. I actually got to race a little with Joel Watson and Mike Pierce after having never ridden with them but racing the same events. That made me smile.
I cheered for and encouraged all of the ladies I passed or who passed me. I’m just glad I’m not the only woman out there.
I tried to race the 4th lap as slow as I could because I knew I was in first and didn’t really want to go out for that 5th lap. I had told myself that I would do as many laps as I had time for… I finished my 4th lap with 20 minutes left and being hardheaded like I am it meant doing a 5th lap. It was all good. I saw more folks… I saw the 4th single speed lady… I got to cheer her along. I rode everything on the course at my pace… when I finished, I was totally spent and ready to chill.
The after race event was pretty cool with lots of door prizes from a variety of sponsors. The beer was gone when we got there though… pbbbblllllaaaaa! Oh well luckily the podium spots all got a 6er. After hanging out for a bit and enjoying some BBQ we headed home. I into a week of just not feeling quite right as I had totally spent myself.
Of course this post is about a month late, but whatever at least it’s done before PMBAR. I’ll try not to take another month getting that post ready. I’m stoked! Laura and I have some cool outfits planned and I hear there are lots of ladies teams this year.
Until next time… I’m going to have more fun on the trail than you! HA!
Love ya’ll,
Shanna
Hmmm, I never really know how to start these things, you know blog posts. I guess I’ll start at the beginning and try to make it short.
I rented a car on Friday and Marshall and I were out of town by 5:00pm.
We arrived in Dalton around 9 and I dropped Marshall off at the hotel to prepare himself for the race or whatever he does and went to the finish line to do some pre-race partying with some of the event volunteers and participants. Event announcer Bruce Dickman helped me put up my banners and I settled into the evening. I love that this race has no large sponsor and that some local people who just love to ride put it on. I also love that I got to hang with them and learn some more about the event. Did you know that the event raised, I’m not sure the exact number, but it was between $1000 and $2000 for the local boys and girls club? The folks are also building a pump track and have over 40 bikes for the kids to use. Now that is an event that I want to be a part of. This event is put on for the people of the community, not just the racers. After 2 beers and a shot of the best lightning I’ve ever tasted, I decided it was time to go have a snack in the hotel and crawl in bed. Afterall, I was there to race and since I registered $ class I should try to be “serious”.
Snake Community. Photo by Conrad Fernandez.
The alarm went off at 6am and I dragged myself into the shower to wake up. It worked as it always does and aside from a little breakfast expectation stress, I was alive and happy. Off to the races…
I went to check in, distributed some spoke cards, chatted with folks and headed to the top with Marshall. There were only 4 other vehicles up there. It was nice to get to the top with the sun shining and no wind with 30 degree temps. No way it wasn’t going to be a nice day nice.
Racing this weekend was quite a different experience from the rest by going to the top early. I would say that in the first half of the race I was passed by only 5 people and I passed no one. That’s the difference starting early makes. Carey Lowery who won on her single speed being one of them. Somewhere I crashed in the middle of a creek with a lady in front of me and a lady behind me. Good thing I was wearing a skirt, cause it saved me from being completely submerged by catching on my saddle. Whew, that was close! Our good Asheville friend Jon Stang caught me on the final ridge and I was able to ride with him for a bit, but only because he kept cramping. The ridgeline was fun and beautiful as always! I tried to offer encouragement and cheer for folks as they either rode past me or I rode past them, cause why not? We’re all on our own bikes, but for a few seconds we’re in it together. One fella even apologized for his brakes being loud. I told him “It doesn’t bother me, I only get to hear it for a little while.” That’s the truth. I saw my friends Jason, Barry and Brianna a little into the last 17 miles I think they were sweeping. That’s always nice to have folks cheering for me. I also saw an older gentleman and maybe his grandson a few times and I thanked them for being out there. I love seeing folks cheering out on the trail as it feels less lonely and a little encouragement never hurts.
When I finished at 4 hours 9 minutes and 47 seconds, Bruce Dickman just couldn’t wait to tell me what Lisa Randall said about me when she came in. So excited in fact, he had her tell me herself. “You were so chipper out there I just had to get away from you.” That makes me smile. So did this.
Photo by Conrad Fernandez
Overall I know I beat all of my times from last year because I beat Beth’s best time from last year by about 6 minutes. I placed 4th in the women’s money class too! Snake Creek Gap TT #3 2010 was definitely a win for women on single speeds as Carey Lowery placed 1st in the women’s money class on her single speed beating her time from last year by almost 3 minutes. Becky Kicklighter stomped the 17 mile single speed class beating all the boys out for first place! Way to go ladies. I know that this year I wasn’t the only single speed lady out there and that there were at least 2 other ladies on ss other than Carey, Becky and myself. I love this. Way to go girls! Ya’ll rock.
Well, spring is springing and I look forward to smiling with you on a bike soon!
Shanna
