July 14, 2007
www.downievilleclassic.com

This race is crazy-fun, and is easily the best mtb race weekend in California. The course goes straight up for almost an hour, then straight down for about the same. It’s not your typical XC course, which is why I’m such a fan.

I had the following discussion with a volunteer at registration that morning:
Me: “Are there going to be water bottles at the feed zones?”
Volunteer: “Oh yes, all you could possibly want: water bottles, clif shot, energy drink, etc”

I warmed up on the course, and when I returned to the start, the entire road was blocked with all the riders lining up. I pulled the ol’ quick turn around, and jumped into the FRONT row, assuredly annoying everyone who had adequately planned, prepared and arrived early.

As you’ll see from my Timex Data Recorder chart (which due to user error, also includes my warmup), my heart rate immediately went over 190 at the gun. This was the first race where I had to focus to keep it closer to 190, since at 195, I felt like I was going to completely explode.

My new Trek 69er climbs awesome, I’ll post separately on that soon. I was 2nd Singlespeed to the top, maybe top 10 overall (my wave included pro, expert, and singlespeed), less than 5 minutes off the leaders’ pace.

My average HR for the first hour was an amazing 190, and I’ve found my max has gone UP over the last two years, from 197 to 204. My total race included 1 ½ hours in zone 5, which I find incredible, and a possible sign of lower fitness, and not hampered by a triple latte and a double espresso Clif Shot before the start.

The aid station at the top had mini DIXIE cups of energy drink (because why splurge for full-size!?, Crystal Geyser bottles of water, and no Clif shots in sight. For the uninitiated, allow me this opportunity draw your attention to three notes on this situation:

1. Any bottle that’s not exactly the right size (i.e. Crystal Geyser) will NOT stay in a bottle cage, especially not during the Downieville Downhill (!)
2. Accessing water in a screw-top bottle carried in a back jersey pocket, is not even remotely feasible on said downhill course
3. While Dixie cups work on run courses, suprisingly, the cup’s open top presents an interesting challenge, even at only 10 mph on a climb

As a result, I was dry after the first hour, which actually didn’t matter so much since I got a flat tire 5 minutes later.

Note #4: lightweight race tires aren’t the best option for gnarly downhill races. They sure were fast on the climb though! This race requires BIG, sturdy tires. I should have run the Michelin XCR XTreme front and rear, with double amounts of sealant.

Note #5: It’s not a bad idea to check your spare tubes before the race (and this applies to spare tubulars as well). I took out my tubeless valve stem, inserted a tube, aired it up with my last CO2, and watched it immediately go flat. Tools and tubes don’t play well together in a saddle bag.

After watching about 500 people pass me in 15 minutes, a friend with no rear brake stopped and gave me CO2, and a dude with a camelback stopped to give me a tube, shrink-wrapped for extra protection- nice!

Back on the trail, I had FUN descending. As I rode past a group of spectators, one said “Wow, you look fresh”, “No kidding” I thought…!  I clawed my way back up to 7th, passing 3 or so other singlespeeds and several geared bikes.

I’m pretty bummed. This is my 2nd big race of the season, and the second time I flatted and finished 7th. I cancelled my entry at the Cream Puff, and am instead getting ready for the Park City Endurance 100 in August. www.theE100.com

The Timex Data Recorder is fantastic. Check out the following:

• I started it too early, so the graph recorded my 10 minute warmup
• My heart rate (HR) immediately jumped to 190 at the start
• Near the top of the first climb, my HR hit 204
• My HR recovered on each descent
• I was pretty excited when changing my flat, and my HR didn’t really recover
• Apparently I was pretty fired up after the finish, since I finished the race at 2:25, but the graph shows that my HR didn’t drop below 130 for another 15 minutes!!