Blog

It has been quite some time since I've had the pleasure of competing in a mountain bike race. Life, work, and a global pandemic have gotten in the way. I've been getting rides in here and there, but nowhere near the volume I used to somehow pull off. I did manage to get my hands on a new bike - a 2021 Kona Hei Hei CR/DL which I absolutely love - thanks to Big Al for securing the ride! Kona deserves praise as they did a great job with the current iteration of the Hei Hei - they have everything from the geometry to the components dialed in very well. I could write more but on to the race...

When mountain bike buddy Channing Jones asked me if I wanted to form a team with him for this year's 12 Hours of Bradbury Race, my answer was an emphatic yes. We knew we wanted to do this race as a 3-person team, which in my opinion is a great way to go. I'm not in shape to ride 12 hours solo and a two-person team is grueling as well - there's not enough time between laps to enjoy the downtime. Three-person is just right; a rider has time to hang out at the campground between laps. Our third member was Channing's friend Jason Paige, who owns and operates two bike shops in Massachusetts. I knew this year I would be the slowest on the team, but my goal was to keep my lap times consistent.

I've done this race most years since 2011, and for the past several years we've been lucky that the racecourse was dry. This year was a different story as it had rained considerably in the days prior to the race and conditions were slick and the park's copious roots were slippery. Planning ahead, I put some aggressive Schwalbe tires on the Hei Hei (2.35 Hans Dampf up front and a 2.25 Nobby Nic out back) which proved to be a good decision.

We decided that Channing, Jason, and I would ride first, second, and third respectively. On race day, I arrived early but Channing and Jason cut it close. I was therefore ready to head out for the first lap if need be. Luckily Channing got ready in time and went out hard for our team's first lap as did Jason for the second. I ended up with four laps under my belt while my teammates each did five. A recap of each of my four laps follows.

Lap 1 (50:51) - Overall the lap went well, though I really could have used some additional red blood cells. Despite going out third I managed to pass several other racers. The slippery conditions are not necessarily my strong suit, but the aggressive tires and fantastic suspension on the bike performed well and boosted my confidence.

Lap 2: (52:23) - Went down twice on muddy roots. Luckily both crashes were minor. I remained relatively unscathed, but I did manage to scratch my handlebars. Passed several people and one of the Dr. Naylor's-Treadwell Training guys flew by me. The racecourse dried up a bit but was still nasty in spots. (Fox West, I'm looking in your direction...)

Lap 3: (55:09) - No mojo at the beginning of this lap. It was my low point for the race. Muscled through it and passed a handful of racers while several rather svelte racers passed me at different points during the lap. Started to experience stomach shut-down due to my lack of fitness.

Lap 4: (56:15) - Continued GI distress - my stomach ejected the banana that I attempted to eat after Lap 3. The lap went well though. Our team was about 30 minutes ahead of the team behind us. All I needed to do was ride safe and finish the lap. Literally five minutes out from the finish line it started pouring rain. My heart went out to Channing, who was waiting for me at the start/finish line. As it turned out, after my last lap Channing and Jason each rode another night lap in the downpour. I believe both stayed upright the entire time.

For this year I was not necessarily expecting to podium but would be very happy if I did. As it turns out however we managed to pull off a first-place win. Great motivation to get back on the bike and compete in more races!