Ride Against the Machine / Salvagetti Mountain Bike Team
Valley Point to Point/Super Downhill Race Report (7/19/08-7/20/08)
Rider Results and Comments from the doubleheader weekend...
Special thanks to: Salvagetti Bicycle Workshop, HoneyStinger bars and gels, Maxxis tires
Winter Park Valley Point to Point/Super Downhill - Winter Park, CO
Chris Plesko
Sat, July 19 -- Valley Point-to-Point -- 3rd place Expert Men 25-29 - Time 1:25:31
Coming off a solid training block I had no expectations for this race but was hoping to at least be able to ride hard the entire time. The expert field started hard as usual and I hung around the back of the loose lead group up the opening climb. By the time we hit the singletrack I was alone in 2nd place with 1st dangling somewhere 20 seconds ahead. The rest of the race was punctuated with me losing time on every downhill to 3rd and stomping back ahead on every climb. I caught most of the singlespeed field late in the race and when the course finally began to flatten out, the 3rd place rider from my group caught me. We battled through traffic for 5 minutes or so before he finally gapped me. I hung close but was spun out for the flatish finish and was pleased to hold onto the podium in 3rd across the line.
Erik Arentzen
Sat, July 19 -- Valley Point-to-Point -- 23rd place Sport Men 25-29 - Time 1:37:44
The lead pack dropped me almost right from the start, so I was racing in survival mode. Dropped the chain and chainsucked at the base of Ice Hill, but made up the place I lost by running my bike up the hill. Passed another 5 or 6 riders, which subsequently passed me when the rider in front of me stacked at the bottom of a downhill--it was all I could do to keep from running him or his bike over. Felt great in the last 4.5 "flat" miles, in contrast to feeling miserable in the same section last year. Caught a number of riders in this section, came to a complete trackstand stop on the surprise bridge that threw Marni, and finished in nearly the same time as last year. Not bad for damage control.
Race 4 - Sunday, July 20 -- Super Downhill -- 9th place Sport Men 25-29 - Time 23:12
I borrowed Michelle's 575 to give me a bit of an edge. Once again, I was dropped like a rock on the uphill start. My breathing was asthmatic, and I was seeing stars by the time I made it to the flat singletrack leading to the start of the downhill. But the downhill--what a blast! Caught a few riders, including one that I passed right after the short hill at 5 points. He was hot on my tail from there down to where Long Trail crosses the road, and that made for some real fun racing! I railed the berms high on the outside of the brake bumps, and he took the inside line in hopes that I would hesitate and give him a chance to blow by. The three plank jumps near the bottom were so big and fast that the rear shock on the 575 was bottoming out on the pre-ride, so I took them a little slower in the race to avoid being thrown...which is exactly what happened on the sharp jump after the next switchback. The rear shock bottomed out, and I went for a wild ride off the back of the bike with the tire under my leg and one shoe clipped out. Nearly saved it without stopping, but I wasn't lined up for the upcoming bridge so I had to stop and remount the bike. Tore my shorts, but no scratches and a huge grin from a fun ride!
Scott DeLeeuw
July 19-20 Race weekend, Valley Point to Point, Super Downhill
All through this race I kept thinking that what I really need is a nemesis. Someone to push me through things, always be there to try to do better than me, and maybe even throw a wrench in to the works when I think I'm on top of things. Well, I got it, but as Erik pointed out, a nemesis speaks to one person, since I had multiple it would a be a nemesi?
Anyway, in the Point to Point one guy hung with me nearly the entire race. I'm used to seeing the same people over and over again, but usually not all race long. When we got close to the end he turned it on and I was determinded he wasn't going to get my place. Any good nemesis has to win sometimes and I rode my little heart out only to have him lose me in the last mile.
But fast forward to the Super Downhill on the next day. Our field was a whole bunch of age groups clumped together so our start group was huge. My legs were shelled from the first day and the group quickly left me on the initial climb. Once we hit the downhill though I started catching people. Most let me pass, but one didn't, he started riding faster and faster to try and stay ahead of me. I've never experienced a race at the front or the rush of dueling it out with someone, it was intoxicating. I hung to his wheel like a rabid dog, looking for any moment to pass, but on every uphill he would gap me big time. We swept through the trees, the dust off his wheel coating my teeth and glasses. We hit the last uphill section where I surely would have walked on my own, he stood and hammered so I did too, I didn't know where the strength was coming from. As we hit the last flat section, power came from my legs that I haven't felt in a long time and I blew past him. I ended up with 2nd, but there were only 3 in my age group. Regardless, the race was a blast.
More on Scott's race can be found at http://rideagainstthemachine.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-soul-for-nemesis.html
Nicolette Clark
Sat, July 19 -- Valley Point-to-Point -- 3rd Place Sport Women 19-29 - Time 1:58:29
After a nice long warm up I was feeling good and decided to try to start in the front of the pack. Not a good idea. I was in the lead pack for a while, but soon I started to feel my hard start and began to already shut down. I was passed by quite a few more girls by the time the single track started. I never regained my energy and the rest of the race was a struggle. The ups kicked my butt and the downs were never long enough to recover! The last section was tough, I was beyond ready to be done but I had to fight with baby heads the whole section. Finally the finish line came into view and I was done! I felt like crap and was very surprised to see that I came in 3rd, only 2 minutes behind 2nd.
Race 4 - Sunday, July 20 -- Super Downhill -- 1st place Sport Women 19-29 - Time 31:02
This race was super fun, starting with the challenge of loading our bikes on the lift to finding there were only 11 girls total racing between Sport and Beginner. Narrow that down to age group and Marni was my only competitor. It was a fast race and was over too soon! It was a lot of fun to be more relaxed on the course, and to know that it was ok to push on the few up hills there were because it would soon turn to downhill again. I ended up in the middle, too slow to catch the couple of girls ahead of me, and able to stay ahead of the rest, so I had the trail to myself almost the entire race. I came in 1st, and in a way I am proud even though there was only two of us in the group. Only about 20 women in all were brave enough to try this race, so I think I deserved that 1st Place. :)
