Peak2Peak....bike, bonk or both................

On Saturday Jay and I visited Crystal Mountain for the annual Peak 2 Peak Challenge. This is the 1st time I've raced there but I've heard that the race is well organized and a good prep for the Iceman Cometh. I will also mention that top Elite/Pro finishers receive a decent payout so it makes it worth the 4.5 plus hour car ride to the venue.
The temperature was just above freezing but other than that the weather looked promising. I had backed off the bike quite a bit due to a cold that kept me from racing the cross country race at Boyne. It has only been in the last three or four days that I've felt comfortable enough to start putting some hard efforts in again. So this race was going to be a test to see how much, if any fitness I've lost over that time. I've been pretty lucky for the past few years and saved my illness' for the off-season! ;)
We arrived at the venue early enough to kick back and have a coffee and enjoy a little bit of the fall scenery before I began my warm up. The parking lots were full of vehicles with bike racks so it looked to be a good turn out. Jay prepped my bike and took a quick nap in the van while I 'warmed up'. Not having raced here, I didn't know what to expect. Jay had put on my 'do it all tires', which aren't the fastest nor the lightest but hook up well on anything and were a safe bet for a place that I know nothing about.
My warm-up went alright, my legs felt good but I noticed my heart rate was quite a bit higher than normal and I was working harder to get the bike up to speed. I simply contributed it to being off the bike for the past three weeks or maybe it was simply the excitement to finally race again. It seemed like it's been ages since I took to the starting line.
The pro-women started with the pro-men and behind us were the expert men. The race started at what I thought was a quick pace. I did not have my normal punch and settled in behind Danielle Musto (Kenda/Tomac) and Karey Collins (MPI/Main Street Racing). I was working really hard, to the point where something just didn't feel right. Nevertheless I plugged on and continued to push. Eventually the men gapped the three of us and I found myself third in line. I felt like I was working my tail off to keep up but the bike just wasn't goin'!! I was even pushing gears that were 2 to 3 lighter than my norm and felt sluggish. Regardless I kept the other girls close. We turned a corner and saw that Joe Brzuchanski (Bell's Brewery/Quiring Cycle) had a minor mishap but was alright. We passed by him and another pro and continued on. Soon after Joe was back passing us and I jumped behind him. The quick draft allowed me to get in front of Karey. Danielle had put a few bike lengths on us and as we got into some single track I was able to bridge the gap. In an open section I made a pass on Danielle putting me in 1st. Coming through a section of single track I avoided a slick root. Unfortunately, from the sound I heard behind me, Danielle didn't . I stopped and yelled to her, Karey told me that Danielle was alright and I could see that Danielle had gotten up. Knowing all was o.k., I had to keep riding.
I finished the first lap in around 45 minutes which was about three minutes slower than the pace I was hoping to set. Because of the slow pace a number of expert men riders caught us and were passing us in waves. Some of the passes were pretty aggressive but for the most part it was kept in check. When you have that many riders together on a trail at once communication and patience is key or else someone gets hurt. Which brings me to my next point. Some inconsiderate racer decided to pass between me and another expert rider while we came through the start/finish chute. We were riding side by side at a comfortable distance, about six inches apart when this guy yells out "up the middle, up the middle"! I thought to myself what is he talking about, "up the middle", then the next thing you know this rider comes up between us, clips both of our handle bars and takes us down. He falls first and then his bike. I fall on his bike and than my bike falls on me. About five or six riders pass by and I lose about 30 to 40 seconds. Thanks 'buddy', nice move. (b.t.w. post race check up revealed two broken spokes and a bent rear wheel!) Thankfully no one was hurt and our bikes were still rideable. So I collect myself and continued on. I don't know what is happening behind me with Danielle and Karey but from the timing results after the race I learned that I was around 40 seconds in front.
On to lap number two. I now know what the course is all about and what to expect. There was alot of flat single track and double track but not as much climbing as I was hoping for. The ground was sandy and mostly dry, not alot of rocks or roots and not technical. I probably had way too much tire than what I needed but it is better to be safe than sorry. Lap two was the same as lap one. I was working alot harder than I should have been and the race was dragging on. My bike continued to make some weird noises that I've never heard before. I felt like there was a steady drag. I stopped a couple of times to see if there was something wrong, spinning the wheels around, checking for brake rub......... but no visual problem. ARGH!!
Finally lap three. I could tell that my pace was slowing and by mid-lap I was hitting the wall. I stopped again to check my bike. The constant squealing/squeaking from the back end was getting to me and I was losing focus. Seemed like things were getting worse. I had to back off my gearing even more, which had me now doubting my physical fitness. At the last climb I was still in front. I didn't know by how much until Jay told me Danielle was only 20 seconds behind me. I found a little energy and forced my way up the climb. After reaching the top there was a fun section of downhill but for some reason my feet had uncontrollable shakes and I felt a bit light headed. A bike issue, a bonk, call it both I still managed to cross the finish line in first. I think Danielle ended up a minute behind and Karey was not far behind her.
In the end I was happy that I won. Did I deserve to win? Probably not. It was a good effort but I just didn't have it. Iceman is only three weeks away and that is the worst I've felt on a bike in two years. After the race I was a little concerned. It even crossed my mind just to skip Iceman this year and call it a season. Yes I was that bummed out. (OK it was a brief thought but somehow the Iceman after party put things in perspective ;) !! )
We hung around for the awards and chewed the fat with the Michigan MTB faithful. It is always a special treat to see Erin Vicary (Bell's Brewery/Quiring Cycle) at the races. She is always super encouraging and as I said as I passed by her on a climb, I miss her on the trails!! An injury kept her sidelined this year but she assured me that she will be racing next year and things are looking better. She promised that she will be racing some O-Cups next year. (I will make sure she sticks to her word!!) While talking to her I got to thinking how lucky I am just to be able to ride/race. Even a bad day on the bike is better than not riding at all.
So with Oberon in hand, my mood quickly changed. I'm going to put some hard efforts in and pick it up a bit before Iceman.
I highly recommend the Peak 2 Peak to anyone. Crystal Mountain is a quality venue and Endoman Promotions puts on a great race. The awards and payouts are great. I would like to thank the promoter for the equal pay out to the pro men and women.
On the way home, (5 hours) I told Jay about the bike and the noises it was making. He told me it was probably something in my bottom bracket and he'll check it out the next day.
Fast forward to today, Jay took a look at my bike and found that it wasn't the bottom bracket. One of the derailleur's jockey wheels was completely seized up. The other was on its way. So that was the noise I was hearing from the back of my bike during the race. So this made me feel a little better. I know I'm not going crazy and there was something on my bike definitely dragging me down. The derailleur is two and a half years old and has a lot of miles on it so it's served me well. Time for a new one, before Iceman.

I hope Danielle is feeling better. She thought she may have injured her collar bone. :(

Cheers,

Sue