Bellearye Race Report or the Jeffina Does the Double (Again)

This summer, Jeff and I have been splitting our time between the H2H mountain bike series and the NYS mountain bike series. The H2H series is a total of 8 races, whereas the NYS series is a total of 5 races. Doing both series means that at times, we might feel 'spread a little thin' but the Catskills mountains are a beautiful area to visit any time of year, in my opinion. Often times we see the same faces at both series, which means that the level of competition is always high.














Yesterday's race at Bellearye Mountain Ski Center, located on rt. 28 in the Catskills, turned out to be a wonderful reprieve after the rocky challenge at last week's Kenda Cup. We had ideal conditions for racing -- beautiful, clear blue skies, a great setting, and dry trails. The course was approximately 4.8 miles in length and had a little bit of everything: singletrack, doubletrack, climbs, descents, rocks, roots, and some fresh cut singletrack. The expert riders did 4 laps.

Most races that Jeff and I attend, we start at the same time, but we start in staggered waves. However, yesterday, they started the women with the SS'ers and in some ways, I found it comforting starting so close to Jeff. Of course, once we heard the countdown to "1," Jeff was quickly off and I was able to keep him in sight for a bit and eventually, lost sight of him. Jeff lined up with 8 other guys and I had a total of 3 women in my age group. Our start was fast, but I uncharacteristically did not find myself nervous on the start line. We've been doing so much racing that I have started to lose that anxiety I usually feel at the start of the race.














(Start/finish line)

The course started with a moderate climb into the woods which enabled me to get some distance on the other gals before the first descent and I would eventually pull away by the end of the race to win by 6 minutes. I kept my efforts steady and watched my lap times. By the last lap, I was feeling tired, but focused on riding clean. I was pleased with my efforts and my handling -- a few minor bobbles, but overall, solid riding.

As for Jeff, he also won the SS category and I would actually see him finish as I was 1/3 of the way through my final lap (due to course configuration). I yelled, "Hey Jeff....you won, right?" And, sure enough, he did. He crossed the line with 5 minutes to spare and said that he kept looking back to see if anyone was near. The last two weeks, Jeff's been plagued with brake issues and I was relieved to see that everything worked out for him.

Even though both of us had uneventful races, it says a lot about our fitness this time year. July and August are typically the time of year where we finally feel fit and can push ourselves. Our bodies become accustomed to the efforts of training and racing, and we also allow time for recovery, but coming out of one of the snowiest places in the northeast, we find that it takes us this long to finally find 'our race legs.'

I want to mention also that our local friends, Paul and Tamara, made the trip to Bellearye Mountain. Paul got 3rd in his division and Tamara got 2nd. Good job! We also saw one of Jeff's former teammates from the Ommegang team, Mike (who goes by "The Rooster" -- sorry, no explanation on this one). With Mike, was his 6-year old precocious daughter, Sophia, i.e., very cool kid!

Afterwards, we feasted on watermelon, peaches, and homemade zucchini muffins. I always enjoy a mix of lemonade and green tea, whereas Jeff finds beer to be his recovery beverage of choice.














While waiting for awards, Jeff came across a very unique bike made out of bamboo. Jeff has a keen eye for engineering feats and marveled at the artistry of the formation and angles of this bike. The owner of the bike said that is rides like a steel frame and was made by a dude who has an engineering degree. The bike's name? Well, see for yourself below.

We drove home into the sunset, enjoying sandwiches from the cooler and already talking about next weekend's race -- the Taconic 909.

Together, we are Jeffina, crankin' out the miles, crankin' out the love for Crankskins.com

Enjoy the photos of the day.

Kenda Cup Race Report or the Rockiest Race I've ever Done

Happy 2nd day of August to our committed readers, and as well to our family and friends. The start of August is always a gentle reminder that school year will be starting in a a few weeks and I will need to begin preparation for my courses. However, the start of the school year does not mean that we will be racing any less. Between now and November, there is still plenty of racing to be done, but it does mean that my time commitments will begin to change. We plan to finish out the mountain bike season in October and perhaps jump into a few cross races by the time November rolls around.

Yesterday, though, we traveled to Macungie, PA (on the outskirts of Allentown, PA) for a Kenda Cup race. This race was part of the national points series, as well as the final race in a four part race series which began back in April at the Greenbrier Classic in Greebrier, MD. For us, the focus was to continue to work on getting national points. After competing in Colorado, we enjoy participating in high level races and enjoy the tests and challenges with seeing new faces and new courses from week-to-week. As much as we have traveled this summer, I am always amazed at the quality of riders we meet at these events. Most of them, like us, work and fit in time for family, and training, which makes time management key to maintain a certain level of fitness.

We arrived on Saturday to pre-ride and quickly found the course. The race took place at the Bear Creek Resort and Conference Center which is a relatively small resort (compared to Mt. Snow or Sol Vista), but boasts technical, rocky trails. True to the website's word, we found this course to be extremely challenging. Of the 8 mile loop, 6 miles were covered in rocks, some big rocks, some rock gardens, some wet slimey rocks, and I think you get the picture. There were few places to open up any speed and the climbing was minimal. At the risk of sounding like a whiner, I kept saying, "I want to go home....." But, we didn't and Jeff just told me to try my best.

Sunday came and we were greeted by light rain on and off throughout the day. Arriving at the race venue, I was relieved to hear others complaining about the course -- some were worried about trying to keep speed and others, like me, were just concerned about survival. We were discussing how often times race directors want to make courses "over the top" and not think about the safety of riders or just having fun. I can't remember the last time we did a race course that was just fun and flowing singletrack.

For Jeff, he again had problems with his rear brake (even though it worked fine during the pre-ride) and was forced to turn in his number plate. Having no rear brake on this course would be treacherous. He was not only frustrated, but disappointed.

Despite my negative attitude, I lined up with the other gals and was relieved to hear the race director reduce our laps from 3 to 2. All the women started together, and there was only one other gal in my age group and she was from the area and on a full-suspension bike. I was envious. The start was fast and early on, I realized the the race would be between me and the course.















(Start of the ladies race.)

As much as I struggled, I tried my best to keep speed and found myself on the 2nd lap riding more and more of the rocks. Around the course, people were fixing flats, walking in with blown out sidewalls, or just riding flats. Some people needed stitches and others like me, just played it safe. I came in with a smile and just said, "I did it...it was a tough day."

I ended up 2nd in my age group and because I did the Greenbrier Challenge back in April, I took the regional championship. I was glad to celebrate this moment with Jeff and his parents. I felt badly for Jeff and told him on the way home, "I wish it was me who had the brake problem....."

One final note, Lauren Z., who I met while racing in Colorado, traveled back east for this race. Lauren is a highly ranked cat. 1 rider who has done the entire national series said this was the most difficult course of the series. I was glad to see Lauren and hope that our paths cross again.

Enjoy the photos of the day!

Next up, NYS series race in Bellarye.

Together, we are Jeffina, crankin' out the miles, crankin' out the love for Crankskins.com