The 20th annual Highland Forest Classic provided all of this and even more this year. As a side note, years ago when I first moved to central New York, this race was part of the NYS mountain bike series and I was impressed with quality of the event. I had not met Jeff yet and had just moved from my home state of West Virginia. Of course, I was partial to rugged WV courses and hard core mountain bikers. I 'grew up' in the cycling world with Gunnar Shrogren and Gerry Pflug, and anyone familiar with these mountain bikers know that Gunnar has been nominated for a spot in the US Mountain Biking Hall of Fame; Gunnar at 49 still whips up on the youngsters and then there is Gerry, who is currently leading the NUE series in the singlespeed division. Gunnar introduced me to Cadel Evans and Dave Wiens when they were riding for Diamond Back. So, for me, when I moved to NY, I had a high level of expectation for racing and like I said, this was one of the first races I did. Now, nine years later, this race still makes it on our racing calendar amidst a busy race schedule and it probably goes unsaid, this is a high quality event due to the efforts of CNY DIRT and the Bike Loft.
Race venue
Each year, Todd Enders, CNY DIRT course designer, slightly changes the course, but what stays the same, is Todd's effort to use a variety of trails which encompass both sides of the park. This year, the race course was about 8 miles in length that included about 900 feet of climbing per lap. Good friend, Fizz, marked the course about a week in advance which enabled most of us locals to preview the course. Jeff and I rode the course a few times together and he would go on to ride it more later in the week during the Sprocketkids group rides. Jeff knew the course well come race day. Experts were scheduled for 3 laps.
Prerace chat with friends
I will admit that my race was not exciting. I was the only female expert to show up which was disappointing in and of itself, so for me, my goal was to ride clean and continue to work on technical sections. Perhaps I would be able to ride with some of the expert men, but essentially, I just had to finish to win my category. I completed the race with a time of 2:51 and was satisfied. When I compared my time to some of the other guys around me, I was not the last expert and about 8 minutes back from the male winner of the 50+ category.
Jeff's race was much more exciting. He is starting to feel better after having a rough start earlier in the year. He has been seeing a doctor and training with much more regularity. Coming into this race, Jeff felt strong enough to register for the semi-pro category which would bump up his laps to 4 and more importantly, help to prepare him mentally and physically for a national qualifier race this coming weekend in PA. Jeff lined up with Ben S., Paul K., Tim O. and Wayne B. A small, but powerful group for anyone who knows them. As much as Jeff doesn't like me saying this, he was the oldest guy in the group by 9 years.
Jeff had a good start and led the group into the first section of singletrack. At one point, he had a solid lead. But, he admits that the 1-hour delayed start affected his prerace meal preparation and brought on earlier than expected hunger pains. He quickly started going through gel packs and water, and would need to wait to the start/finish area to refuel. At this point, Tim O. caught on to Jeff and they would essentially ride the last 1.5 laps together. Both of them were short on water and food. Towards the end of the race, Jeff's handlebar caught a tree which sent him careening into the air. He quickly regrouped and as expected Tim hit the last piece of double-track with Jeff chasing. Jeff made the catch right before the end and took the hole shot into the final piece of single track coming into the finish. It would be a sprint finish to the end after 32 miles. As they rounded the final turn, I saw them and started yelling for Jeff. It didn't matter that it was raining and I was soaked. Jeff was having the race of his life and fought back like I've never seen before. Both guys fought for the win and it was Jeff who would prevail. It was impressive and inspirational to say the least. Yes, it was on our home course and it was a hometown crowd, but we all know that small wins can help build confidence. I was very proud of him and of this moment.
Jeff with winnings
Afterwards, we cleaned up, ate watermelon, sandwiches, and headed to the awards ceremony held up the shelter. All told, the our Crankskins team won in three categories: semi-pro men, expert women, and expert men 30-39. Kudos go out to Ben and Jason Bixby, as well as to all our Ommegangster friends.
Cute doggie who got part of my sandwich based on his good looks and charm
Post race
Link to race results
Next up for the Jeffina is the Bear Creek Challenge in Macungie, PA. This is a national qualifier for next year. On Saturday, we will compete in a short track race and on Sunday, cross country.
Together, we are Jeffina. Crankin' out the miles, crankin' out the love for Crankskins.com
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