2017 Monster Cross (Minus Results)

So, it turns out, training works!

I have been riding quite a bit, with some structured workouts scattered here and there, in anticipation of Dirty Kanza.  Well, part of my training plan was to compete in Monster Cross.

This is not the first time I have done this race.  I do it every year and suffer through, finishing well after everyone else and quite a bit after the post-race beer has been tapped out.  It is always a fun time though, since this is the first time I have seen many of my racing friends since the end of cross season.  Last year, I had my best overall time, which was 4 hours 38 minutes (slow...).

This year, I felt great going into the race, with over 1,200 miles on my legs since the first of the year and several 60+ mile rides in the past few weeks.  Fifty miles should be pretty easy, right?  Well, it never is at race pace, but it was definitely better than previous years.

My only goal was to finish faster than last year's time.  I knew I was not a podium contender, and only wanted to race against myself.  Because I felt so good and was on a "gravel specfic" bike (even though drop bars are still scary!), I set my goal VERY high.  I wanted to finish 45 minutes faster than last year.  So, I needed to finish in 3 hours 53 minutes.

Lining up at the start is always a bit of a cluster.  There were over 700 racers this year.

Racers starting to line up.
Photo courtesy of Jesse Peters/VORS 

I positioned myself with my female teammates (there are a couple of groups of pink helmets, we are the smaller group in the middle left side of the photo behind all the taller dudes without pink helmets!) and chit chatted while we waited for the racer director to let the pro/elites go out a few minutes earlier than the rest of us.  I was nervous, especially since this is the first year I have lined up near the middle of the pack, and not in the back.

After a few minutes of nervous anticipation, we were off.  I HATE mass starts like this.  It was chaotic and racers do really stupid things.  I was already freaked out about doing this course on drop bars and was feeling a little squirrely when someone hit my right foot.  I managed to stay upright, but whoever it was knocked the Boa fastener on my shoe loose.  I tried to pedal it out to smoother ground, but my foot kept trying to come out of the shoe.  I had to stop and fix it.

After getting back on the bike and waiting for a break in the traffic to get back on course, I kept my elbows out (like the mountain biker I am) and practically dared someone to get too close to me.  I was NOT stopping again for something stupid and totally preventable.  Most people were good about calling their passes if they were overtaking me, but a couple of people passed way too closely without warning.  My elbows were getting ready to become weapons.

Luckily things spread out a bit and I got my confidence back.  I hung back a bit to just breathe and let the chaos ahead of me disperse a bit.  After a few minutes, I started to feel pretty good and my legs were warming up nicely.  At this point, I started picking people off and doing what I do best, which is kill them on the climbs.

I played leap frog with several guys on mountain bikes for most of the first lap.  I would pass them on the climbs and they would pass back on the descents.  I kept thinking that this really is a mountain bike course.  The gravel was deep, the sand was loose, and the rocks were pretty chunky.  Oh, and there were a few root gardens thrown in for good measure on the descents, too.  I REALLY missed my 2" knobbies!

I made it through all three stream crossings without incident on the first lap and was feeling great.  I wore a hydration pack to start getting used to it for Kanza and drinking during a rough gravel race has never been easier.  I was also trying to remember to eat, but honestly should have eaten more.

I crossed the finish area with the elapsed time on my Garmin telling me it had been 1:55 since I started it (about 2.5 minutes from the time we actually took off).  I did the math.  I could TOTALLY reach my goal!  I was elated and almost cried.  I took off with renewed vigour and determination.

On the second lap, I started to pick off the ladies in my category (Women's Open Cross) one by one.  I played leap frog with one of the gals from the DC area cyclocross scene.  She was quite surprised to see me not on a mountain bike.  I passed pretty much everyone in my category that I knew, which was surprising.  I always assume I am the slowest rider out there, even though I have been working my butt off getting ready for Kanza.  I will say that the only reason I passed Jamie (on the first lap, no less) was because she had flatted one of her tubeless tires on a stream crossing.  I swear, she needs run flat tires!

I was still feeling pretty great going into the "lollipop" section across the bridge.  I had gotten in with a couple of people that I knew and was having a grand time playing leap frog on the climbs and descents.

About a mile into that last section, things started to fall apart a bit.  My body was getting beaten up pretty badly due to the roughness on the course.  I was using tubes, so I did not want to lower my tire pressure any that what it already was.  I think going tubeless may help with the vibration fatigue.  I also failed to eat enough on course.  This is a huge problem for me and one that I really have to figure out how to fix before Kanza.  I honestly think if I had eaten more, I would not have slowed down so much on that last leg of the course.

About three miles from the finish, my friend Laurie that I had passed on the first lap caught up to me.  She was on a mountain bike and not in my category, so it was nice to see a friendly female face.  She knows my timidness descending on drop bars and rode behind me for a bit and told me I was crushing it.  And by crushing it, I am pretty sure she was just happy that I was easing off the brakes a bit and not crashing!  Either way, it was great to hear.

Laurie (and David, who was one of the guys I was leap frogging) passed me just before the last creek crossing with about a mile to go.  My body was so fatigued going into the creek crossing that I lost focus and plowed front tire first right into the muddy, leafy bog on the left side of the crossing.  I came to a dead stop in boggy water up to my front hub and my left foot completely submerged in cool (although quite disgusting) creek water.  Whoops.

Getting off my bike, I had to put both feet in the water, and it felt quite refreshing.  My right foot was hurting and my left had been threatening to cramp for a few miles.  I quickly got back on the bike and headed up the last real climb of the day just as Laurie and David sailed out of view.  I was by myself and so ready to just be off the bike.  But I glanced down at my Garmin and saw the elapsed time...  I was getting close to not making my goal, but if I just kept at it, I could finish in time.

I kept pushing myself until the last little rooty descent that comes around the bend where you could see the bridge right before the last little kicker to the finish.  Seriously, who puts the finish at the top of a 15% grade!?  I saw my Garmin as it ticked over to 3:47... WHAT?!?!?!  GO GO GO GO GO!

Elated that I CRUSHED my goal!
Photo courtesy of Jen Wheeler

I crossed the finish line with my Garmin reading 3:48:andsomeseconds.  I surpassed my already extremely lofty goal by FIVE MINUTES!  I can only imagine what would have happened had I kept up with my nutrition.

Either way, I was elated.  There was a smile a mile wide on my face.  I had a great race and even though I was tired and my body was pretty wrecked, I could have kept riding. Especially after a substantial snack.

Needless to say, I got not only ONE post-race beer, but two!  Woohoo!

Race results are pending, so I am not sure where I placed.  Due to a pretty nasty crash on course, apparently the pro/elite's and a few of the fastest citizen racers were stopped for about 20 minutes on course while the girl that crashed was med-evac'ed out.  My thoughts are with her, her teammates, and her friends/family as I have not heard an update on her condition.

Things that I learned:

• Hydration.  The hydration pack was key.  I filled it with 70 ounces of water and drained it about four miles from the finish.  I had a bottle filled with water and a Fizz tab, and drank about half of it.  I need to figure out a way to fit two bottles with my frame pack for DK200.
• Food.  I need to eat more.  I need to get better at eating while riding.  I HAVE to figure this out in the next few weeks.  Shot Bloks are great, but I need more solid fuel, too.
• Rough Terrain.  I was actually surprised by how beat my body felt after this race.  As a mountain biker (especially one that rides a rigid frame half the time), I felt I should have been more prepared for the roughness of Monster Cross.  I know tire pressure and volume have a lot to do with this.  I am second guessing my tire choice (40mm Maxxis Ramblers) and thinking I should get a slightly wider tire.  But I need to try setting this bike up tubeless and trying lower pressure.  
• Shoes.  I have no idea why my right foot started to hurt so bad.  I think I may need different insoles for these shoes.  But...  these shoes are awesome.  They are the perfect stiffness for me, plus the soles are super walkable.  Also, they dry SO fast. This is not the first time they have been fully submerged in a creek crossing (or splashed so badly that they got completely soaked) and have been dry (or almost been dry) by the end of the ride.  This weekend, they were not quite dry, but they were soaked less than 15 minutes before the end of the race.  Pearl Izumi figured this out great.  My last pair would take DAYS to dry.
• Hands.  The one thing that did not bother me all day was my hands.  Even after having a death grip on the brakes for most of the chunky descents, my hands felt great.  I think it is a combination of the most amazing bar tape ever (Supacaz Kush) and gloves that do not bunch or pinch or do anything except protect your hands (thanks Handup Gloves!).  

Lastly, I just want to say that it is amazing having the greatest team ever behind me.  From my teammates cheering me on during the race to offering support after their race was tragically cut short due to a mechanical, seeing Team Bikenetic's smiling faces on race day (and well, every day) really helps me get over my "Impostor Syndrome".   

Team Bikenetic gets photobombed by Jeremiah Bishop!
Photo courtesy of Arden Sperty and Jeremiah Bishop