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I have decided to try a new blog site and will be posting new articles etc. at http://blog.mountainbikepath.com/ChrisDavis/ please visit me here for new parts reviews, race reviews and rants. Thanks, Chris

2007 SWANK 65

On the morning of Sunday November 7th I drove out to Cove Creek Campground in Pisgah Forest to ride in the last race of my season. Don't let the name fool you (It's metric). The SWANK 65 is a 42 mile race set in the Pisgah Mountains outside of Brevard, NC. Like other races organized by Todd Branham it was very well, marked, supported and organized. Here's how it went.

The race sold out with 100 riders signing up long before the event and 97 of those who planned ahead showed up for the running start. Approximately 25 riders out of those 97 took off like they were running the 100 yard dash at the local track meet. I started somewhere behind those guys (and girls). After running about a third of a mile of rooty, rocky single track in hard sole race shoes, the ride started.

We quickly started a fairly long steep climb on some technical single track traveling away from the campground. I had ridden my Bandersnatch 100 miles the week before at the TreeShaker and had hoped my legs would heal enough to feel well this week on the Jabberwocky (Vassago SS/Stay tuned for a full review and pics). I quickly realized I was at about 80% and decided to pace the begining of the ride knowing there were several hours left to go. Arriving at the first rest stop, I realized I was somewhere in the top 25 and my legs were starting to feel better. Rest stop 1 and 2 were the same so I skipped this stop and rode on.

This section of the race was rolling SS and double track that was covered with leaves and rocks. It was hard to get into any kind of a groove on the SS in these conditions, but the 29 inch wheels and steel frame definately took off the edge and flowed well through the loose rocks and roots. I rode on, trading spots with several other riders who I would continue to see throughout the race. I arrived back at the rest stop, checked my back pack for a water level, quickly grabbed some food and rode on.

This part of the race was the hardest of the day. The ups were long with intervals of steep sections. For the first time in the race I was forced to walk the SS. This happened on 3 occassions and I shared each one with other single speeders. After reaching the top and briefly riding a ridge line I started my descent down Farlow Gap. In my opinion, this is the hardest trail to ride in the Forest. The beginning and end of this trail is ridable and I rode most of it out, gaining several spots. After approaching the middle section of the trail and seeing 2 riders go down hard I decided to play it safe and walk where it was questionable. In my mind it was questionable for about a mile. This was slow walking with loose rocks, leaf covered roots and steep slippery drops. The trail dumps you out on the easiest and fastest part of the race with a short section of road and double track that took me back to the last rest stop. I quickly ate a few bites and filled up with some water.

The end of the race was much easier than I had heard and I was disapointed in myself for not knowing this. From rest stop 3 there was about 3 miles of gradual dirt road climbing and then 5 or 6 miles of fast single track back to the camp and finish line. I finished the race in 5 hours and 9 minutes which was good enough for 7th in the SS class and 31st overall.

Congratulations to the Open Men's First and Second, locals Sam Koerber and Marshall Hance of Endless Cogs; First and Second of Open Women's Trish Stevenson and Paula Burks; and First and Second in SS Jason Chapman and Gary Chambers (who I spotted smoking an after race cigarette by the race postings). Is that there secret?

Thanks to Kris and Misty at Vassago, WTB, White Brothers, George at Bike29 and Cane Creek for a great season. I managed to get through 7 races on products by these companies this season with zero mechanicals or flats. It's time for winter riding in the mountains. See ya next season...

2007 Tree Shaker

Last weekend I ventured out to Ann Springs, SC to meet up with some old riding buddies from Charlotte, NC and few other Vassago Teammates for the 2nd Annual Tree Shaker 12 Hour Race. Here's my view of the event.

This was my second 12 hour solo race of the season and I planned to use what I learned from the First, to make this experience a little more enjoyable.The fact the temperatures were 30 to 40 degrees lower also "seemed" to assist with this a little. From the beginining, I had decided to use this event to challenge myself more than the other riders. My goal was to complete 10 laps hope that this would be good enough to put me in the top 10. That may not sound like much of goal for some readers but for someone who has had to cut back his riding to 3 days (approx 7-9 hours a week) this year, top ten in any race is a great reward.

The course was approx. 9 miles of well maintained singletrack at Anne Springs Close Greenway in SC, with the last 3 miles proving to be the most technical and hilly of the course. The weather couldn't have been better and the trail conditions were just as nice.

The race started promptly at 9am with a running start and as everyone who was there knows, this really didn't do much to break up the pack. The first lap was probably my slowest lap of the race, due to the congestion and varied levels of riders on the trail. I decided to keep the pace down, pass when it was safe and save energy for the end. Laps 2 and 3 got a little faster and I began to become comfortable with the course.

Laps 4-6 continued to go well. There were times when I felt I should have given a little more. However, I continued to ride smart knowing that you can't train hard for 9 hours a week and then ride 12 at race pace in one day. Somewhere during these laps I met up with Teammate Brian Archer. After changing places several times we lost touch and I rode on. Somewhere in here I was hooked up with a well awaited cup of starbucks iced mocha by my Vassago Support and her anonymous assistant. Thanks for the boost!!!!

A couple of local riders, Scott Trotter and Joe Recore came to provide some support and company for lap 7. This lap went fast and I continued to feel good. After being unable to talk them into another lap I decided to take a few minutes to eat some lunch. After some sweet potatoes and watermelon I was off for lap 8. It was approx 4:30 and I was well on my way to hitting my goal of 10. In fact, at this point I decided to shoot for my first 100 mile trail ride and increase my aim to 11.

5:30 was the cut off time to add lights and I was determined to complete laps 8 and 9 before stopping and mounting up the evening wear. This was accomplished, and sometime around 6pm I stopped to mount lights and put on some dry clothes before starting laps 10 and 11. This long stop was the biggest mistake of my race. It cost me 3-4 positions in the line up. As I stated before, I was racing against myself and never bothered to look at the standings. Had I taken the time to do this I would have realized there were several riders, including me, that would end with lap 11. Those extra minutes cost me.

By this point in the race, the Starbucks had run it's course and I was becoming physically and mentally drained and looking for something to keep my going. That something or someone, was Rebecca Tomaszewski who quickly rode by me during lap 11. I immediately picked up the pace and jumped in behind her. After stalking her for approx 2 miles and entering into conversation I learned that she was riding a SS with a 32 X 17 gearing and she was one lap up on me. Suddenly, I had the energy to finish strong.

I rode across the finish line around 8:45pm, with 11 laps completed, 10 hours and 24 minutes of ride time and about 100 miles posting on the computer, I finished 8th in the solo male category. Once again, as in every race this season, I finished the race with no mechanical and no flats.

Thanks to my sponsors, Vassago, WTB, White Brothers, Bike29 and Cane Creek for building and providing me with dependable and comfortable parts for another long hard ride.

Congratulations to the first place solo female Rebecca, First place solo male David Hall, First Place Solo SS Rich Dillen and to Teammates Kevin Clark and Brian Archer for finishing 3rd and 7th in Solo SS.

See you all at this one again next year...

2007 Fools Gold

Three weeks ago I ventured out to the unknown trails of Camp Wahsega in Dahlonega, GA to participate in the 2007 Fools Gold 50 mile race. I anticipated racing the 100 mile for several weeks before registeration and at the last minute I decided I needed a few more miles under my belt before racing the 100. Hindsight now tells me this was one of the smartest decisions I've made all year.

I arrived in Dahlonega on Friday night and stayed at the nearby Econo-Lodge. I had made reservations with the Econo-Lodge due to my need for a good nights sleep in order to function well on race day. I was invited to stay with fellow teammate and race promoter Namrita and Eddie. However, I decided that they had enough to worry about without worrying about my comfort. Thanks for the offer guys, it was much appreciated. After checking in I made the short trip to Camp Wahsega to register and check out the facilities. This was a great venue for a race. The cabins were air-conditioned and well arranged. They were within 100-200 yards from the starting line, kegs and kitchen with plenty of parking. Next year I'll ot for the weekend package, if there's room. This was a great race and I expect it to grow quickly. I quickly registered and filled my sag bags for reststops 1, 3 and 4. There were 5 reststops, with reststop 2 and 3 being the same and reststop 5 being the start-finish line. From here it was a short drive to a local restaurant for dinner and then to the hotel to make last minute preparations for the race. I brought my new Vassago Jabberwocky SS that I had built up the night before and the pink 1X9 Bandersnatch. Deciding it wasn't a great idea to race a newly built bike, I preped the Bandersnatch and went to bed.

Saturday morining it was back to the same local restaurant for a huge breakfast and then off to the races. I arrived at 6:35am (just in time to see the 100 milers take off) and quickly got ready for the 7am start of the 50. We started the first 7-8 climb up the service road climb at 7am. My strategy was to go out hard and stay with the stronger riders for this part of the race, knowing that this climb would break the pack apart quickly, and it did. We quickly caught up with some of the slower paced 100 mile riders and it began to get harder and harder to decipher between who was doing the 50 and who was doing the 100. As we topped the longest climb of the race and arrived at the first reststop I was with the top 6 or 7 50 mile riders. Believing I would run out of water before stop 2 I stopped and filled bottles. Most of the other riders rode on without stopping. Am I the only one who drinks a bottle of water every hour?

After filling up I got back on the Bandersnatch and started the long loose descent to the next reststop. Had I known it was mostly downhill to this stop I would have skipped #1 also. However, as I rode through reststop 2 I realized that many of the front riders had stopped here and some were still filling up as I rode through. From this point of the race until the finish there was an unbelievable amount of great flowing singletrack. In fact, this was some of the funnest singletrack I've ever ridden. Each section of single track was connected by brief fire or service road and each section was a little different than the previous. If you haven't had a chance to ride in this area, you should take the time to do it or come out and do this race in 2008. You can thank me later.....

I completed the loop and arrived back at reststop 2/3 an hour or so later. At this point in the race my legs were starting to fatigue and I was starting to realize that doing the 50 instead of the 100 was a great idea. This was also the point where I weighed the positive and negative points of stopping and eating or continuing on. Stopping for too long could lose me several spots now and not staying and eating long enough could lose me more spots in the end. I have a high metabolism and I sweat a lot. This plays against me on long, hot rides and today it was hot (mid 90's) and humid. I decided to stop and eat some "real food" before moving on. Several riders past me while I was sitting in the shade and refueling. This broke me down mentally and emotionally. I ate a little faster, filled my bottles and moved on.

Every endurance race like this will break you down mentally and physically at some point. Today that point was between reststop 3 and 4. I became fatigued, queezy, and slow. Knowing that these are all signs of dehydration and remembering what happened in the ORAMM when I became dehydrated a few weeks earlier I began to eat and drink as much as possible. This slowed me down and for the first time several riders past me while I was riding during this section of the race. My ambition to finish in the top 10 began to deminish as I started to think top 20 wouldn't be so bad. I pressed on...

I finally arrived at reststop 4 and filled my empty water bottles and ate lots of fruit before moving on to the finish. The closer I got to the finish the better I felt. I always wonder what can be done to bottle some of this energy a little earlier in the race (like between stops 3 and 4). Anyway, I continued to ride. This was some of the best singletrack of the race and the excitement of riding new great singletrack kept me going. 6 hours and 1 minute after starting the race I crossed the finish line. I checked my computer and realized I had spent 31 minutes at the reststops with a ride time of 5 hours and 30 minutes. Someone needs to teach me to eat and drink more on the bike. Anyone have any ideas? I had no idea what place I had finished in and at this point I didn't care. I just wanted a shower and some food.

After showering and eating some of the best post-ride food I've ever had with fellow teammate Brian Archer and few other friends I packed up and ventured home. It wasn't until several nights later that I learned that I finished 10th out of 45 in Men's Open and 12th out of 65 Overall.

This was a great venue, a great race, and even better singletrack. I will be back next year. Thanks Eddie and Namrita for a top quality event and thanks to Vassago Cycles, WTB, White Brothers, Cane Creek and Bike29 for developing a bike that finished another long race without any mechanicals. Congratulations to the top 3 100 milersSam Koerber, Harvey Minton and Peter Joski. Congratulations to the top 3 50 milers Shane Schreihart, Eric Watson and Eric Smith. See you next year!!!!!

Assaulted, Off Road, on Mt. Mitchell

On 7/22/07 I ventured out to the starting line of the Off Road Assault on Mt. Mitchell for the Second time. This year there were about 70 more riders and I had 8 more gears. I hadn't been able to obtain and build a Vassago SS so I rode my Bandersnatch set up w/a 1X9 (this should have made it easier)...

I figured that gears would allow me to go out with the front riders and avoid getting caught up in the bottleneck at Kitzuma that I had to deal with last year. I was right. The race started and I was able to go out with the front 50 to 60 riders without pushing my heart rate too high and saving energy for the end of a long day of riding. As we approached Mill Creek to start the 4-5 mile climb to Kitzuma I was feeling good. Approx. 2 miles into the climb we spot a detour. I guess our race organizer decided that climbing Mills Creek was too easy so he added a single track detour with some rather steep climbing. This immediately taxed the system and increased the heart rate. However, this was a great addition allowing us to spend a little more time on some single track and off the gravel road. After a mile or two of fun new single track we were spit back out onto Mill Creek and began to finish our route up to Kitzuma for the first of two rides on this trail.

I climbed well and was lucky enough to get with a group that ascended well. Unlike last year, I was able to stay on my bike and ride most of switchbacks (somewhere during this section of trail I lost and old friend and fellow rider from Charlotte, Charles). Things changed however when the trail pointed down. The group that climbed so well was unable to keep the pace on the technical downhill and timidly descended until some local Bio-Wheels riders came up behind us and began to haggle them until they either crashed or gracefully pulled off the trail. We released the brakes and made up some time on the last 2 miles of single track.

From here we proceeded to head up the road and past the first rest stop on the lower side of heartbreak. This is a another technical, steep climb full of switchbacks. Again, unlike last year, I was able to ride most of this trail due to the fast start and avoidance of the bottleneck. We quickly came to Jarret Creek and began our 4 to 5 mile ride though open grassy fields and rolling terrain. I met up with Matt, a fellow Bandersnatch rider on this section of trail and would repeatadly pass and be passed by him until we reached the third rest stop at the top of Curtis Creek. Coming out of Jarret Creek we passed the 2nd rest stop. I quickly stopped to check my water and decided that I had enough to make it to the 3rd rest stop which was posted at 34 miles on the que sheet. I continued to ride, realizing that up to this point I had gained several positions since starting the climb at Kitzuma and I continued to feel great. Things will change soon....

We begin our climb up Curtis Creek feeling fairly fresh and looking forward to the 3rd rest stop where I would refill my camel back and eat a little solid food. The first 2 to 3 miles of this long 9 mile climb went well. However, around mile 33.7 I ran out of water. At mile 34 I realized there would be another 5- 6 miles before arriving at rest stop 3. This crushed me mentally and an hour or so later I was also physically crushed. I wasn't the only one who timed this wrong and I wish I was. With the exception of one fellow Bandersnatch rider (thanks Matt), there were several friends and fellow riders that passed by and who were unable to lend me any water due to running low themselves. About 40 to 50 riders passed me during the last 3 to 4 miles of this climb of which I walked about a mile of even with gears and while I was trying to recover at the rest stop. After about 30 minutes of drinking and eating everything in sight at the long awaited rest stop 3 I trudged on.

The 6 or so miles of climbing up the Parkway to the start of Heartbreak was painful. I climbed well when I could climb but everytime I got into a groove and began to catch up with a small goup of riders my legs would cramp and lock up. These were the worst cramp I have ever had in my life. Both legs would lock at the knee and I would immediately begin to flip over the bars of my bike. I continued to drink lots of water and take an unhealthy amount of endurolytes. The cramping would eventually stop, but not until I had lost about 10-15 more positions and wrecked twice due to locking legs. Once I finished the Parkway climb I began my descent down Heartbreak.

This part of the race went well. Descending technical singletrack on a steel 29er made me forget all about the last 2 hours of suffering. Without effort I was able to catch up with and pass several riders on the downhill. After reaching the bottom and the final reststop I stopped to drink and refill my camelback which I had emptied during the last 1-2 hours of riding (Thanks to Bolt Brothers for being there with some snacks and liquid to go). It was at this rest stop that I got the motivation to finish strong. I was told that Charles, an old friend and fellow rider from Charlotte who had passed me while I was suffering on Curtis Creek was just a few minutes ahead. Determined to catch him and not looking forward to climbing the new steep singletrack off Mills Creek I began to climb.

This climb went well, the cramps stopped and was back to feeling well. As I climbed and debated on whether or not I should try to walk or ride the first part of the single track I realized that the detour wasn't there for the second climb up and I could relax again until reaching Kitzuma.

As I started climbing Kitzuma, feeling exhilirated, knowing that after this next 1.7 miles of torcher I would be home free. I stayed seated and climbed looking ahead on the trails above me for any sign of Charles. About a mile into the climb, there he was. He was almost in the exact same part of the trail where we split ways at the beginning of the race. I rode by whinning about my day and went on to the descent where I caught up with the same two guys I descended Kitzuma with about 5 hours earlier. Again we descened quickly and recovered a few more spots that were lost on Curtis Creek. We hit the road and headed towards the finish.

On the road on the way back to the finish, I passed a single speeder giving up spots to those with gears as I did last year, # 174. A few minutes later I finished the race and began to settle down. Realizing the finish line announcer was calling everyone's name and # as they came in after hearing # 174 being called and realizing I had not heard my name, I approached him to see if he had seen me finish the race. He had not. The only thing I could think to do was tell him I finished several minutes in front of # 174. After looking at the list of finishers, he proceeded to tell me that his finish had not been recorded either. After several minutes of arguing and having # 174 tell the finish line announcer that it was true, I had passed him a couple of miles back on the road before the finish. We were both put in the line up where "he thought" we should be. I was placed in the line up. SEVERAL MINUTES BEHIND # 174?

Who knows where I really finished and who really cares? I was able to make improvement over last year, I had no mechanicals, I tested my physical and mental stamina and I had a lot of fun. Thanks for putting on another great race. I'll be back next year (WITH MORE WATER).......

Thanks for the tow.....

For the last two weekends I have been doing training rides in Black Mountain to prepare for the Off Road Assault on Mt. Mitchell. Unfortunately, last week my riding mates ended up with more training than I did. My plan was to park at the end of old 70 and ride Kitzuma with an old riding partner Jeff and then do the Heartbreak loop with an old friend from Charlotte. This would add up to about 37 miles of riding with approx. 21 to 22 miles of climbing. For those of you who have done either part of this ride you know that it's backwoods and bailing out to walk back to the car is not an option. Here's how it went...

Jeff and I started climbing the Kitzuma switchbacks around 8am. This part of the ride is usually the hardest of the 37 miles, simply b/c I've always done it on a SS and there's no warm up from the lot. You immediately go straight up. However, this week I decided to ride my Bandersnatch which is set up as a 1X9. An extra 10 teeth in the rear almost make the climb pleasurable. We climbed to the top and then completed the downhill with out a hitch. As we headed out of the park at Old Fort I realized my seat had dropped about a quarter of an inch. Just enough to be annoying. So I stopped to raise my seat. My seat clamp bolt broke during this process leaving me with a 5 mile climb up old 70 without a seat. Jeff and I proceeded to climb up to meet Charles with me rotating b/w riding on the top tube of my bike, standing and getting frequent pulls from Jeff. We managed to get back to the car about 15 minutes later than scheduled, put in a new bolt from an old clamp and then started the Heartbreak loop with Charles, Kyle and Mike. Jeff went home exhausted and sore. Pulling an extra 180 lbs up a 5 mile climb seemed to take a little out of him. THANKS JEFF!!!!

The four of us made it through Montreat and up Toll Rd at a great pace. This loop with a group always adds up to ride and wait ride and wait, but today everyone stayed on and 14 miles later we were at the top. This is usually where we would eat a quick bite and start the 7 miles of singletrack that points down. However, Mike took a hard fall approx 20 yards from the top which postponed the downward spiral for a few minutes. Ten minutes later we were on our way. About 10 seconds later a stick jumped into my chain and snapped my rear deraileur (I immediately forgot about the benefits of the gears that I had enjoyed earlier on Kitzuma). After approx 45 minutes of "repairs" we realized that I was going home without a chain.

We ate a bite and started to ride some of the best single track in Western NC. single track in Western NC. It's just as fun wihtout a chain as it with one. In fact I made more of the switchback at the bottom than I had ever made before (Maybe I'll take my chain off before the descent during the ORAMM)? Once at the bottom My smile quickly vanished with the thought of pushing back up that 5 miles of dirt road. After a little thought I CAME UP WITH A BRILLIANT PLAN!!!! We could ride the road over to the bottom of Kitzuma and everyone could take turns pulling me back to the car on Old 70. HELL, JEFF DID IT BY HIMSELF. That's all I really needed to say to persuade the group. Charles, Kyle and Mike took turns pulling me for the next 7 miles or so and approx 2 hours later we were at the top. It's good to have friends who are in shape...

This week I ventured back to the top of Old 70 to redeem myself. Once again I met up with Jeff at 8am to do Kitzuma and then with Shaun Boyd to do the Heartbreak loop. My Bandersnatch is still out of commission until I can get some parts from George at Bike29 so I had to ride my old Rig. This ride went without a hitch. SS are great. My only complaint is that I wasn't riding a steel SS. I felt like I was taking a beating on the downhill and on the rocky Toll Rd. climb. ALUMINUM BIKES SUCK!!! Can't wait to get my Jabberwocky from Vassago. SEE YOU AT THE ORAMM....

WTB (spreading the Word)

A few weeks ago I received a package from WTB containing 2 NanoRaptors, 2 ExiWolfs, a new 2007 Silverado Saddle, a pair of WTB QR Skewers and new Jersey from Vassago with WTB written all over it. Being familiar with WTB products (avid user of their Rocket Saddle and ExiWolf 2.3 tire for the last few years) I couldn't wait to get this stuff on my bike and get out on the trail. Unfortunately, I had to wait a few days. It was the day before the 24 Hours of Panthers Creek and I learned the hard way never to make major changes the day before a race. Anyway, the week after the race all products were added to my Bandersnatch and after approx. 250 miles of trail I'm ready to spread the word....

The tires: I've used the ExiWolf on my SS in the past but due to money and the need to try new stuff I had stopped using it. My latest set up was a Navegal on the Front and an Ignitor on the rear. I placed the 2.3 Exi on the front and the 2.1 Nano on the rear. This is the best set up I've ridden by far. Both tires have bite on sandy, rocky, rooty and hard packed trails (I've ridden Harbison State Forest in SC, Bent Creek in Asheville, Pisgah in Brevard, and HeartBreak/Kitzuma in Black Mountain on these tires and they never let me down, know matter what the condition. For you weight weenies, the ExiWolf weighs withing 10 grams of the Navegal and the Nano is about the same as the Ignitor but the rolling resistance, or lack there of is the catch. These tires roll so much faster than my previous set up (i wouldn't care if they were 200 grams heavier).

The saddle: I've ridden a WTB Rocket Saddle for several years on 3 different bikes and I had no intentions of trying anything new. I was a little skeptical. Anyway, I placed the new 2007 Silverado on my Bandersnatch and rode it for 3 four to five hour rides within a two week period. I will trade my Rockets for a couple more of these saddles. This saddle fit like a glove. I never got any sore or numb spots and still haven't. This saddle is strong and light and comes in black and white w/urban como trim. I've crashed several times and there's not a scratch on it. The white is also shedding mud/stains well. I've ridden in the mud and rain and to my disbelief it's still white. I've noticed many shops in our area have WTB saddles you can take out on trial/trail rides. Give it a try, you can thank me later.

The Skewers: Bontrager skewers came on both my old 29'ers which are now on sale. I'm not one for spending money on stuff until it breaks so I've been using them for 2 years. I have one thing to say about them. They slip. These skewers have always slowly loosened up after approx 20 miles of riding. So when WTB sent me some new WTB QR Skewers, I was happy to try them. I've ridden approx 250 miles on them and I've never had to stop and tighten. They're black, sleek and dependable. Of course you can spend twice the amount on some more popular skewers, but why would you want to?

Bottom Line: WTB continues to make great, affordable and dependable products. I haven't had the opportunity to ride their 29er wheels yet but this is what I will put on my new Jabberwocky soon. Reviews to come....