Race Report: 2012 Crusher In The Tushar

I recently took on the Tushar mountains just outside of Beaver, Utah at the 2nd Crusher in the Tushar organized by Burke Swindlehurst.  Without going into too much detail, the race is a unique mix of pavement and dirt roads, covers 70 miles, and 10k of climbing.  There isn't an inch of trail on the whole course, a drastic difference from the Breckenridge 100 I did on the same weekend last year.  The race favors a rider that can climb like a mountain goat AND has a good handle on road racing tactics.  Picking the right bike setup is also an important part as the options are wide open from CX bike to fat bike.  I chose to ride the lightest bike I had with the narrowest tires it would take.  This turned out to be my Cannondale Flash29 Carbon with some 1.9 fast rollers.

I had a really good race for the first 3-4 hours. I was climbing good, pacing well, and riding close to the front of my starting wave.  For reasons  that aren't clear to me I started to crumble on dirt road headed back into the mountains after Circleville.  I fell into some major bonkage with leg cramps and couldn't get power to the pedals.  The high altitudes may have been a factor but looking back I was going pretty hard the first 3 hours (as one should in a race)  and I don't think I was fueling well.  I had lost a few bottles off my bike due to some rough sections in the road and wasn't carrying any solid food.  I have been in plenty of long races in the past and know what it feels like to be tired but this was beyond the usual mid-race fatigue.  I had to granny gear back up the last big climb.  It really sucked, I wanted to hammer but it just wasn't there.  I stopped for 4 min at the last aide station, drank a whole Coke, and ate two of everything they had and got pedaling again.  After 20 minutes and a few good burps I was feeling more like myself and tried to salvage some sort of result.  I don't say any of this to complain, not in the least.  In fact I was loving every minute of it.  After all, this is what racing is all about, the highs and the lows, and when it is all said and done, any day of racing is a good day.

In the end I was Crushed.

The up side to my experience was how well this event was put on.  Burke and crew did an amazing job down to every last detail.  The ONLY complaint I would have (if I were required to have one) is an option for drop bags.  I'm sure the stuff they had in the bottles at the aide stations (which were also outstanding) is a capable product but I know how my body responds to CarboRocket and having the ability to pre-mix and distribute my bottles would have been huge in my book.  It would also have been nice to shed some rain gear and arm warmers into a drop bag at some point along the way.

The second up side to the experience were the mountains themselves.  The views were amazing and if you are going to bonk in a race, I couldn't think of many other places through which I would like to soft pedal.

I WILL be back next year to C*R*U*S*H or be crushed!

8am start with Grizzly Adam looking ready to "Crush".

The course.

My elevation, heart rate, and speed profiles.

Going fast on the DH.  Glad I had a Lefty!

Headed back up from Circleville. That right leg has a cramp in it and that body is bonking!

My rig post race after delivering a flawless performance, unlike it's rider.

Can't come to Beaver, Utah without stopping to look at some Beavers.

Roads around Eagle Point resort.

Trees around Eagle Point.

Looking at Mt Holley near the lower lodge.

The accommodations with Java (the dog) standing guard.

Shoes are "Crushed"

The race will live on!

2012 Utah State Championship Series - Round Valley

Lap 2 riding in 2nd place.

I took part in more XC racing on my single-speed this weekend at the USCS #2 race at Round Valley near Park City, Utah. The last time I rode these trails was during the 2010 Park City Point 2 Point so It was good to get back up that way. The course was really fun with plenty of singletrack and double-track suitable for passing or getting passed. It's clear I am still sorting out how to race a single-speed or rather how to choose the best gear setup for the race. I went into this one with a vague recollection of the trail so I took some time to look at the elevation profile. I saw a few steep climbs so I chose a 32x19 setup. This turned out to be a little under geared as I found myself spinning out much of the race but handling the climbs really well. I couldn't seem to get into the high RPMs needed to keep up the speed on the flats of which there were more than I was expecting.

Corey in 1st and me in 3rd starting lap1.

The race started out fast with 4 of us grouping together off the front. By the end of the first lap I was in second sitting about 30 seconds back from Corey Larrabee (KUHL) who was the eventual winner. He was riding strong and unlike me appeared to have the timing right on the flats and made it into a few pace lines with the geared riders. I wasn't so lucky and sat out in the wind spinning my guts out trying to tuck the wind.  I kept 1st place in sight most of the race never able to close the gap.  I'd like to think running an 18T in the back might have saved me a little time on the flats but you never know.  I ended up finishing where I rode most of the race in 2nd place.  I'm really happy with that result and hats off to everyone that rode their guts out.  XC racing is awesome!

Cool old car photo.

Fast Friday

We've had some good early morning (6am) group rides going over the past month.  The dominance of Strava on everyone's mind has turned these rides into crack-of-dawn throw-down sessions, and I wouldn't expect anything less from the Utah valley crowd.  I generally ride alone so I've really started looking forward to these weekly social events.  As a creature of habit I've also grown to like this little loop starting at the Pine Hollow trailhead in American Fork Canyon.  I think we've done this 3 weeks in a row now.

An Update: Photos

American Fork Canyon looking at the back side of Timp. 

Broken frame and new frame - Infinite Cycles to the rescue!

Fastest wheelset on the plannet - Thanks' Stan's NoTubes!

New Epic Endurance team clothing.

I put my name on my new bike frame.  Still a Coloradan at heart.

I always believe in promoting good sponsors.  Cannondale and Infinite Cycles are both excellent sponsors. 

AF Canyon Group Ride.  Getting to know the Utah hammers the past few Friday mornings.

Decision time with Rick Sunderledge and Brandon Smith.

The other half of decision time.

The other, other half of decision time with Dave Bagley.

Regroup after the Mill Peak Canyon climb.  DanZ put us in the hurt locker setting a "Gentlemen's Pace" up front.

Running through the mud and standing in line on a perfectly good Saturday (when I should be riding my bike).

This lunch snack rocks.

iCUP

They'll give anyone a ribbon these days.

It didn't take long last Saturday for me to remember why I don't race XC much.  My max HR is around 165, I'm rarely the first guy up the hill, or the fastest out of the gate, it takes me a long time to warm up.

I'm a diesel.

The last time I raced a true XC race was in Winter Park, Colorado in 2010.  I did a number of CU Boulder STXC races last year and had a blast.  Those did hurt but the hurt was short lived at 20-30 min max.  Fortunately for me, I enjoy racing long distances and it is no surprise that I tend to do better in the 50-100 mile range.  With that said, there is nothing more fun than bleeding out your eyes for an hour on twisty singletrack with a hundred other people on a sunny Saturday morning.  Thanks to the Intermountain Cup Racing Series for putting on a great event (my first).  I will be back for more sooner than later.

So what does it look like when you put a diesel in a rally car race?