Desert Rampage 2008

Friday Jolene and I drove down to St. George for the Desert Rampage, Intermountain Cup mountain bike race. We left Orem around 11 am and drove straight to the race course for a pre-ride. When we pulled in it was 75 degrees with a clear blue sky and lots of sun - that alone was enough to justify the drive.

Riding the course was like seeing an old friend - taking note of the familiar features and noticing a few little changes. We rolled it mellow and had a very enjoyable ride. Here's Jolene on the final downhill:



After the pre-ride we drove over to Red Rock Bicycles to register for the race and see if we could get the fork on Jolene's bike repaired. I wasn't planning on racing, but I was on a high from the pre-ride and impulsively decided to go for it. The shop didn't have the right part for the fork, but I found a bolt that would work for the race at the hardware store.

Then we went over to Jolene's brother's house. We had fun visiting with them and their girls and had a nice dinner. We turned in around 11 pm. In the morning we ate breakfast, got ready and headed over to the course. It was going to be another sunny and warm day!

Jolene's race started just after 10 am, but mine wasn't until after 12 pm. So I helped her get ready then took some photos. Jolene had a good race and finished 4th in Women 35+.



Soon enough it was race time for me. I'd been riding around to warm up then got in the start line at ten 'til. I chatted with some of the guys in my category including Brad Sneed, a fellow UtahMountainBiking.com racer, and Jim Wedge with team Revolution (the champion team last year). Last year this was my first Sport race (moving up from Beginner). I mentioned that I was amazed at the fast pace from the start. And as our group started, it was the same thing again. Maybe I'm wrong, but I was sure that if I went out that fast I'd blow up so I set a pace just under my anaerobic threshold and motored along. Of course this meant I was squarely at the back of the pack - just like last year. I think there were 3-4 guys behind me and more than 20 in front of me - talk about starting in a hole.



The course rolls up and down as it heads to Keyhole Wash where I passed a few other rides. I stayed in the middle ring all the way up the first climb and passed a few more racers, a few in my category. Up ahead I could see Jim in the bright orange team jersey. He had 30 yards or so on my and I wasn't gaining on him, but I also didn't seem to be loosing ground. I was pretty winded at the top of the climb, but kept the speed up across to the downhill to Rock Wash.

Rock Wash contains most the technical challenges of the course. In the pre-ride I had cleaned them all and I was determined to make them in the race too. At one steep rock step-up where I usually slowed and took the easier ramp to the right, I was so focused on the racer in front of me that when he went straight up it I did the same. I was surprised and relieved I made it - here's the photographic proof (sheesh, it looks easy in this photo, but it's deeper than it appears and, trust me, it gets your attention):


(photo appropriated from zazoosh)

I cleaned everything in Rock Wash and even finished the steeper top of the climb in the middle ring to get on the final downhill section. I love this downhill section. It just flows so well. I felt like I ripped it pretty good, but I'm far from the fastest or gutsiest downhiller. It ends with a short climb and then a short descent to the flat section before the finish. I took it pretty fast in the big ring and made the corner through the wash then through the starting line to start my 2nd lap.



I was concerned how I'd do on the second lap. I felt I could bust out one lap, but would I fade badly on lap 2? I kept the big ring going until the first hill. And I was feeling pretty good through the ups and downs heading to Keyhole Wash where I spotted Jim again ahead of me. With Jim as my carrot, I increased my effort slightly and put little extra efforts here and there to gain some ground. By the top of the first climb I had cut the distance to Jim in half. I tried to push the downhill and down-shifted well at the entrance to Rock Wash to carry some speed starting this final climb. I pushed the pace and took each obstacle aggressively and after a few tenths of a mile up the wash I saw that Jim was close with one other racer between us. I kept a few bike lengths back as a cushion in case either rider faltered. Bad luck struck Jim as he got stopped by a tricky obstacle and the racer behind him stopped too. I called out "coming up" and they cleared their bikes out of the way just in time for me to go by. I was pretty excited that I was able to catch up to Jim and even pass him, but now Jim had me as his carrot.

I kept it in the middle ring and tried to push hard up the climb. On the steep top part of the climb I dropped into the little ring but kept the speed up best I could. I reached the top winded but pushed through the rocky traverse over to the final downhill. I felt sure Jim is a faster downhiller than me so I tried to push my speed. I caught up to another Revolution racer, Janelle, half way down. She was plenty fast but I could have gone a tiny bit faster if I could pass her. But this was all single-track so I just followed her down.



(After the race Jim told me he thought he had the perfect setup here with Janelle in front of me - effectively blocking me - while he closed the gap on me from behind.)

Finally the single-track opened into double-track up a short hill and I romped on the pedals - very nervous that Jim had closed the gap and was on my tail. At the crest I jumped into the big ring and let fly. At one point I took a quick glance back and saw a bright colored jersey which spurred me to romp on the pedals even harder. Another racer came up beside me, and I was relieved to see the familiar yellow and black of a teammate. Near the wash I took the right-and-high line in preparation for the turn into the wash crossing. I could hear another racer closed behind and just knew it was Jim. He was taking the middle-and-low line in an effort to stay inside of me. Unfortunately, as I had noticed in the pre-ride and previous lap, that line is very loose and with Jim's high speed his bike slid out and he went down. I don't know much more than that as I was 100% focused on staying upright myself. I made the final turn and hammered the last yards to catch my teammate and cross the line together with him.

Jim and I talked a bit after the race. It was interesting to compare notes and hear how he perceived events from his point of view. For me it was all about seeing if I could catch him. In my mind there was the very real possibility I wouldn't.

For this race, the first of the season with a long Winter of very little riding, I was pleased I finished in the middle of the pack (14 out of 28) - since last year I finished in the bottom third (25 out of 32). And I was very pleased I didn't fade (too much) on the 2nd lap. That means that even though I've lost fitness and form over the Winter, all is not lost!

It was also a good reminder of what is good about racing: a good course, feeling good on the bike, pushing my limits, staying strong through the whole race and enjoying the camaraderie of teammates and fellow racers. And summer temperatures in February can't hurt either!