Chainbuster Racing Oak Ass 50/100 Preview

Registration is filling up quick for the Oak Ass 50/100 miler. The field is limited so if you want in better get on it.

Sign up and other info below:

Race Website: Chainbuster Oak Ass 50/100
Facebook Group: Oak Ass 100
Trail Crew: BUMP

People who have ridden seem to be stoked on it (not to Enduro racing or fatbike or Miley Cyrus stoke but whatever) and for good reason. It is a kick ass course! It's hard, fun, dangerous at times even. Everything you want in a long day's ride in the woods with a bunch of old and new friends.

Chris Olney and I went out yesterday to get some photos that turned out awesome. It was a perfect day for a ride.

These are in no special order but should give an idea of what you have to look forward to November 23. Enjoy!

50 milers get 4600 feet of climbing, 9200 for the 100 milers. Some of it is a bit steep.

20 Percent

Every climb, however, has the reward of miles of twisty singletrack and rocky, rooty descents.

Flexibility for Cyclists

I have been a bit lazy and have not posted much on here lately. I'd rather save the posts for when I have something to say rather than filling this area with um, filler.

I have a pretty awesome new road bike. First time in four years! It is my shop demo through Edgewood Cycles. I am wrenching a few hours on weekends at Edgewood and it is going well so far. I'll say more about the bike when I get some pictures.

Due to my physical therapy career I think I have a stronger interest than most bike riders in off bike function and exercise. I have tried a few different types of off bike structural maintenance over the years and have discovered that most of it works. People in every camp will tell you their way is the one! Truth is you need to have a few hours a week of off the bike stretching and strengthening.

This is not to convince any one they need to stretch. People figure that on their own at some point. Ones that really need to but don't want to can easily find a 12 week study that says stretching will slightly reduce their explosive power if done before a workout and run with that ...anyway.

Lots of good books exist on stretching but the best one I have come across is the Flexibility For Cyclists manual by Fred and Kele McDaniel. I know it sounds lame but I have read numerous stretching books and most are too theory heavy. This one has a series of stretches that takes an hour to complete if you do them all and a quick six to to if you are pressed for time.

For best results do this stuff 3 times a week. If that is too much start with ten minutes each time and build up as you can. Simple.

Get the version with the print book that includes the stretching strap. It is great. Made our of seatbelt material and really helps with some of the floor stretches.

Oak Ass is three months away, I'll do a post on it soon and will also be coming out with a new project type thing soon! 

Bump and Grind 2013 quick report and photos.

I hadn't planned on doing Bump and Grind this year. I never really plan on doing it...or any XC race for that matter. I just don't like them very much so I quit doing them four or five years ago.

I had already made plans for the weekend, we were volunteering at the Magic City Brewfest Friday night and drinking all sorts of beer free on Saturday. Sunday would be a rest day.

I thought.

Pete texted me mid week to let me know I was signed up for the Singlespeed class on Sunday. Hm, no real backing out of that, in a matter of seconds I was committed. I knew Brewfest and racing were a poor combination but I didn't really see myself being competitive anyway so I did what I had planned and promised to drag myself out of bed Sunday morning no matter what.

I did exactly that.

I felt bad. My stomach was unhappy and didn't care much for any food Sunday morning. I drank a ton of water Saturday but free dark beer is a powerful thing and I was glad I hadn't set lofty race day goals. I had set some, I always do.

No crashing. Don't be last. Don't be a bitch and give up halfway through.

There was some Oak Ass chatter at the start line which was nice. During my brief pre ride I noticed a very steep grassy hill near the finish line with tape on each side of it. I had an inclination I would be riding up it and chose to think about other things.

Poor fitness or not, I went for the whole shot. Stewart got it and one other guy got by going into the singletrack. I rode in third spot for awhile. I never wear a heart monitor racing but knew I was already deep in an unsustainable pace but this might be the only time of the day I went fast so I continued to do so.

Singletrack was good, as were rocks. I was able to go fast on these. Uphill hurt and I went backwards every time. Before we got to the main fire road climb a couple more people got by and I felt the crampy twitchies settling in. Quads, hamstrings, calves. The cramps were not especially particular about what muscles they took over. I rode as slow as I could up the fire road.

It seemed very hot. No walking, I already knew what would happen. Someone would see me and never let me forget it....no walking. I passed Mike Garner, nice to see him on a mountain bike.

I used my time across the top as recovery time. Stewart had flatted earlier and came past me with a train of geared people. This looked appealing but my legs were still in cramp mode. Pete passed me also. His day was going better than mine.

I began feeling better down the Bump trail and made some passes. The cramps subsided a bit and I was able to push hard again through the last five or ten miles. I began to make some more passes and felt good. I knew I was nowhere near a podium but slowing down seemed like cheating or poor sportsmanship. Something, I don't know...

Credit to uzelessknowledge

I came out of the Lake trail and saw the grassy death hill in front of me. It was worse than it looked. I got up it quick like. Down the other side and my day was done.

Nine minutes down on first and seventh place I think. Better than I expected or felt I guess. Thanks to the awesome volunteers and Pete for the hook up. I might have to come back and do this again once I have some fitness.

Here are some pics from the day.

Pro women champ. Pua

Wells leading Bishop up Jekyll

Omar Fraser did great in Pro field

Jerry Dufour on his way to Junior Expert win

2013 Oak Ass 50/100

Last year around this time Pete, Lee, and myself were headed back from Iowa.

I don't remember where we were but the topic of discussion was the possibility of a hundred mile mountain bike race at Oak Mountain State Park, here in Birmingham, AL.

The possibility was exciting and I knew people would be into it, I had even heard rumors of guys who used to go out to Oak Mountain to try and knock out 6 laps of the old 17 mile loop.

The event was called the Oak Ass and I don't know much more than that. I do know there were very few finishers...

Back to the present, some time has passed since our drive back from Iowa, plenty of planning has been done, and I am happy to announce Oak Ass is BACK!

Thanks to Kenny Griffin of Chainbuster Racing there will be an Oak Ass 50 and 100 mile mountain bike race November 23, 2013.

Link to the Chainbuster Oak Ass page with all the good details HERE.

Strava file of the race course is HERE

If you have questions join the Facebook group HERE and someone can probably help

Looks like a good time with camping, some good chili, and lots of great prizes including a giveaway of a brand new Niner frame.

The race course is super fun. Jacob and I rode it Saturday and had a great time. Each lap has two big climbs, some shorter rollers, and tons of stereo typically twisty and awesome Southeast singletrack.

Thanks to everyone involved with this, especially BUMP. BUMP does a ton of great work to maintain the extensive trail system at Oak Mountain. There have been some trail additions the past few years and more to come.

Better start training if you are going to attempt this one, the course is a beast. Hope to see some of you out of towners come on over for this one.

Randy Johnson would be proud.

Maybe. If he likes bright green singlespeed bikes that is.

I have been riding the same On One Scandal for three years and there is nothing wrong with it. I just wanted a new bike and the IRS also wanted me to have one this year so there you have it.

After a significant time obsessing over geometry I pulled the trigger on a Kona Big Unit. Vince at Edgewood Cycles is the man to see if you want one of these.

I built it up quick like with a non tapered Niner fork and quickly realized it would not work. Not in the compatibility sense, that part was fine. The bulbous head tube and svelte steerer tube had some serious Hot Dog in the Hallway Syndrome happening and a tapered fork was the only cure. I rode it once with the Niner fork and it was fine but, what the hell I figured, might as well have some squish if I am getting a new fork.

I sold my old Reba easily and got a killer deal on a newish Fox with all the nice stuff, QR15 axle included.

The build is about all the same stuff I always use, nothing exciting and lots of black parts:

Kona Big Unit Scandium frame
Fox Float 120 fork
Cane Creek headset
Industry Nine/Stans wheels
Maxxis tires
Shimano XT brakes
Niner carbon bar with ESI grips
Thomson post and WTB saddle
Sugino crank with surly ring
Endless Bikes cog and KMC 610 chain

Hasty build with Niner fork

It rides pretty awesome, although I am having trouble with the Fox fork. It is a tough adjustment after 2 years on the Niner fork and I have a bit of trouble with all my new decisions I can make regarding lines to take on trails. For someone that takes fifteen minutes to pick out beer, more choices are not always a good thing. Whatever, I'll knock it back to 100mm and keep riding it. I rode one for years, surely I will adapt like all creatures do.

120 millimeters. Sorta overkill

Here are some pics below Chris Olney took with his Go Pro. Damn those take good pictures. I don't so much want one as I do to always ride with people that have one. They are cool.

About the tapered head tube and through axle...I dunno. It works fine but I can't tell much difference in stiffness unless the comparison is being made to an old Sid or something. I am happy to be current with standards which will last at least six months before something better comes out. Thanks to the bike industry for continually finding solutions to problems I didn't realize my mountain bike had.

I am signed up for Skyway Epic and trying to get in some sort of shape. I can get going well on anything twisty or downhill but my climbing is shit. I feel the way pugs sound when they exert themselves. I won't be in shape in a month but I will be by the end of the summer which is coming up on Oak Ass 100 time. Yeah, it is still gonna happen and some people better at that organizing stuff than me are gonna make it happen. Keep an ear out, exciting news soon...

I have been going to the gym with Melissa for a few months and actually like it. I have some thoughts on the how and why of it but it is much different from the thoughts of Friel...I'll post up more of that soon.

Also on the brain is some stuff involving Keith Bontrager old "Anti KOPS" article. Remember that shit? It's old! Very interesting though and I have worked through some of the how and why of it. I have some diagrams and whatnot but need someone better than me with math to make a relevant calculation.

Going up or coming down?

Hard to tell in this pic

Cool pic thanks to Chris Olney and his GoPro at JCC

I will upload some more tonight or tomorrow and do some writing about bikes and whatnot

"A trash bag and a Bulls Starter jacket."

"A trash bag and a Bulls Starter jacket." -Lee Neal, when asked by Pete what to wear in severe riding conditions.

I think I had a Bulls Starter jacket when I was ten, big time school bus cool factor then.

Although some might laugh at the proposition, it DOES get cold in Alabama in the winter. Not Minnesota or Iowa cold, but we definitely have some chilly months in the year. The only thing bike riders around here bitch about more than the heat is the cold. Maybe it is because we don't have enough of it to actually know what to do when it arrives.

My friend Scott recently did a post on his website about his cold weather gear for the Tour Divide that you can check out here: Bears, bears, and some clothing stuff.

I was inspired to write down part of my own setup after talking to Pete about what he needed to get setup with to ride through the winter as he gets ready for Trans Iowa.

I am going to go from the top down with this because that is what popped in my head first.

Noggin:
Any helmet that has room underneath for a hat or balaclava. Being warm is pointless if you can't get a helmet on.
Gore Windstopper hat below 40F and a Smartwool neck gaiter goes on in the low 30s
Smith Pivlock glasses have broad coverage. Protect your eyes in the cold, it can do really odd things to your vision.

Torso:
Bici Coop Racing kit for starters. Gotta represent, brah.
Defeet SS Wool base and Swiftwick arm warmers go on under 60F.
Twin Six wind vest with mesh back under 55F.
Montane windshirt goes on at 40F when the arms start getting cold. This is good down to about 25F!
Patagonia Nanopuff as emergency insulation, I've never been cold enough to ride in it but its nice to have.
Patagonia Torrentshell hooded rain jacket for full on storms. The windshirt has a DWR coating that can handle showers but the real deal is nice if the weather totally goes to shit.

Hands:
Meh, hands are tough. I can use normal long fingered gloves down to 50F.
Outdoor Research Vert gloves go on after that, these are thin softshell gloves that are warm down to 35F.
I have some MLD Event rain mitts that can go on if it storms or gets super cold BUT have not used them much yet. Bringing two pairs of gloves is actually a really good system as you always have a dry pair to put on!

Legs:
This part is easy. Start off with bib shorts.
Knee warmers go on at 60F. I have some Pearls that are decent but want some wool ones.
Tights or Rivendell knickers below 40F. I have been down to 20F like this without issue.
Patagonia Torrentshell rain pants chopped to knickers if it comes a big ol' storm.

Feet:
The worst part of all. Feet are nothing more than dumb hands, especially when it comes to staying warm and dry. I wear wool socks all year round. If I am racing in the cold I just wear normal shoes and let my feet stay wet and cold, it doesn't bother me much. For other riding I have a kickass pair of Shimano MW81 winter boots. If it is below 35F I use a wool sock plus GoLite nylon VBL sock to prevent sweat from soaking the insulation of the boot. Pretty simple.

All of this has worked really well and is still warm enough if it gets wet, which it will, from sweat or rain. There is no such thing as a "breathable waterproof" anything for exercising so don't obsess over finding it. Find things that are warm when damp. The things described above have a very flexible temp range. I have pondered getting one of Gore's Windstopper jackets and tons of people like them but I feel like I have more control over ventilation and whatnot with the windshirt setup. A typical layering setup is described as base, insulation, then some sort of shell. I feel like this is poor advice if you are working hard on a bike. You just end up sweating through all the precious stay warm stuff and BOOM, you're cold again.

Jeez, that was way longer than I expected. Kudos to anyone that read through all that!