Hilly Billy Roubaix 2013

Race website
Race results 
My Strava data
My interview with DirtWire.tv
CXHairs.com video

The quick and dirty is, I went quick and got dirty and loved nearly every second of it.  Hilly Billy Roubaix and I just get along.  That's me on the busted barrel representing a 2nd place single speed finish behind Gerry Pflug (1st) and ahead of Gunnar Shogren (3rd) and Dan Rapp (4th).

Racing is awesome because of the variety of people and secondarily because of the training, equipment, terrain, epicness, etc.  I prefer to cover it all in one post, so get a bagel and some coffee and queue the flashback sound effect.

2012

It all started at Hilly Billy Roubaix 2012.  It was my first endurance bike race and I did well.  More importantly I rode most of that race with Roger Masse.  I think I read his 2011 HBR blog post 7 times before the 2012 race (I read it another 3 times before the 2013 race).  So when I found myself riding with him in 2012, me on gears, him on his single speed with 34x17 gearing, I was pretty excited.  We ended up matching up well back then and I was just amazed at how he could ride on that single gear.  I basically wanted to be like Roger.

Also, at HBR 2012 was Brian Patton.  We had met by coincidence on a pre-ride of the 2012 Sugarhill XC race.  Come to find out he lives near my In-laws and we both looooove riding in Michaux and he was on strava.  We ended up near one another in the results of HBR 2012 but never saw each other out there.  We kept up with one another throughout 2012 and 2013, intersecting at several races.

Then before Shenandoah 100 2012 my teammate and close friend Pat Blair made the switch from gears to single speed mountain biking.  I joined him, tossing the gears.  Dan Atkins kinda became my mechanic at that point as he guided me through the install of the Beer Components eccentric bottom bracket on my Cannondale Flash 29.  For the most part it works (needs re-tightening about every 100 miles) and I was glad to have made the move. 

After the pain that was SM100, Pat and Adam (Driscoll) and I attacked Iron Cross 2012.  Roger Masse and Brian Patton were also there.  And all of them beat me as I pooped out.  But!  I also rode a good bit with Dan Rapp (super nice guy) and the eventual single speed winner, Austin Horse (also super nice).  They both also beat me, but not before I found out from Austin that he was riding 42x18 on his single speed cross bike!  What!  That's huge!  I thought he would surely pop in the big mountains of Michaux.  But instead he won his division and went really fast.  During my poop out, Brian Patton rescued me for a while, allowing me to draft on him for many miles.  I never really saw Roger but he passed me when I was stuffing my face at the last aid station.

2013

After reviewing my race schedule with my wife and praying about it, I decided that I would only race once per month.  I have tons of opportunities to train/ride with friends and teammates throughout the week and its way easier on me and my family (i've got two little boys now!).  So in January I was bleh at snotcycle (expected, just happy to race), in February I won the non-elite division of Monster Cross.  In March I did well at Sugarhill XC.  In April I proved I could ride a single speed mountain bike for a really long time at Bakers Dozen (13 hours of ouch!).  In May I tested the technical skills at Maximus Michaux.  And finally June had arrived, I was very excited for HBR 2013.

Pat Blair has coached me in 2013.  I always coached myself before that.  I've seen huge gains from Joe Friel training, guided and modified by Pat to fit our lives.  One of the biggest changes has been my race prep.  I understand now that it takes weeks to prep the body for a race.  The "go hard/long when you can and go easy the week before the race" attitude of old just can't come close to producing the results that I have seen with Pat's/Joe Friel's longer-term plan.  I pretty much know how I'm going to feel in a race, that is a huge confidence builder.

My Setup

For nutrition I continue to go with Cerasport for hydration and Probar nutrition.  This is a no-brainer.  No Camelbak Rogue this time, I used Stainless Steel King Cage water bottle cages that I could bend inward to really clamp down on my water bottles.  For equipment I continue to use the Backcountry Research - Awesome Strap  to hold my spare tube, tire levers, and CO2.  It totally works (take the time to adjust it correctly) and I recommend no one uses a saddle bag ever again (man i hate saddle bags!).  If you are worried about your stuff coming loose and falling all over the place, well stop worrying.  Get the right awesome strap for the location that you want (stem, seat post, seat rails, etc.) and go Awesome.  Also, watch this video because its fun Awesome Strap baseball bat test.

I continue to ride tubeless.  This was the first race that I used my custom built Danny Atkins carbon wheels.  They are wide/strong but light.  So far, they have been great.  My bike is a Danny Atkins custom carbon single speed rigid mountain bike.  It weighs 17.1 pounds, mwahahahah!

For tires I chose to NOT use the Schwalbe Marathon Mondial, Double Defense, 700x35 at 570 grams.  They just seem to be life sucking in races.  I went with Michelin WildRacer Ultimate 2.0 tires.  At 460 grams they are super light for an MTB tire.  I was concerned about their flat resistance but I give them an A+ now.  27 and 29 psi seemed to work great.

Gearing.... what gear! what gear should I use!?  somebody help me, the hills are steep!  the roads are fast!  what gear!  So the general rule is 2:1 ratio for ultracross (aka 2.0).  So 32x16 or 34x17 or 38x19 or 42x21 are good starting points.  Hilly Billy throws crazy grades, sometimes well over 15% at you but also has a lot of faster road sections.  So you basically want the tallest gear ratio possible to survive the hills efficiently, allowing you to also paceline with geared riders out on the roads (huge savings!).

I played around with gearing for over a month prior to the race.  But I needed a test.  We have a hill in my riding world known as Ilchester.  It is a cat 4 road climb with 18% grades.  I decided to climb just the steepest parts of it for 2 hours (just straight up and straight down).  I figured this would get me over 5k feet of climbing and therefore was a great test for the nearly 7k feet of climbing at HBR.  I went as tall as I could imagine I could handle, 38x17.  It was a total success, with me completing 18 ilchester climbs in 2 hours.  See strava output here.  Similar to 38x17 is 32x14 (ok the latter is a bit taller). Since the parts i had were better suited for a 32t chainring I went with 32x14.  I planned to get off the bike and run any grade over 20%.

Race Day

The worst way to start a race day is to find out you forgot your helmet (like I did at Maximus Michaux), so I wore my full gear into the car.

Once we got driving the navigator let us know that we would be getting to the race very close to "go" time.  So in a pinch I got Adam to start applying my sunscreen for me, lol!  Thanks to Matt Cooper for documenting all of this embarrassment!

We ended up getting to the race by 9:30, got our registrations in order and got to the line by 9:45.  That's important because last year I had a terrible starting spot and it cost me.

At the line, there is Garth Prosser (last year's winner).  Gerry Pflug and Gunnar Shogren are comparing single speed gears (Gerry 42x20, Gunnar 42x19).  Ok my gearing is taller at 32x14 this is going to be interesting.  Alpha males Justin Lindine and Mike Simonson are here.  I'm surprised to see them on CX bikes.  Don't they know that the top 3 from last year were on mountain bikes?

My plan was simple.  Follow Gerry through the first set of hills.  If things are pretty tame, then I make the lead group.  Otherwise if I'm near max heart rate, then back off and join the chase group.  We have a neutral start for a mile or so then we're off.  I'm in good position and there's Gerry.  Legs feel fine.  I'm semi-comfortable.  we approach a very steep grade (probably 20%).  Can't run this early into things.  Gerry swings wide off the gravel road into the grass.  I follow.  The traction is better here.  But wow he is throwing down and we crest the hill with a small gap on most of the leaders.  My teammate Adam and Gerry and I are all together.  I'm definitely redlining.

This is a make or break moment, and we're only a few miles in.  If I keep this up i'm likely going to pop and have a terrible day.  But if I can hang in there and make the lead group, its high-risk high-reward.  I decide that with Lindine and Simonson and Prosser behind me that I'm going too big for my briches.  And I let go.  The leaders rush by a few second later and my body is finally getting a chance to send the signals that my HR was already telling me, "YOU NEED TO SETTLE DOWN".

Fortunately I was 98% prepared for this outcome.  So I didn't panic.  After all, this was the plan.  But what I didn't plan for was the sinking feeling I got.  I've trained hard this year and these guys are just so much faster.  Bleh.  I suck.  Waaaaah.  But then the chase group comes, and per my plan I settle in with Jim Mayuric, Brian Patton, and my teammate Andrew Dunlap.  My damaged pride disappears once I realize that I can ride comfortably with these guys.  The only question is, how much did that little experiment with the leaders cost me?

The unique ultra-pot-holed section was muddy/slick this year and there was all kinds of desperation maneuvers needed but I got through it pretty cleanly.  I'm definitely happy to be on a mountain bike.

Out on the roads I can see the lead group a minute ahead, and a littering of wannabe's like myself in their wake.  As a single speeder I never go it alone on the roads unless there is no one in sight.  It take a ton of work to produce the speed of the geared guys so I just pedal along comfortably until a group forms.

Inevitably some people in our chase group throw down some early race heroics to try to break from the group.  Thats insanity this early.  HBR is a group ride for the first 55 miles.  You make the fastest group that you can and you don't go it alone.  Solo riding any time before 55 miles takes something special that should have seen you into the faster group up ahead.  So you probably don't have it.

I stick with Brian.  We had talked about me drafting on him on facebook before the race.  I knew he would be one of the chase group leaders and he knew I'd be ecstatic to be in the chase group on my single speed.  Unfortunately I'm not much help to him besides good company.  But he's got that selfless "let's ride" personality and probably really is just happy that we can go together.

Some where in the early steep climbing we catch site of Gunnar Shogren.  Oh boy!  This is gonna make my day.  Gunnar was last year's single speed winner.  He's got wicked descending skills on his modified cross bike.  When I say modified I mean he's got a cross frame, with front disc brake, mountain bike wheels and hybrid 700x38 tires.  Its like he refuses to ride a mountain bike so instead he built the closest thing to it.  If he joins my group then I'll learn a ton and possibly find a way to beat him.  We end up together but then after a wicked descent and some fast roads he catches the wheel of a geared guy and works harder than I'm willing to.  I let him go and rejoin Jimmy and Brian, but I'm fairly confident I'll see Gunnar again soon.

At about mile 12 there is a long gravel climb.  It was here last year that I hooked up with Dan Atkins and Roger Masse.  Dan refused to race again this year, he doesn't really "do" ultracross.  Roger is out with Lyme disease.  Roger is my hero.  So in a way I'm riding for him.  Cause he'd be here if he could.  This year its Gunnar that I'm catching up to and joining.  I know what this means, we are very close in ability and now strategy becomes very important.

So its Gunnar drilling descents, telling jokes, and essentially tour guiding for the group since he knows the course inside and out.  Jimmy is the horse of the group.  He has gears, he's on a mountain bike, and he banters with Gunnar every couple of miles or so about West Virginia and Pennsylvania.  Brian Patton doesn't say much so I do enough talking for the both of us.  "I'm still here General (Brian).  Gunnar, didn't you used to be a pro cyclist?  Woah!  Look at that view!"  I'm probably a little annoying but I'm having so much fun riding with these guys.  Brian is helping Jimmy with the geared road pulls.  Unfortunately he's on a traditional cross bike so he falls back on the descents and has to solo a bit to catch our group every time.

We discuss aid station 1 near mile 20.  Brian and I had already talked about it earlier in the week, we're not stopping.  Gunnar is too.  Jimmy needs to stop.  But some how Jimmy catches us quickly afterward and attacks!  We all respond but there's no doubt Jimmy isn't the biggest fan of our group drafting on him.  After another 10 miles he attacks again and we cover it gradually.  He lets us all know that if we can cover his attack then we can take pulls.  I try to explain that I'm on a single speed so althoguh I can keep up in the draft, as soon as I'm out of the draft I'll have to slow way down.  But I'm happy to pull on any gradual up hill section.  Gunnar just rips Jimmy for getting upset and I feel like the little brother who is happy to have a kickass big brother to defend him.  But Jimmy is right, we are REALLY taking advantage of him.

By aid 2 (mile 38) we've got the rotation figured out.  Basically Gunnar and I don't help on the faster roads unless it goes gradually uphill.  At which point I pull, then Gunnar (to his credit) also pulls.  I give Gunnar a lot of respect.  The race is between Gunnar and I, Jimmy is on gears, and if he doesn't pull after I pull then he's gaining an advantage.  But he almost always pulls when I do.

Now, strategy time.  I carried all my food with me.  No drop bags.  I had two water bottles.  What I would do as I approached a water station;  I'd unscrew the tops of my water bottles slightly, I'd surge ahead of the group to be the first into the station, I would yell "NO DROP BAG!  JUST WATER AND GATORADE", then two people would be standing there holding the liquids, I would hand each of them a bottle, thank them and tell them "You guys are the best!"  They fill the bottle almost instantly and I roll out.  I was always the first into the station of my group and I was always the fastest served, and always the first to leave.  This presents me with lots of possible opportunities.  1, it immediatly puts pressure on Gunnar to have to get through the station quickly.  2, I might catch onto a geared guy slightly in front of us, getting a gap.  3, If Jimmy beats Gunnar out of there, we might leave him behind.  4, I just take my time until Jimmy, Brian, and Gunnar catch up and we continue on together.

Number 4 occurred at aid station 2 and we ended up together.  Although we might have lost Brian Patton here or a little further on.  Gunnar nails the descents again.  Jimmy rides the roads steady.  And I don't feel much pressure since I'm stocked on food, liquids, and I'm feeling good.  Every hill is hard but thats because every hill is hard :)

After aid station 2 we start catching stragglers.  Those that made the lead group or decided to go it solo between our group and the lead group.  These riders generally aren't too helpful.  They usually would grab onto the group as long as possible but fall off on the next serious climb.

At mile 55 we catch some one I know.  Its Dave Weaver.  I can see he has goose bumps.  He can't last long with our still charging group.  He bobbles a turn and goes down after riding with us for a bit.  This is the uglier part of the race now.  Bodies are suffering.  For me it is presenting more opportunities because I still feel good.  But Jimmy and Gunnar haven't shown many signs of fading.  And despite my good energy levels, the climbs are taking a toll on me in the form of tiny little "warning" cramps.  They aren't stopping me yet but its a fine line before these turn into full blown cramping.

Approaching aid station 3 we hit a climb that is really a series of climbs.  Some parts are very steep. Without any special moves, a gap forms between me and Jimmy, and Jimmy and Gunnar.  What should I do?  This is a decent time to go it alone, most of the course is just hills, there isn't a ton of paceline road left.  But Jimmy only has a small gap on Gunnar, if they work together they could bring me back on a road section and I will have wasted some energy and further agitated my tiny cramps.

I decide with aid station 3 close I should just go!  Perhaps I can find some friends to stay away with.  I prepare only one bottle for the station since we are only 13 miles from the finish now.  I'm in and out of the station before Gunnar and Jimmy even arrive.  Up ahead I see a geared rider and I make a strong move through the rolling backcountry roads to bridge to him.

As I approach him, my slightly slow brain had a thought, "That's a CF guy.  Gerry is a CF guy.  Are you about to catch Gerry?".  I focused my eyes more clearly on the rider in disbelief.  It wasn't Gerry.   I know him, its Jesse Kelly, a guy who finished top 10 last year.  I remember seeing pictures of him finishing last years race.  He's a horse of a man, a thick and strong rider.

Jesse and I get to talking.  He thinks we're in 7th!  He's suffering with some borderline cramping on the hills.  He had never made the lead group so he's been out here alone for a while.  I get straight to the point.  "Gunnar is back there with a geared rider, Jimmy.  I just dropped them.  I could really use your help.  You draft on me everywhere except the fast roads and we'll work together to stay away."

Jesse is unsure he can help.  But I back off a little and he presses a little and we kinda stay together.  But on a steeper section I lose him.  Out on the road he comes back to me as I spin out.  We chat some more and I offer him some hammer gel.  I have plenty and would be happy to shed the weight, power him up a little, and for us to work together.  He downs it and we continue.

Again on a steep climb we separate and this time I decide to press forward.  I can see another rider up ahead.  It doesn't take me long to recognize this frame.  Its Todd Latocha, last year's 3rd overall rider.  He's super skinny, and easy to recognize.  I pump him up by letting him know that Jesse isn't far behind.  He presses a road section and we're moving pretty well.

But up ahead is a wicked big road hill.  I had to run this hill last year because my gears were broken.  Even while running last year I caught a suffering Rob Spreng.  This year Todd throws himself into the hill but has little left to give and I move away from him as I torque it.  Lets see, first Dave Weaver, then Jesse Kelly, now Todd Latocha, what other stud might I catch out here?  Am I really in 6th place now!?

On the road descent I'm getting as aero as possible.  This section isn't helping me catch anyone.  And amazingly Jesse Kelly is back and has caught me.  We only have 2 or so miles left, he wants to stay away from Todd and I want to draft a geared guy so I catch on to him and we fly through the rollers.  Although we are in different divisions, both of us would like to beat the other for the overall.  On the long road climb approaching the park entrance I lose Jesse and know that if I don't cramp that I'm good for 6th.  I see 5th way in the distance and know my position is set.

The final grass section that they added this year (I estimate it added 3 minutes to the finishing times) was a pretty wicked addition.  From the point of view of making the race epic, it was a fantastic addition.  From the point of view of a rider that is 1 mile from the finish, it is just mean.  I navigate it well on my mountain bike and continue to feel sorry for those on cross bikes.

Then the final super steep road hill with the sun just cooking me and I'm home!  6th place overall and 2nd in the single speed division, a break-through race!  I am super stoked!

Immediately I find Adam and he says he got 2nd!  That's awesome!  Beer, Pizza, Water, Bacon, sitting around and listening to the top 10 riders' war stories.  This is grand.  DirtWire interview, podium, Coop arrives alive but thoroughly crushed after many mechanicals and stomach fits.

All that training and prep came together nicely today.  I DID IT!  We sat for a little, took in God's beautiful scenery and headed home :)

The video glasses have died.  Here are the final blurry vids before a new pair steps up:

riding with Jesse Kelly to the finish:

finish: