PSA…THIS IS A LONG ONE!!
2019 was a rebuilding year for me. In December of 2018, I had surgery to repair my fraying
rotator cuff and release a nerve which was leading to weakness thanks to the talented hands of Dr. Dorizas at Chattanooga Bone and Joint. Both injuries were a result of a crash I took
years ago and struggled with since. It finally caught up with me…I am not 20 any longer, I had to
listen to my body and take the time to heal. I spent 2019 recovering and
building strength. Nothing was harder than waiting for the official release to
ride again. To help with muscle gain and fend off future injuries, I added
Orange Theory Fitness to my training…OTF time has paid dividends. This year,
2020, is poised as the “get your ass in gear” year, and it starts with THE
SNAKE. My son, a very strong cyclist for
his age, informed my husband and me that he wanted to race the 34 mile SnakeCreek Gap Time Trial. My thoughts…are
you sure?!? Of course you are, and no
better way start a year then to take on the toughest course around…feet and
head first, all in! I will either finish or throw the bike off one of the mountains
and try to thumb a ride back to the car.
My
training leading up to race day had not exactly gone as planned. Life had many
distractions, including the holidays and a nasty virus running through my house
the week before the race. Thank
goodness for my gym training. Riding time was minimal and I was going to have to rely on my
base fitness to get me through. Other race day preparations were on track. My husband put a mountain of time into making sure
Brady and I were prepared; trips to Scotts Bicycle Centre for race day nutrition
needs, working on my old faithful Trek Top Fuel, preparing meals full of
nitrite rich foods, helping us gather our gear; he even packed a sag stop emergency
bin. He thought of everything, including a bottle of fire water to have on hand
for any sag stop pick-me up’s. All I had to do was have enough faith in me to
toe the line.
After
weeks of wonderful, southern winter temperatures of 60 degrees and very little
rain, the sky opened up for 2 days straight. It was as is if the race gods felt
wanted a canoe race instead of a bike race. The rain literally stopped just
minutes before start time. Based on experience, and my husband’s previous race
knowledge, I knew these trails were going to be a mud fest…to say the least!
After gathering a few fellow
friends and racers at the Dalton Convention center, Craig and our friend Chris shuttled
the motley crew to the Dry Creek Trailhead...suddenly a year of working hard to
get back on the bike came into focus! It was time to see what my body could do.
Despite the very soggy conditions, the temperature was a perfect 54 degrees. No
need for extra clothes on this ride. With some heavy AC/DC and Metallica riffs
playing in my ear, I gathered my gear (including my pearls…of course) and pedaled
over to the start tent. There stood Craig with encouraging words and a smile…GO! I was off to battle the long trail,
mud, rocks and my demons. As I rolled down the first part of the course, a wide
gravel service road, I noted a lot of other racers had already had to stop to
strip clothing. I snickered under my breath, knowing now they would have to
haul all that gear in their packs for the next 34 miles.
As I splashed down the road and sung
along with my music, the infamous first “creek” crossing appeared up ahead. For
the last 4 years, the race organizers have provided a temporary bridge to
assist in the crossing. This year there had been so much rain that the bridge
was not quite tall or long enough. Water was flowing over the top of the bridge
and I could not see the opposite side of the bridge due to the volume of water.
Thankfully my Bontrager OMW winter boots did their job and kept my feet dry. The
first climb was just up ahead.
As I was just getting into my
groove on the climb, another racer caught my eye on the side of the trail with
a puzzling look on his face. As I always do…Hey,
you good? He replied: Do you have a chain break? Knowing that
I was not going to be setting any land speed records today, I stopped and
helped my fellow racer out…banking trail karma and helping another achieve his
goal. (By the way, whatever shop that
guy uses, don’t go there). After
successfully helping him repair his chain, I was back out on the climb. I had
watched several of my friends, my son, student-athletes I help coach and fellow
competitors pass. It was now a mental battle to hold back, not push too hard,
there were plenty of hard mileage ahead, and setting a pace which I could maintain
but reduce the space between me and the other ladies in front of me was key.
I knew Carey Lowery was
untouchable, as all ways. She is such a fast rider and racer. I really admire her abilities. Could I get
back to Ali and Monica? They are not in
my age group but I love riding with them and always strive to keep pace with
their talents. Keeping a smile on my face, I pushed through the mud, streams
and climbs over Pine Needle Hill, through the Pitchers Pond area then the long
climb over Horn Mountain. I had managed to catch back up to Ali and enjoy a few
minutes of conversation with her about our holidays. I found Monica, who was
setting a steady pace, and managed to stay with her until the next downhill. I even had a brief moment with Starr as I saw
her do the most epic muddy, rutted out, steep downhill left-handed switch back
in perfect form. I felt confident with
my performance. The final decent leading to GA Hwy 136 was a blast!!! It brought
a huge smile to my face. Just in sight was the Snake Creek Gap Trailhead, the
mid-point of the race, and as planned Craig’s smiling face waiting to refuel me
before the next major climb. I was feeling great! My legs felt as if they still
had plenty of miles left in them.
If you have ever ridden the 17
miles from Snake Creek Gap, you understand the statement “this is where the
race starts”. While the first 17 miles has some climbing, it has nothing on the
rocks of the last 17 miles. I knew I had my work cut out for me, but had to
stay positive. After switching out my packs, grabbing some more nutrition and a
kiss, I was off to climb Mill Creek Mountain. A climb with a 5% average grade and
447 feet of vertical gain in 1 mile, plus throw in baby heads and mud for fun!
I reached the top and was still in good shape. I thought, alright, I can do
this! I enjoyed the breathtaking views along the ridge line and smiled as I
descended the other side of the mountain into Swamp Creek. In this section the
race crosses the creek 3 or 4 times. It was hard to count as there were several
small springs running due the amount of rain. I welcomed the water as it helped
wash off some of the peanut butter mud the encased my tire and crank.
Quick bath over…Climbing out of
Swamp Creek, up Mill Creek Road, I started to feel the last 26 miles. My legs
and back started to tighten and I felt my pace slow. The demons were starting
the creep in. I knew I had to grind over the numbing forest service road climb to
find fun single track. I just had to
suffer through it and pedal, damn it! As I neared the top of the climb, I once
again saw the smiling faces of Craig, along Chris and Alison Campbell whose son
was racing too. They were a welcome sight. I decided to stop for a
quick second, stretch out my back and get a warm hug to help re-center. The only thing I forgot…a swig of whiskey. I
cannot believe I totally forgot about the whiskey! Note to self, next month get a swig of whiskey at the top of Mill Creek
Road.
Next up: 8 Miles of Hate…I rode
along Middle Mountain and then the gradual climb on Hurricane Mountain, I
started to feel some energy return. Confidence returned just in time! I needed all
the strength and confidence I could muster, the Vomit Hill descent laid ahead. I had cleaned
the bomb down during my December pre-ride but those conditions were perfect…today
was only perfect for making mud pies. I started to question myself. Willfully
forcing a positive attitude, I started down the flow trail, butt back, elbows
bent, and knees pointing straight ahead. “Let the bike move under you” was my
mantra. I could see the one high root of the drop...NOT TODAY, I am not
crashing! Then…Then I noticed another racer walking the trail just above that
drop. Could I get around him?!?!? RIDER
BACK! The racer moved over but not
far enough. And just like that, I was on the wet ground with my wheel stopped
by a big boulder. Oh well, probably for the best, I will be back in February
and I am going to clean that drop! I walked the remainder of the descent and
re-mounted. I knew at that point I did not have much trail between me and the
dreaded THE WALL; a 0.1 mile climb of
87 vertical feet which equals a hair pulling 16% grade!!! As I approached THE WALL, my body had buyer’s remorse…I
could imagine the conversation between my body and my brain. Body…Lady, I didn’t sign up for this. Brain…STOP talking and start moving. Body…MAKE ME.
Brain…I will. Body…NOPE! Just like the back seat of my car...the battle waged on!
In October of last year, I tested
the strength of my shoulder with a brief return to racing at the Lula Lake 5
Points 25/50 Race. Pushing through
mechanical issues and less than great fitness, I was able to win the 25 mile
singlespeed category. I know how to
quiet the conversations in my head and push through, but man, they were much
louder than in October! Shhhhhhh!!!
At the bottom of THE WALL (get the point, it is a WALL), which starts the 3 plus mile
ascent up Dug Mountain, I had a few words with myself. I was struggling. I
needed my body to keep going. Every step up was one more step closer to the top.
There is no turning back now and no one was going to give me a ride back to the
car! I remounted my Trek Top Fuel and attempted
to pedal …nothing, no power..no nothing. Just when I needed power the
most…nothing! With a continuous rock garden for the next 3 miles, it was time
the buck up buttercup and get moving! I tried, I tried hard! My mind is waffling between do I stop and take
a break verses keep pushing through, you have more in you. I had a very hard
mental and physical feat to get through and I need to pull myself together.
Even my arms were trying to quit...pretty sure they were just jealous of my legs.
I finally made it to the to The Fire Pit .. a key segment on Strava and within
sight of The Towers. I knew the most technical rock sections awaited me but so
was 1.5 miles of the most gratifying, final decent down to the end of the race.
Time to embrace the suck and push on!
As I struggled to get over the
rocks after The Fire Pit, the top 50 mile racers: Thomas Turner, Spencer Whittier and
Brad Cobb passed by. As always, they passed with much poise and a polite “rider
back”. Brad even gave me a few words of encouragement. I watched them as they
seamlessly pedaled along, up and over the rocks with little effort. I had to
get back on the bike! I was experiencing muscle failure; I tried to navigate
the lines on the rocks, sometimes successful, sometimes being stopped by the
smallest of rocks. Make it to The Towers…the final landmark which beckons racers
to the end of the singletrack and the start of the descent to the finish!
I pedaled along at a snail’s pace; suddenly
I saw them, The Towers at the top of Dug Gap Mountain Road. I think I may have
shouted out with a little excitement of the sighting. I was there! One last
little uphill push and then down the road to the finish. Through the final
boulders, I gave a big sigh, only the tricky descent down the rutted out road separated
me from black blacktop. As I neared Dug Gap Battle Road, I heard a race
volunteer ringing his cow bell and yelling words of encouragement. His
excitement really helped...thank you to all the volunteers! He pointed out the last little climb on the
road then all downhill. I tucked my elbows in, laid my chest as close to the
stem as possible and pushed my hips to the back of my saddle. It was done! I
had made it through some of the toughest miles in Southeast mountain bike
racing…But more importantly, I AM BACK!
This
was my official start to the 2020 season. My come back year. I started the year
by tackling The Snake head on, and conquering my demons on doubt. I finished
with a time of 5 hours, placing me 3rd in my age group for the day.
What an accomplishment! I absolutely gave it my all. My muscles had nothing
left. Now time to get back to work preparing for the February version of The
Snake Creek Gap Time Trials. Only God knows what the weather will be like, but
I know I can do it. We will all have to wait and see if my times keep me on the
podium. Until next time, I hope to see
you on the trails. You will know me…just look for the pearls and the lady
talking to herself.
