Just got back from the trip to Tennessee for the Cohutta 100. I managed to finish 2nd in the Master's class. The race had a lot of climbing and some sweet singletrack at the beginning and the end. I wish I wasn't so tired for the last section, it would have been a lot more fun.
The fireroad climbs seemed to go on forever but you were rewarded with some super fast decents. The scary parts weren't so much from the downhills themselves but that the roads were open to traffic and there seemed to be quite a few cars and trucks on them. You had to be careful rounding corners when you couldn't see what was coming. The best lines were usually on the inside of the corners where they were banked.
The race started and ended at the Ocoee White Water Center, site of the 1996 Olympic whitewater competition. There are over 30 miles of marked singletrack trails plus the options of hundreds of miles of fire roads to connect other trails. We all agreed that we would like to come back and ride the trails for fun. Make a week out of it and do some whitewater rafting as well.
My travelling companions were Shari and Robin Scurr and Shirlee Finch, all Cannondale Midwest team members. We had a great time travelling together and were certainly never bored. Robin and Shirlee both raced as well, Robin did almost half the course on his singlespeed before dropping out, the gearing on his bike was a little tough for the amount of climbing required. I don't think I would have gotten that far on a SS, hats off to anyone using only one gear. Shirlee finished with the usual smile on her face. I don't know if anything fazes her.
Next week the four of us plus two more team members head back to Tennessee south of Nashville for a 12 hour race. I'm just doing this one for fun, no serious competition hopes on the line.
The fireroad climbs seemed to go on forever but you were rewarded with some super fast decents. The scary parts weren't so much from the downhills themselves but that the roads were open to traffic and there seemed to be quite a few cars and trucks on them. You had to be careful rounding corners when you couldn't see what was coming. The best lines were usually on the inside of the corners where they were banked.
The race started and ended at the Ocoee White Water Center, site of the 1996 Olympic whitewater competition. There are over 30 miles of marked singletrack trails plus the options of hundreds of miles of fire roads to connect other trails. We all agreed that we would like to come back and ride the trails for fun. Make a week out of it and do some whitewater rafting as well.
My travelling companions were Shari and Robin Scurr and Shirlee Finch, all Cannondale Midwest team members. We had a great time travelling together and were certainly never bored. Robin and Shirlee both raced as well, Robin did almost half the course on his singlespeed before dropping out, the gearing on his bike was a little tough for the amount of climbing required. I don't think I would have gotten that far on a SS, hats off to anyone using only one gear. Shirlee finished with the usual smile on her face. I don't know if anything fazes her.
Next week the four of us plus two more team members head back to Tennessee south of Nashville for a 12 hour race. I'm just doing this one for fun, no serious competition hopes on the line.
5 comments:
Good job Steve. It was awesome seeing all of you there. Have fun on your next trip to TN.
PS. I think that I'm going to stick to completely flat roads for the next day or two.
Congratulations yourself to take 1st in a sprint. Wish I could have seen it but I was still about an hour behind you. Flat roads sound good to me too.
Nice work Steve!
Met Jeff yesterday at Yankee, got me thinking about the 12 hour race...
Steve,
I reply to your question over on my blog: I ran 36x20 gearing on the 29er, with Specialized Fast Trak front and Kenda Small Block 8 rear for about 52 gear inches.
Thanks Joe
Post a Comment