BAM! Here comes 2013

Iceman + Season Wrap Up

Well that’s a wrap on another full season of mountain bike madness. Iceman went off without a hitch. It’s funny that I placed 17^th… exactly the same placing as last year. I thought my prep this year was a whole lot better not having to deal with a broken neck, but I believe the 2012 Iceman was the most competitive yet. The start went off fast as usual. I stayed right on the front and tried as hard as I could not to get bumped backwards. You have to be super aggressive on the start before it bottlenecks into the woods. Sure enough, the left side surged and I was instantly buried 50 deep. I can never seem to nail these chaotic mass starts, but at least I survived.

Once into the woods, I went to work getting around people and working my way up through the chaos of flinging sand and swervey lines. Before we hit Tornado alley, I was in the top 7. The pace seemed to surge just after and that’s where I blew up and tailed off the back. It was the opportunity I wanted and I was so close to sticking in there with the front group. Just a little more power and I would have made it. I know I can do better.

I settled into the 2^nd group and tried to stay near the front as much as possible. I tried to get off the front a couple times, but the pack was right on me. Not much happened till we made the surge for the shoot. Tristan Schouten and Colin Cares got around me, along with a few others. It was all I had in the shoot to finish 17^th. Not too bad. No crashes, no mechanicals, and no wrong turns. Not all that satisfying, but given the competition, it was what I had on the day.

It was a hard year overall. Lots of big road trips and a total of eight 100 mile MTB races which netted me 10^th in the NUE series. I was the first to finish 4 races and I actually lead the series for a couple months. I’m surprised I had the motivation to make a push for Iceman. Training for a season of 100 milers, then trying to flip the switch and go fast is a huge challenge. It takes some time for the body to get used to going all out. It was a successful season though. I won a road bike race, a mountain bike race, and a cross style gravel grinder. Good all around performance I thought. A lot of those races contained National caliber athletes and I was able to ride with the leaders and compete for podium spots at almost all of them.  

Can I do better? Hell yes I can! As much as I love the 100 milers, I’m not exactly built for 100 mile long races with 12,000ft of climbing. So in light of that, I will be focusing less on the NUE series, and more on the gravel grinders and triple crown races. I might even try a few more road races since that style sort of fits right in. I think my true calling is more of a steady power rider, and it’s time to start focusing on a specific style that suits me and catering my race schedule to fit. I’ll still do Mohican and Lumberjack, but other than that, I think I’m done with the NUE’s. I work full time along with this circus of racing, and it’s too hard to try and focus on 2 or 3 styles of racing and expect to compete with the full time pro’s… especially when you’re not cut out for one of those styles ala NUE. Some of the courses are getting a little too on the hazardous side for my comfort level as well… call it what you want. I also thought that the 100 milers sort of wore on me as the season progressed. Each race I just felt slower, so I think cutting way back on them will definitely help develop more of that speed and power I need to hang with those front groups of pro’s at the big triple crown races.   

Well that’s about it for right now. Huge thanks goes out too all the sponsors, Notubes, Infinit Nutrition, CPA Crossings, and of course RBS, who bent over backwards to help get me everything I needed. Thanks guys, you rock! And who couldn’t forget my awesome wife Michelle who endures all this craziness day in and day out and also helps me tremendously. Thanks for checking in, and hopefully I’ll see you out there prepping for next season on the frozen dirt rds of Michigan.

For Sale:2012 XL Trek Superfly W/SRAM XX

$2500 or best offer. Email me at mikesimonson@hotmail.com

Peak to Peak Mud Fest

After a great weekend last week, I was really hoping to oepn it up and give the legs a real test this weekend. The weather however, had other plans. We pulled into the venue Saturday morning just in time for the rain to start coming down. And did it ever! It just never stopped! The legs felt good during the short wet warm-up and I decided to try and go for it at the start. After a short delay over duck tape, the race was underway. I managed to work my way to the front heading into the trail. Not exactly where I wanted to be, but better than being burried in the pack. Shortly after, Cole House and several others flew around me, as I found myself struggling to keep the bike upright through the corners. 

 It wasn't long after where I found myself off the back of the front group. They were just railing the corners way faster than I wanted to. It was hard to see too, and the mud was flinging everywhere. It was like a slip and slide, and I just couldn't seem to stay off the brakes and let the bike roll. Once we got to the more open sections of the course, I felt a lot better and started working way around some people up the ski hill.

The race was completely blown apart. People were dropping out, and I had no idea what place I was in. I kept hammering the best I could, but was still really struggling in the corners. Finally, right near the end of the 2nd lap, I managed to catch Scott Hoffner, and my team mate Ron Catlin going up the ski hill. Just at that time I heard word that they were cutting the race short. It was a little bitter sweet as I was actually looking forward to making more ground on the 3rd lap. Oh well, it was the right call to end the race. The brake pads were almost gone and the course was getting hazardous. 

I put the power down up the ski hill and slipped and slid back down to take 5th just ahead of Scott Hoffner. I was happy that. I did the best I could, given the circumstances. I felt like I couldn't really get a good gage on my fitness because my handling held me back, instead of my legs. To lose 4-5 minutes on the same guys I'll be racing in 3 weeks is a little discouraging, but it is what it is. I just have to hope the Iceman course isn't the same conditions. Congrats to the guys up front. They rocked it out on that mess and deserved the podium. 

I have to give huge props to Dan "superman" O'Dea for driving up our spare set of keys to the minivan. Apparently people like to snatch gloves up that aren't theirs and hopefully they'll realize how much of jerk move that was when they find our car keys in them. But karma has a way of sorting that out, that's all I'm going to say. 

Hope to see all of you next weekend at Mad Anthony... and lets pray the weather is good this time.  

Miscellaneous Fall Races + Ronde + Grampian Challenge

Sorry for slacking, it’s time I update this thing. I’ve done quite a bit of racing since I last posted, some I’m proud of, some not so much. I managed to finish out the NUE series placing in the top 10 for the points. A lot of fast guys came out of the woodwork and posted their 4^th races. The series has really grown and become very competitive. I've done quite a few of these races, all were very difficult, maybe too difficult, and some maybe just down right hazardous... which has me re-thinking my race schedule for next yr and maybe taking on a season that suites my styles a little better. Details to come on that later...

The last race of the year at Fool’s Gold wasn’t really anything to write home about. We drove 12hrs, it rained, I got lost a couple times, we drove 12hrs home. I did like the course however. A little heavy on the climbing, but the singletrack flowed awesome and it was a good mix of dirt rd/trail.

After Fool’s Gold, I got sick. I’m not surprised. Two tough NUE’s along with a couple big road trips less than a week apart is enough to take down even the healthiest individuals. So just coming off the cold, I decided to give the Ronde Von Stony a shot. Despite the rainy cold weather, I had an awesome time racing out near all the roads I train on. I didn’t quite have the punch at the end and finished 4^th. My team mate Ronnie was riding super strong on the day and took the win. It was great hanging out with all my riding buddies after a long season away from the scene.

After Ronde, I decided to try my luck at some Cyclocross racing. I was hoping for a top 10 and a good workout, but to my surprise, I rode with the leaders, Adam York and Sven Bauman, all the way to the sprint finish taking 3rd. The course was super choppy which made the mountain bike a good choice.

This set me up well for the past weekend at the Grampian Challenge. I didn’t quite know what to expect, because the CX race the past weekend could have very well been a fluke due to the choppy course. The Grampian Challenge is set on all my favorite local training roads. It starts at Addison Oaks, right where my wife and I got married. It then heads out to Markwood and Drahner Rds. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve ridden on these roads. Everytime I leave my house on a ride, I don’t feel warmed up till I get to the top of Drahner Rd. It’s where I’ve spent countless hrs in sub freezing temperatures, it’s where I developed myself into a national caliber rider, it's where I go to contemplate on many of my lifes toughest decisions, and most importantly, it’s where I got to know some of my closest friends. I’ve really started to fall in love with these types of races like Grampian and Ronde. If you haven’t had a chance to check them out, be ready to roll next year because I think these races are really going to take off.

The action got started quickly and I could tell the legs were good. We snaked through the Addison Oaks 2 track and head out to Bald Mountain. I decided this was where I wanted to make my first attack. I went hard through the trail section and pulled out my team mate Ronnie, and Mark Parmelee. We were hauling out on the dirt rds as each of us took pulls in the cross winds trying to work each other over. As we made our way into Grampian Mt, I attacked as hard as I could up the hill, and only Ronnie held my wheel. I pulled us all the way to the finish inside Addison Oaks and very narrowly took the win ahead of my team mate Ronnie. It was an RBS 1-2! It meant a lot to me to win this race on my home turf and race on all the roads so near and dear to me. It also proved to me that my fitness has really started to come around. Sometimes all it takes is a little more rest, and some time off from the road trips to bring the fitness right back around. It’s in perfect timing for this weekends Peak to Peak. I’m looking forward to it.

With that being said, I hope to see you out there in the coming weeks as we all prepare for the season finale at Iceman. Thanks for reading.

The Shenandoah Saga - Final Chapter

I’m not going to lie. I was a bit nervous about heading back to this race again, and it looked like it was a sure bet that we were in for some muddy conditions too. If you weren’t already aware, I had a nasty crash at this race that netted me a 4 day vacation to the University of Virginia ICU last year, so surely that was going to be on my mind the entire race. My wife Michelle made the trip down with me again. Not sure who was more nervous, her or me.

With the wet conditions, I decided not to take any chances and I mounted up my trusty 2.4” Racing Ralph tires. Maybe a little overkill, but a little more control is always welcome. When I hit the pavement rollout at the start, I could feel the drag of the tires immediately and I thought, “this could be a long day.” I made it over the first climb in relatively decent position. I did the best I could on the descent and formed a little group out on the dirt rds with Zach Morey, and Evan Plews. We made our way out to the 2^nd climb. Normally I struggle on this one, but I was keeping Evan in site, and cleaning most everything all the way to the top thanks to the grip of the monster tires.

I took my time on the descent and carefully picked my way down the mountain. A few guys passed me, and I was losing quite a bit of time. When I got to the bottom, I heard someone yell that Evan and Rob Spreng were about 1min up. I threw it into the trucker gear (42-11) and went to work. By the time I reached aid 2, I had bridged back up to Rob and Evan. It was a pretty big effort. Heading up the 3^rd climb, Evan just had a little bit too much power and I popped off the back. I muscled my way through the rain to the top. I looked back, and no one was in site. The descent was a little tricky and before I reached the bottom, Rob Spreng had caught me, and just like that, he bridged what was probably more than a 2 minute gap.

We ripped through aid 3, and head out to the 4^th climb. I could see Christian up the road, but decided chasing him down was probably not worth the effort as the next climb was steep and techy and I was going to need to be recovered. We made our way up, and I was able to distance myself from Rob, but got passed by another rider. I tip toed down the descent, and like magic, Rob was right back on me at the bottom.  Heading out to the sole crusher, Rob let me go on the dirt rds. I got super close to bridging to the rider who passed me earlier on the climb, but once the road turned up, he was long gone. The fatigue was starting to creep in, and pushing those 2.4” tires up the soggy dirt roads was really starting to bog me down. Just as I reached the top, Bryan Astell caught and passed me. I hung for a few minutes, but the wheels were starting to fall off.

I got to the top and gathered myself for a moment. I dropped into the descent and prepared to clean the downhill that almost took my life exactly one year ago. This was the moment of the race for me. It was like challenging someone again who had stabbed me and left me for dead in an alley. But I faced the attacker and gingerly made my way down eagerly awaiting to pass the spot where I crashed last year… butt cheeks fully clenched. The descent was super rocky and sketchy and I was all over the brakes, using every square inch of those 2.4” tires to slow myself down. I even had a few close calls, but that’s probably because of the nerves and how tense I was. My triceps were burning and my hands were cramping from the death grip I had on the brake levers. I passed the crash site and felt a huge moment of relief. I made my down to the bottom and ironically enough, Kevin Carter passed me, just like last yr. My wife Michelle was there, and I could see that she was overly relieved.

We blew through aid 6, but I could tell the wheels were still falling off. One little push uphill from Kevin Carter, and I went into complete bonk mode. It didn’t matter how much coke I slugged down, pushing the big tires and the nerves had cooked me. I made my way up the last climb and several more riders passed me on the way to the finish. I got to the line and I was so happy it was over.

Doing this race again made me realize that at some of these courses, in order to do well, you have to be able to take some risks on the downhills to be competitive. Some of the guys passing me had full on slick tires and I don’t know how they were doing it. I used to approach a descent and just not think about anything other than staying off the brakes as much as possible. Now, so many things go through my head on a descent. I look at things a lot differently and I get easily spooked. I see a big tree, a steep gully, or a wet root and think of them as things that could send me careening head first into an early grave. Perhaps it’s just because I know what the consequences are. I'm not sure I'll ever get over it. 2 minutes of extra time on a descent can easily turn into 4 days in the ICU. But I suppose there’s always going to be risks associated with racing a mountain bike. It’s all about what you feel comfortable with. I’m not sure I’ll ever come back to this course (or ones like it) again. I kind of feel like I’m gambling with a little too much.

With that being said, I have one more NUE left for the season down in Georgia. I’ll be glad when it’s over. I could use the rest. That will be 8 NUE’s for me this year, and they’ve really taken a toll. The fitness seems OK, and I’m still getting in my training rides. This week will be all about recovery though as these two races are only 6 days apart. Wish me luck and let’s pray we don’t have any rain for the weekend down in Georgia.

2012 Hampshire 100

This past weekends adventure took us out East for the first 100 mile running of the Hampshire 100. It hadn’t been since the National Championships was held at Mt Snow, VT that I’d made it back into the area. The course was a little more challenging than I had thought. After reading the race route preview, it seemed like the course would be a lot of jeep roads and rail trails, boy was I wrong about that.

The first 20 miles of the race is relatively tame and a large group stayed together for the most part. It wasn’t until the steep jeep climb that things began to break up. I held it together though and cleaned it to the top. My memory of the climb and slightly after seems pretty foggy, perhaps that’s because I was breathing through my eye balls trying to keep up. Soon after, we hit the powerline climb. I managed to ride most of it, but there were a few sections I had to run. I was glad it was over. I was riding with Zach Morey and Kevin Carter when I crested the top. The pace seemed manageable. Zach was riding the trails a lot better than I was, but I could power out the flatter less techy sections, so we were working well together.

I managed to get away, and for a long time, I was by myself, battling it out with the demons on what seemed like an endless session of techy, rocky singletrack and rutted out ATV trails. It seemed like the trail would send you through a few hundred yards of slow twisty rocky singeltrack, then throw you up a super steep granny gear pitch. Just repeat that over and over. The trails were slow and wet, and it didn’t look they got much use. At one point I remember walking through waste deep water with my bike on my back thinking this was insane! I remember passing Jeremiah with a flat. He fixed it and passed me right back. He was gone in a flash, and I couldn’t even stay with him for a minute. It was then that I realized how terribly slow I was riding this techy terrain.

Later on near the end of the 1^st  lap, Zach caught back up along with a few others including a very young guy named Dylon. They passed me while I was in full on inner demon battle mode, and I had zero moral to chase, so I let them go. I almost wanted to quit at the lap point, but I knew there was a long stretch of rail trails that I had a chance bridge on, so I kept moving forward. I grabbed my bottles from Janet (thanks Janet), lubed my chain, and I was on my way. I was feeling 20 times better on the roads and trails and went from inner demon battle mode to full on trucker mode. I chase down Dylon, and later on during the cut-off route, I caught Zach. With John Schottler bridging up, we had a group of 3. I was feeling good, so at one the last aid stations, I powered through and went on alone in an attempt to grab the 7^th spot. The trails seemed to flow much better the 2^nd time through, and I felt like I was riding them a lot better, but not better than Schottler. He caught me near the end, and I narrowly pulled off 8^th overall. Congrats to Christian for the win, and everyone else who finished. It was a tough course.

I was happy with 8^th. No crashes, no mechanicals, and no wrong turns. It was a pretty clean race. I lost a lot of time fumbling around in the singletrack, but there’s not much I can do about that. The legs felt strong, and I had power all the way to the finish, so that gives me hope for the next race at… dun dun dun… Shanandoah. Wish me luck. Big thanks to my team mate Greg Witt for traveling with me. We had good times, and it made me realize how much fun I have just sharing the travels to these races with friends. And who couldn’t forget the folks at RBS. They’ve really been a god send this year helping me out with mechanic work and taking care of all the bike needs. Thanks for reading and we’ll see you at Shenandoah for the next one!