Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

BULLDOG RUMP RACE REPORT:"What a long strange trip it's been"

1K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  merlin 
#1 · (Edited)
Last week I went back to where I grew up in New York for a family / business trip. When I was planning this trip I noticed there was a race in New Jersey on 6/25. Since my favorite TV show is the Sopranos and my favorite musician is Bruce Springsteen, I figured doing a race in Jersey is a must for me!:) I have never ridden in Jersey never mind raced. I was prepared for a flatter race then we have here in Northern California with more wet roots and rocks, I just did not expect things to be REALLY WET.:eekster: :eekster:
If you watch the news, you know there has been major rain all along the east coast. We have not seen a drop of rain where I live in about 8 weeks, so a "little" rain sounded nice to me. :rolleyes:
Well, it rained & rained every day before the race
.




During the race it came down hard when the Sport riders were racing









So by the time the experts started it was like riding in a mixture of peanut butter and diarrhea! :madmax: My group was 40-49 and my plan was to hit it hard from the start. I had this fantasy that because I'm from California and can ride year round, that I would be faster then everyone :skep: …I got the whole shot and was in 1st place for ….about 30 seconds……then a guy named Dave that everyone was cheering for passed me:eek: . After running up the first short steep hill we headed down the first hill. Our bikes were sliding all over the place and I realized right away that I was not used to these conditions and I better take it easy if I want to finish in one piece. After my chain came off on the next hill a rider ran passed me in a green team kit. "Mr. Green" and I went back and fourth passing each other each lap, something I hardly ever experience. I thought he was gone then I would catch him, thinking that was it for him, then he would re appear and pass me. This went on till the last lap when I finally put the nail in the Green coffin and passed him for good.:)

As I started lap 3 the rain was coming down really hard, the trail a mess and so was my bike. I learned to stop trying to shift up front since the bike would not cooperate, can you see why



As I started the 4th and final lap my legs felt OK, but the big problem was seeing the friggin trail. My glasses were useless after lap 1 and now all the mud was going in my eyes. Avery time I went downhill I would get a chunk of mud in the eyes and I would try to rub it out so I could see where the hell I was going! I was going so slow from the mud induced blindness that another racer passed me right before the finish. When I finished I asked where the hose was to wash the bike and me off. They told me there was no hose and that everyone was washing off in the lake. I got this pic before I cleaned up.



Hey I got to race and get a mud facial for free!



I ended up getting 4th place, and will probably have to spend a few hundred bucks to get my bike to work again.:madman: One positive note, no cramping!! :D I'm becoming a believer in Sportlegs! Next stop 7/15 national championship race.:eekster:
 
See less See more
9
#5 ·
Yow! I missed this write-up the first time around Merlin - sounds crazy. What is that dark matter stuck to your bike, some new fasion accessory? 'Been so long since I've seen that stuff (well, OK - saw some in Boulder this weekend - report to follow asap) I'd not know what to do... looks like fun in that sick weird way, and do take care of that nice bike. New cables and chain and complete tear-down "drain-out" a must. Hope your cassette and chainrings survived!

Sounds like you're hitting a really good stride this year, and congrats on finding a nutrition/supplement balance that's working out. So key! You and Chuck ought to tear it up on some "home" turf next week. Look forward to the report from there too. I'm makinga small, feeble re-entry to racing mid-season here, so look out! :D
 
#6 ·
glenzx said:
Yow! I missed this write-up the first time around Merlin - sounds crazy. What is that dark matter stuck to your bike, some new fasion accessory? 'Been so long since I've seen that stuff (well, OK - saw some in Boulder this weekend - report to follow asap) I'd not know what to do... looks like fun in that sick weird way, and do take care of that nice bike. New cables and chain and complete tear-down "drain-out" a must. Hope your cassette and chainrings survived!

Sounds like you're hitting a really good stride this year, and congrats on finding a nutrition/supplement balance that's working out. So key! You and Chuck ought to tear it up on some "home" turf next week. Look forward to the report from there too. I'm makinga small, feeble re-entry to racing mid-season here, so look out! :D
Hey Glen,
The bike is on it's way back from Jersey via UPS. It will be going strait to the LBS to get a tune up etc. That was one expensive race:eekster:
I'm sure will kick ass next week at nationals. I made the mistake of looking at who is registered for my race, I'll be real happy if I finish mid pack:eekster: All the uber fast guys who have kicked my ass will be there...should be fun. Looking forward to your race report
 
#7 ·
good stuff merlin. these days if the weather even hints at rain i shy away from racing. i am becomming a sissy in my old age. :D

merlin said:
So by the time the experts started it was like riding in a mixture of peanut butter and diarrhea!
EEEeeewwwww! (heeheeheeheehee)

we had great weather for the whole weekend (if you don't mind a heat index of about 99* with 110% humidity and clear blue skies) and i had the exciting opportunity to ride 80 miles on the road on sat, 12 miles through briars/stinging nettles/poison ivy on Sun, and then have a close encounter of my backside and my favorite woodland insect, Mr. yellow jacket yesterday



one trip to the ER and lots of steroids & benedryl later, i'm good as new....well, sitting isn't so comfy....:rolleyes:

congrats again on the top 5 finish against unfamiliar riders on an unfamiliar course!

rt
 
#12 ·
jbogner said:
That really was a wet one, but the Team Bulldog promoters seem to have the worst luck when it comes to weather. I decided not to race, and instead spent the time filming the sport class racers...

Right click to download:
http://www.nycmtb.com/video/kittatinny-race-june-06.mp4
Great video!! I could not beleive how much better the trail looked for the sport race...what a differance an hour or 2 of rain makes! I did not see anyone make it up that hill in the expert race:madman:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top