Ed Hamilton has kicked off the 2007 with the first race of the year.
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Yesterday I went up to Dalton, Georgia for the Snake Creek Gap MTB/TT, and let me tell you, this is one tough trail! The sign in & finish is right in Dalton, but the start is several miles south of town so we loaded our bikes in trailers and onto car roof racks and were driven to the start. About 3 minutes into the drive to the start, I realized that I had forgotten my electrolyte capsules. Not good. Oh well, nothing to be done now.
We started 3 at a time with a group leaving every minute or so. The start was along a gravel road leading to the first single track. When they said "go", my start partners took off like it was a 15 mile X-C event and I said "see ya!". There was no way I was going to try that on a ride that has the rep of the Snake. My race strategy was simple; start easy, back off a bit in the middle, then really ease off at the end. Easier said than done on this trail! On the first climb I was approaching threshold while "spinning" the granny gear. Think a hill like 2 mile hill or teeter-totter hill at Swayback, except 3 miles long. The rest of the ride had every type of climb imaginable, from steep & rooty to middle ring fire road. The descents were the same. Some fast, smooth & swooping, some steep & gnarly. There was even a down hill fire road where I swear I hit 40 mph!
After almost 2 hours of this kind of riding, I hit the sag stop. It was supposed to be at 17 miles, but my computer said about 15 miles. I stopped only long enough to check the air in my rear tire as it had lost a little pressure. Here's a tip for ya; avoid doing a ride like this on brand new tires that you have never ridden. I felt good as I left the sag and settled into a good rhythm. Rhythm would be important as the climb out of the sag was a long one.
Somewhere around mile 23 or so I came to a stretch of very rocky trail that was some what uphill with some descending thrown in. Most of this section reminded me of the way the rock garden at Oak Mountain used to be, with a mix of baby heads & boulders. I felt good in this section & it was a bunch of fun, so I kinda let it hang out a bit. May I pushed a bit too hard, because when I hit the last 5 miles, I was getting tired. I also felt the twinges of cramps beginning. Remember those electrolyte capsules? I wish I had!
The last miles were the hardest of the whole ride. The rock gardens turned into rock forests & the baby heads were full grown monsters! Kind of like a flat to uphill Blood Rock. Then the trail turned up. And up. And up some more. These were the steepest, longest, most technical climbs that I have ever seen. It seemed like it went on forever, and it got steeper as it went on. I had to walk a bunch of it and some of that walking was difficult. Ever pushed your bike along at a zone 4 HR? Big fun.
I didn't think that it would ever end, but it did. I eventually came out onto a paved road (the only pavement I had seen for a long time) and was directed towards the finish. About a mile of screaming downhill on the paved road & I was done. 5:05:47 (that's 5 HOURS!), with a ride time of 4:48 something. My average was just under 7 mph.
I think that this ride tests all aspects of mountain biking. A rider not only needs to have the fitness to make the miles and hold the intensity, but also the technical skill to make the climbs, clean the rock gardens and rip the descents. I see now why there are so many good mountain bikers in Georgia!
BTW I saw Saul Raisin (Credit Agricol Pro tour rider, http://www.saulraisin.com/sitemain/ ) in the parking lot. He is from Dalton. How cool is that?
This was the first of three Snakes that will be held this year. The next two are on February 3 and March 3. If anybody feels up to the challenge, give me a call and ride up there with me. I hope to do them both & improve my time with each attempt.
Event website; http://www.nwgasorba.org/the_snake.html
Ride lots!
Ed
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