Race Report - LaGrange Fall Classic

LaGrange Fall Classic

Race Report by Isaias Job

Hey All,

Since I can hardly contain myself I will post the LaGrange Classic Race results and take care of the race report later. In a few words, cool place and race!

TWW was well represented in Weaverville, CA this weekend. Rich Henthorn, Bham, myself and the unofficial team mascot Mattie carpooled up together. We meet up with Paul, Jenny, Allan and my buddy JT in Weaverville. So not only did we have a big presence, we all made the podium! DOPE!

Sport 40+
Bham - 1st
Rich - 4th
Sport 30-39
Allan - 2nd
Paul - 3rd

Womens Sport 30-39
Jenny - 2nd , even though she got a little lost!

Sport 18-29
Isaias - 1st, man I was racing with some young wippersnappers!

Cheers,

Isaias

Race Report by Jenny Impey

LaGrange was an awesome course, and Team Bigfoot put on a great race. I had a really good time riding there, although I felt like I made one too many dumb a$$ maneuvers, above and beyond 1) one, doubling back because I wasn't sure I was going the right way and 2) doubling back because I knew I was going the wrong way.

There's a semi-good reason for #1, being that I had just completed a very steep climb, and this guy along the course tells me I'm through with the steepest climbing. I reply that I often hear that during races, yet it's rarely ever true. This nice, fatherly looking man ENSURES me that THERE ARE NO MORE CLIMBS LIKE THIS, though I remain skeptical. So I climb a tiny bit more, hit an intersection, swoop down a hill, and lo and behold, smack in front of my face is a STEEP CLIMB, which I begin to ascend. No one in front of me, no one in back of me, and I wonder if I went the wrong way at the intersection. I thought I had it right, but that guy said! No More Steep Climbs! So like a big dummy, I double back, go up the hill I just swooped down, then see this tandem couple coming my way, and I feel like going back and telling the nice, fatherly man that he is a big fat storytelling punk! Instead, I get back on track 'cuz I didn't want to be stuck behind the tandem couple on the singletrack ahead.

There is absolutely no good reason for mistake # 2, which involved passing a sharp left (saw the sign just as I passed but saw no trail) and taking a 2 mile jaunt on the DH course. I started to feel a little lonely, although the singletrack I was on was way cool. I turned a corner and saw the steepest F#?!$* hill ever. Oh hell no! That's when I realized I should have taken the sharp left. Can I help it that I'm so fast that the course signs are mere blurs among the scenery? On my way back to the correct trail, I saw someone from else from Club Dumb A$$ (I nominated him as my vice president) and let him know we were on the DH course.

The highlight of my race was a few moments of utter entertainment on a loose-ish, awesome switchback section. This Sport Guy and I had been going back and forth for a while, but I hit the switchbacks first. They come as somewhat of a surprise and are pretty tight. So I'm on this left-turn switchback, in the apex of the turn, and here comes Sport Guy on the inside of me (trying to pass), but instead of passing, he endos, belly-up, right in front of me. He's okay, and I can't move unless I climb all over him, so I let him get up and get back on his bike. He dropped his chain but was in such an apparent hurry (he's going back and forth with a Sport woman-dude, something tells me you're not going to make the podium) that he is trying to pedal with his chain dangling off the crankarm, and it don't look pretty!! I follow him closely down the rest of the 6 or so switchbacks, which I'm able to nail (albeit slow) despite my laughter 'cuz he looks like he's having seizures through each switchback, dipping down a foot, convulsing and contorting his body in the most impressive manner. He was actually a very nice guy, but some time spent at Switchback Camp is highly recommended. It is recommended for myself, however, to have a GPS chip implanted in my brain, or attended Trail Direction Camp. Maybe I'd see some other TWW'ers there?!? Happy riding!

Jenny

Race Report by Isaias Job Part Deux

It's a 5hr drive, with a food stop, up to Weaverville, but well worth the trip. So for those of you who've never had the opportunity to ride Weaverville's trail system...you're missing out and have got to come out next year!

The race starts off on the pavement out in front of Trinity High School. It's a bit chaotic as all classes and age categories are bunched together. In theory, all the expert age groups are supposed to be at the front of the pack, followed by all sport ages groups, then the beginners. Instead, it was just a mass start all intermixed.

Strategy... ever since my start-slow-so-I-don't-cramp plan failed miserably at D-ville, I've changed my attitude. I figure if I'm gonna cramp any way, I might as well hammer off the starting line and then work through the cramps when they come. This worked at Billy Cross...so here goes nothing....hammer off the start.

I can see Brenton and Allan way up at the front of the pack, while Paul and I riding at a good pace up the fireroad. At one point I remember turning to Paul and saying man, I'm just not in the racing mood. Well that was a short lived feeling as I warmed up and Paul and I picked up the pace and started dropping more riders. Eventually, I passed Paul and soon I caught up to Allan, Brenton and a few other riders in a bottleneck up the singletrack. I yell out to Allan, hey man TWW train leading the race up the mountain!

Turns out one rider was holding up the group and we slowly, but surely made our way passed him. We made our way up hill single track and across a road where there were people with stop signs to make sure we didn't get hit by cars. This is where the singletrac got even steeper. At this point I was on Allan's tail and we passed a few riders. In the distance I could see Brenton and when I had the chance I picked up the pace a bit more and passed Allan and two other riders making my way up to Brenton.

By the time I made it up to Brenton, we had hit another fireroad climb. Brenton and I took turns going back and forth up the climb, while we passed 2 or 3 more riders. As we crested the fireroad climb I was feeling pretty good. The course marshall at the top of the climbed yelled out to Brenton and I, "it's time to bump up a class, only 4 other riders have crest the climb and they're all experts!" At this point I'm think, sweet baby! The hammer off the start strategy works. Invigorated by our apparent placing I pick up the pace and pass Brenton and then another rider.

Now the fireroad turns downhill and then back up a steep little climb and then into the sweetest singletrack, actually halftrack in certain section, I've ever ridden! I guess this kind of singletrack is what they call a "flume" trail. On the right side of the singletrack is a ditch filled with big rocks and on the left side is a steep hillside. Geez, am I glad we pre-rode this part of the course. There were a coule small whoopie doo's that were a lot of fun and kinda scary as I kept thinking about what lay on either side of the singletrack.

I can hear Brenton not too far back. I attempt a little creek crossing that transitions into a short steep climb and mess it all up. My chain falls off and once I get it back on it grinding. At this point Brenton catches me and I'm like go, man go. After he passes, I realized that my front derailleur is in the large chainring position, but my chain is on the middle ring. With a quick down shift I back on the bike and hammering after Brenton. I never caught back up, he really put the pedal to the metal.

Eventually, there is a fireroad section and then some more of the sweet, narrow singletrack with the ditch on one side and the cliff on the other. We make our way down the singletrack and now I know we are nearing the end of the race. So, now we are back at the point where the course doubles back on itself to the finish. However, going in the opposite direction I'm a bit disoriented as I spot two trails, one on my left and one on my right. I think crap, to have come this far, so fast only to get lost, damn it. I take the path on the right, about 1.5 miles later i spot a course marshall near one of the orange course markers and I sigh in relief and yell out thank god I thought I was lost.

No sooner have I hit the last single track climb out, than I hear Allan say "pedal Isaias." Doooh, so I put the pedal to the metal and push past two more guys on the climb. Soon the singletrack spills back out onto the same fireroad that we started on and I know the end is very close. I reach down and lockout my fork and shift into my big chaingring and smallest cog and start hammering. I can see Brenton and 2 or 3 other riders. We weave around the last bit of the course and then cross the finish line. Woooohooo! I can't believe I finished without ever cramping.

Since teambigfoot used a pull-tag system, you get to see your placing almost immediately. This is a pretty cool system, at the beginning of the race they safety pin a tag on you and when you cross the finish line they pull your tag, write your time on it and staple it up on a results board. So simple, yet so effective. Since there aren't very many tags on the board yet it's easy to find mine at the top of the 18-29 sport category...sweet! I spotted Vic, the race coordinator for Teambigfoot, and thanked profusely for such an awesome course.

Teambigfoot puts on an awesome race. Good people, great location, good food and it was only $25 for the entry fee. Since the race was a benefit the Weaverville Trail system, I thought what the hey and I bought a race shirt for only $12.

From what I hear TeamBigFoot puts on a lot of cool races up in Arcata: a 12hr race and two xc races and new this next year will be a 12hr race at Weaverville...sweet. I hope to drag lot's of TWWers up north for some racing next year!

Cheers,

Isaias

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