Snake 08 Round 1

[meanjoe]

This was my first and it was really cool to see so many people that i either knew or have seen around. I carpooled with JasonG which was cool cuz if I didn't have somebody to talk to i would have fallen asleep for sure.
I really didn't know what to expect so i really tried to pace myself. I thought it might take me 5 hours but it took about 5 hours and 20 minutes(according to my computer which also said i only rode 29 miles).
The start was pretty much what i expected a long slow fire road climb leading to a long single track climb. I crashed as soon as the trail turned downhill. Greg L was nice enough to stop and make sure i was not dead. he also helped me make a few bike adjustments to undo the minor damage caused by the crash. We pretty much stayed together the rest of the ride which was cool cuz i really didn't see a whole lot of other people from that point on. I was beginning to cramp a little by the halfway point but was able to fight off the cramps with healthy doses of electrolite, perpetum, loads of water, and various gels. the electrolite strips that they gave out in the swag bags were a god send.
After the halfway point the going got rough. A long single track climb followed by a rocky ridge line ride really took it's toll. The downhills were worse wreaking havoc on my upper body. my left hand especially as it had been bruised up nicely from the fall earlier. I had just lost my water bottle when a long fire road climb led us to an aid station. They had water and honey gel things. We each grabbed some gel and enough water to finish the ride and we headed out for the toughest part of the ride.
The last 8 miles were rough. not so much the climbing(only one really bad climb) but the rough rocky trail. I must have walked 2 miles or more. The last 1-2 miles were downhill and very fast. It allowed me to catch my breath and recover so i didn't look so miserable crossing the finish line.
Overall, it was a good time and i can't' wait to do it agian. I learned a valuable lesson...It pays to finish early. The chili was all gone by the time i made it back...bummer. I loaded up as fast as i could and headed for mc donalds.

[unosprocket]

Good job summing up the pain but you and I both know that words can not do this experience justice. So many thoughts ran through my head during the ride. Some good and alot of bad(last 8 miles). I'm glad you made it down but I know it had to be tough working till 3:30 in the morning and then driving 4 hours to make a ride like that.

I am feeling just like you are about going back. I can't wait!!

I think I had the best view of your crash and I know it hurt. Good job finishing. If you would have said you were hurt I would have waited.

Next time I think I'm gonna start the ride sober and save the beer for after.:beer: If it turns out to be harder then I'll go back to plan A for march.

[BikeSwimmer]

Wow, that was a next level event, for me at least. It was cool meeting new mtn bikers, seeing friends, and checking out a new trail. All in all, I really did not know what to expect. At the fire pit the night before the race, I kept hearing that the race really just had one big climb that had a lot of pine needles on it :lol:

Though, I knew I was in trouble when I made a comment linking this race to the Black Bear Rampage and Mike got a big smile on his face. He said something like BBR was really more of a warm up compared to this. He was so right. The trail was a lot different than the trails here in Middle Tn.

The time trial start was pretty cool. They had you line up in groups of about 8 or so. This allowed you to start and ride with friends or whomever. I started in the last wave of riders with Jason and I think Jim. The race started well except for the flat tire that I got early on. My spare tube was bunk and I somehow lost my patch kit. I started mentally preparing myself for a 7 or so mile hike. A rider stopped and thankfully gave me a spare tire. The race was back on. I tried to catch all of those riders who passed me.

Then shortly after the halfway point, I came face to face with two massive horses that would not let me pass until I slowly walked away from the trail to let them pass. They mocked me as they passed. I pressed on and started to think about the Chili that was provided at the end of the race. Things were looking up. At the 8 mile left checkpoint, I am closer to the Chili. Then I start into the roughest 8 miles of trail I have ridden. Like others, I walked about 2 miles of that part of the trail. The climbing, rocks, and fatigue was a rough combination.

During this section, I started to think that the Chili may be gone by the time I finish. That would not be good. I pressed on. Someone exclaimed that they could see the "towers" which signaled that we were close to the end. I could not see them and thought the rider was hallucinating. I started to think about Greg's post on the board about trying to finish the race during daylight. I chuckled for a second, then realized that the sun was no longer shining and that it was getting late. Crap, no sun and maybe no chili.

Shortly thereafter though, a volunteer said "take the road down the hill to the trade center." A quick burst of energy was mustered up and I hit the downhill. It felt awesome to get through the finish line. I did get some chili. I cannot wait for round 2!

PS Adam - Sorry you did not get any chili. If I was thinking, I would have grabbed a bowl for you. Sorry!

[Chewieez]

Wow, what a great event!! After all the pain, I finished with a huge grin on my face and am willing to go back for more partying, I mean riding.

Props to the event organizers and all the volunteers! Everything seemed to go very smooth, especially when you find out there were many more people racing than they expected.

You can read a full account of my day riding the Snake HERE (http://chewieez.blogspot.com/2008/01/it-is-what-it-is-and-it-was-what-is-was.html). I don't really want to re-write it again here.

It was great to see some friends I hadn't seen in a while and make some new ones. It was awesome riding with you Adam!

[meanjoe]

I came face to face with two massive horses that would not let me pass until I slowly walked away from the trail to let them pass. They mocked me as they passed.

I saw them too. That horse was all talk.:thumb:

It was cool riding with you for those 3 seconds that it took you too pass me...both times. I knew you flatted and I was starting to get a little worried for you until you passed me for the second time.

Jim-Awesome finish man! I couldn't have finished that quick if i was sober, and i was. I know you offered to stop for me, i just needed to stop for a while so i waved you and jeff on. I'm just glad you guys didn't run over me. That was not a good place for me to be laying in the road.

Greg-you really rocked that 20T(inside joke)!!

Adam

[mike neumeyer]

Like everyone else, I had a great time this weekend. This course is very eye opening, and can really give you a good taste of what mountain biking can really be like. Talking with some of the guys after the race, I think we all decided that the terrain covered in the Snake race is more difficult than ORAMM or Firewater, etc. The difference between the Snake and the others is sheer saddle time. The Snake took me just over half as long as mount mitchell so time is what really wears on you there. I felt I had an okay ride. I felt miserable the first half of the trail. My legs just would turn the pedals. At the halfway point I only took enough time to refill bottles and go. Halfway up the climb, I started feeling really good and reeled in some of the folks that passed me. I felt strong through the rough stuff but was really happy to see the end and hear the cowbell right before the road descent. I made the time I was shooting for, but was a little dissapointed that I didnt feel as strong as I did for the preride. The Monocog did everything I could have asked it to do...DONT BREAK. It made things a little uncomfortable but it was more that it is a little to small for me than it was being full rigid. But in the end it got me through. With any luck I will have my big wheels back for February!!!

Mike

[unosprocket]

(according to my computer which also said i only rode 29 miles).


according to my garmin I got 32 miles and a little over 7,000' of climbing but I know that you loose some distance on the tight switchbacks with a GPS.

[Chewieez]

My computer showed 33.8 miles when I crossed the finish line, and that included a little riding around the starting area.

[Johnny5]

At the fire pit the night before the race, I kept hearing that the race really just had one big climb that had a lot of pine needles on it :lol:


All those da*m blabber mouths at the fire pit almost ruined all the surprises didn't they? Lucky for you I was kind enough to warn you of the evil pine needle climb. All down hill after that one. :thumb:

Nice race fellas. Way to represent middle TN! We gotta step up our game, Hodge and them GA boys aren't kiddin' around this year.

Props out to Brian and Mark at MOAB for the emergency replacement tire. Extra Big Hugs to Jut for delivering the tire, the extra brew, and nipping the b-day boy in the last 1/2 mile of trail. 8-ball earned his wings by driving and dealing with the snoring beast so I didn't have too. Also thanks to Old Greg for not dying.

:beer:

[Chewieez]

Also thanks to Old Greg for not dying.

:beer:


no problem! :thumb:

Next time I'll try to get back quicker for some more partying.

[kindacreeky]

This ride sounds so difficult. I would love to think that I could do it someday, but it will takes lots more training than I have been doing lately. I can tell from your writing that you are all proud to have done it, and from what I can tell, you should be. super job.

[FullSquishy]

I am thinking of trying one or two of the next races down there in Feb or Mar. As I know most of you guys are experienced racers you make this course sound extremely hard. Were you guys really pushing it like you would in a normal say sport class race and found it to be difficult because you were trying to ride hard and fast and the course was long and technical or were you merely trying to finish while riding at a moderate pace and it was still that tough? Thanks.

[meanjoe]

I am thinking of trying one or two of the next races down there in Feb or Mar. As I know most of you guys are experienced racers you make this course sound extremely hard. Were you guys really pushing it like you would in a normal say sport class race and found it to be difficult because you were trying to ride hard and fast and the course was long and technical or were you merely trying to finish while riding at a moderate pace and it was still that tough? Thanks.

I wasn't racing just riding at a comfortable pace that i thought i could sustain. It was a pretty tough course no matter how you ride it. If you're not sure you can do the 34 do the first 17 in February and if you feel like you can make it do the 34 in March. The first 17 was pretty fun and an accomplishment in itself. you can do it. Go do laps of the yellow at monty bell that will get you warmed up for it.

[Paddlechris]

I wasn't racing just riding at a comfortable pace that i thought i could sustain. It was a pretty tough course no matter how you ride it. If you're not sure you can do the 34 do the first 17 in February and if you feel like you can make it do the 34 in March. The first 17 was pretty fun and an accomplishment in itself. you can do it. Go do laps of the yellow at monty bell that will get you warmed up for it.

Hmmm how many laps?

[mike neumeyer]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10841725@N00/sets/72157603660309930/

more pics here. I think I was asking for "a little more cowbell" from the nice lady cheering us on. :more_cowbell:

Mike

[Chewieez]

I am thinking of trying one or two of the next races down there in Feb or Mar. As I know most of you guys are experienced racers you make this course sound extremely hard. Were you guys really pushing it like you would in a normal say sport class race and found it to be difficult because you were trying to ride hard and fast and the course was long and technical or were you merely trying to finish while riding at a moderate pace and it was still that tough? Thanks.

My goal was to cross the finish line in the saddle, before the cut off time. I was not racing anyone.

It's a hard course whether you're me or the fastest guy there. The trail gets hard at the worse times. The first 17 are fairly easy, with mainly just hard, long climbs, but not much technical riding. The second 17 combine long hard climbs with hard technical riding and you're already tired from the first 17. The last 8 miles are the hardest and you're the most tired.

Hopefully J5 or someone with more experience on this trial will chime in with some more advice and info. I've only ridden this trail once, which was the race, so my memory of it is a little foggy. Oh and I walked a lot of the climbs..... a lot.

[Johnny5]

I am thinking of trying one or two of the next races down there in Feb or Mar. As I know most of you guys are experienced racers you make this course sound extremely hard. Were you guys really pushing it like you would in a normal say sport class race and found it to be difficult because you were trying to ride hard and fast and the course was long and technical or were you merely trying to finish while riding at a moderate pace and it was still that tough? Thanks.

Race pace isn't the hard part of the Snake. It's a challenging trail in technical handling aspects as well as physically demanding aspects. If you shoot off like you're racing a TBRA Lock 4 sport race you'll be in for a very rude awakening.

I race the Snake because I like to see if I can better my previous times as well as see how much I've progressed as a rider. There are sections that will test you, there are sections where you'll cramp up from smiling, there are sections where you could get seriously hurt, there are sections where you'd think you were about to die. It's not impossible, it's not so hard that only the elite can do it. It's fun. It is what you make it to be.

If you are someone who loves the unknown, pushing your limits, not knowing if you can even finish, are up to challenging yourself, go for the 34 miler. You won't be let down.

If 3 laps at any pace at Chickasaw pushes you to your absolute limit, do the 17. Same challenging fun, just shorter.

If Hamilton Creek scares you, wait a year before attempting. The 17 miler might seem like it'll be easier because it's shorter, but it's not, it's just shorter. The 17 miler is the last 17 miles of the 34 mile trail and where the 6 most painful and longest miles await you.

It's a time trial format so you don't start in a massive sprinting herd. Ride it at a pace you feel comfortable riding. There will be sections where you can hang it all out and push it and there will be sections where you'll have to slow down and ride carefully and sections where you will be walking.

Just remember it's only a bike race and meant to be fun.

[meanjoe]

For the record, in my original post I inadvertently made it sound like people just rode by without worrying about me. Everybody that saw me crash, Jim, Jeff, Greg, and a few others that came along later, all made sure i was ok and i even waved them all on. Jim and Jeff continued riding because i jumped up quickly and motioned for them to keep going. I meant no disrespect these guys are my friends and hope i didn't offend them. I simply misspoke. :thumb:

Adam

[unosprocket]

For the record, in my original post I inadvertently made it sound like people just rode by without worrying about me. Everybody that saw me crash, Jim, Jeff, Greg, and a few others that came along later, all made sure i was ok and i even waved them all on. Jim and Jeff continued riding because i jumped up quickly and motioned for them to keep going. I meant no disrespect these guys are my friends and hope i didn't offend them. I simply misspoke. :thumb:

Adam I can't get the snake out of my head. I'd like to try a cyclecross race sunday but thats not as high on my priority list as getting ready for the next round of SCG. I'm not up for driving to LBL but if you want to do a few laps of HR Saturday or Sunday let me know. It will be muddy but know one cares about the HR so were good to go.

Jim

[meanjoe]

I'll call ya bout this later. I think it may have rained too much for the north/south anywhay.

Adam

[Brclimber]

First of all congrats to all who rode the snake! This was my first time, and I couldn't imagine a more bittersweet trail! My goal was just to finish and I finished even thou a few problems.... My brother took last place in the 17 miler and I took last in the 34 miler!:eek: I'm going back to at least one more of the races to claim my spot at least one more time! That is if I can fix my bike in time. I hit my seatstay on a rock and it bent it in pretty good. My brake was jammed into my tire for the rest of the race! Does anyone have any ideas on where I could find a seatstay for a 07 Epic? I've been told it would cost me alot. I'm in the process of bending it back one mm at a time. Even thou I'm from KY it was good to see all you nashville dudes rock the snake! :thumb:

[unosprocket]

First of all congrats to all who rode the snake! This was my first time, and I couldn't imagine a more bittersweet trail! My goal was just to finish and I finished even thou a few problems.... My brother took last place in the 17 miler and I took last in the 34 miler!:eek: I'm going back to at least one more of the races to claim my spot at least one more time! That is if I can fix my bike in time. I hit my seatstay on a rock and it bent it in pretty good. My brake was jammed into my tire for the rest of the race! Does anyone have any ideas on where I could find a seatstay for a 07 Epic? I've been told it would cost me alot. I'm in the process of bending it back one mm at a time. Even thou I'm from KY it was good to see all you nashville dudes rock the snake! :thumb: Good job on the finish. I know it must have been tough with mech issues holding you back. But you didn't let it get you down. GOOD DAY MAN! one that I'm sure you won't forget.

[Jason-G]

I took last in the 34 miler!

You didn't finish last, you were last of the finish'ers. I dropped out at the 1/2 way point. Not real proud of myself. Maybe next round, I can be last to finish.

[Johnny5]

You didn't finish last, you were last of the finish'ers. I dropped out at the 1/2 way point. Not real proud of myself. Maybe next round, I can be last to finish.

Don't beat yourself up Jason. Use the experience to build yourself up not tear yourself down. You made it through the toughest part, you toed the line. :beer:

[unosprocket]

Props go out to Jason G.
Good job on the 34 miles of snake today.
You looked better than I felt at the finish line.

March will be here before you know it and I don't think our local trails will be ready to ride anytime soon. If you need a place to ride give me a call.