JB's Adventure Blog: October 2005

Hey....

Yesterday I raced the 18th Tidewater Mountain Bike Challenge. Steve Nevins has been promoting this “classic” season finale for a long time and continues to put his love of the sport into the race every year. Thanks Steve! This years’ course was buffed smooth and fast thanks to trail work and good weather “60 and sunny”. My team-mate Chris and I had a tight race. After a fast hole shot I reached down to unlock my shock and swoosh as fast as you could say moto, he dropped in on me like it was a bmx race my wheel ground into to his and I almost went down after 30 mile an hour tripod! I regain some of my steam and thanks to David Duval was allowed the second slot into the ALL single track course.

The course’s thousand turns and undulating features make for much more than a lowland mountain bike race, it is like a BMX single track thru dense forests,, awesome!

So with Chris in the lead I was in trouble because, well first off he was gunnin for it and second off I realized I hadn’t gone this fast in the proximity of trees since I went head over handle bars and broke my back. The gaps would open and then close with much suffering. I was one attack from relegating to my own pace and then Chris hit it again. Damn I m done I though. No not yet I will just drill it and make sure I just get dropped and then I can crack and limp in. I Dug deep and it paid off he slow down and I started to recover the next lap I maintained and plan for a counter attack after I try to rest a little and hit a power gel. Coming up the longest up hill section of the course Chris let up for just a second and I snuck by with a furious attack. I knew I needed an escape velocity for 2-3 good sections. And then I would have to slow down. You see the course it so tight with so many turns and banks that if you ride it faster than a certain speed you waste a lot by blowing past turns or worst yet hitting the brakes and having to sprint back up to speed. So after hitting maximum cruise pace for a lap I had to kick it into the pain gear for the last 15 minutes. I have lost a few races to Chris in the final stretch so I needed every inch I could get. The time of 1:29 was the fastest ever Tidewater mountain bike challenge!

I did get the win, it was a good confidence builder and an indicator that I am back on track! David was 3rd, and Chris Beck was 4th.

Afterward Erin and I went out Pepito’s with the Baltimore crew of Chris and his wife Alison, David Duvall Chris Beck and Dave Bradshaw where we celabrated Chris Eatough’s Birthday with a fried Ice cream with candles and sung happy birthday. It was a fun time with friends.

Keep ya posted.

JB

Ps: the first person to guess the number of World Champions that have raced at the Tidewater Mtb Challenge gets a free autographed jersey.

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 6:52 AM 16 comments

He's going the distance....

What up peeps?

So after yesterday's almost 7-hour ride, my coach tried to kill me with what I thought to be an impossible ride, but ''m as tough as a cockroach and perhaps as stupid.

I thought I had a good idea going when I left a note on the car door for Erin, it said "pick me up on Reddish Knob after your ride please".

I was looking to get in a final push to today's epic ride. I was exhausted, but the coach wanted two hours at tempo in the end of today’s ride. I had an Idea; even as devastated as I was, “you have to go hard to go uphill right”? There is something scary about doing a 10-mile climb in the dark not dressed warm enough for the descent and with no water. I was dazed in the rhythm of the pedals and the plume of exhaust from my lugs mesmerized me into a trance state. “I got it”. Was my mantra. HR 164, altitude 2,975 ft the last time I could read it. It is too dark now. The trees moved like black apparitions in the night, the snow my only saving light. As I got higher, after 35 minutes of climbing at a stiff tempo the air got colder. I was generating alot of heat but I was barley staying warm. If She doesn't get that note I am screwed I thought. I could look 2,000 ft down now and I saw a light. Was it the Volkswagen or just a bear hunter’s truck? I monitored it closely and it disappeared. If I were standing at the top it would take Erin almost 20 minutes just to drive up this climb!... Yikes... that would be bad.

Caught in the moment of my 3rd wind I continued, I had a little doubt but it is only then that you know you are closing in on your limits, perhaps a little in harms way.

I waited at the top and the wind wasn't bad this time 10 mph and the red ribbon of the sun that had set almost an hour ago was all but gone. It was below freezing and I was dressed for 50 degrees. I was smoked and drenched with sweat at 4,500 ft and no sigh of help. Time to move. I left Erin a voice message and made a slow start to the decent. I saw a few hunting trucks I thought about waving one down but I hadn't even resorted to the emergency method of running to stay warm. I continued….. all I could see was the silhouette of the new silver guardrail. I better watch out for black ice, that freaked me out a bit. Then rounding one of the switchbacks were the trademark lights of a VW. Sweet Jesus. Hi Erin ...I tried to play off the nerves as casual.

So.... Erin was a bit mad. I was sorry to make her worry but I guess if your coach is a maniac then you have to be a bit nuts to step up to the challenge. Thanks Hunter...

5:15 mins, 8,400ft of climbing finishing in the dark, that’s a tough mountain bike, ride. But nothing compared to next weeks monster.

Be careful out there.

Jeremiah

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 10:25 AM 0 comments

Way Hugh Jass ride.

Carpenter gave me some good ideas on todays ultra 6 1/2 hr expedition. I should have been a little more conservative.

My hands are just thawing and my eyes bleary. Thanks to Erin for cooking cause I can barrly wiggle this blog.

Snow mud slush and grime will be the subject of treadmill like night visions. I somehow maped out a route that had me well above snowline for hours. Bad move. It was really slow and to add insult I got lost making my rendevous with Erin for a short evening ride about 1 1/2 late. I skrew up and she was pretty good about it. I will reel it in for tomorrows 5 hr jaunt.

Later Yall

Got to sleep: Jeremiah so tired

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 5:34 PM 1 comments

FINDING WINTER

OK.. the weather was foul and I am talking chickens, geese, and partridge! The damn sky was falling. Dark dismal with cold rain is how I would describe it in laymen’s
terms.

I finally got out the door at 11:45 and jammed on a mission toward the daughter of the stars Shenandoah mtn. I shocked to see the white coating the tops of the mountian had received. Cranking it out at a solid endurance pace of 140+hr I got to the mouth of the mountains where a tongue of small river escapes. The temperature dropped 10 degrees in 10mins! yikes, It was now also totally cloudy. As I started my At Effort I built up a enough heat to fight the cold. I couldn't quite attain the hr I wanted to due to the cold 40 degree temps. As I start getting to 2500 ft the snowy wind picked up and gusted pulling the still fire colored leafs. Another turn and white. Some branches where white. Another turn and bam a hillside frosted another turn and powerful storm gust ripped leafs and limbs from a tree. Amazing now just the road was not covered in snow. Then I got to 3000ft and I was in the middle of a dangerous snowstorm with driving winds and temperatures in the 30s. The trees where all bent over from the unexpected weight of inches of snow on
Leafs with 4-5 inches of snow and slush on the pavement I couldn't help but think of a woman who died here 100 years ago while trying to make it over the mountain.

I checked out and jogged a bit to keep from freezing on the way down.

I got in my 20 accelerations they where only at 85 % of max. And then my 3/5 min blow out hell intervals went ok the 1st one was only 3 mins and the following ones where maybe 4 mins and change..

Tonight’s cross race was a bit disastrous but because I got last place due to a loose seat. Because of always chasing it made for a really hard interval workout with some massive strength work riding up run ups in a bad gear makes your muscles want to explode. Erin and I had a great time sprinting around the cross course, it reminded me of some fond moments from winters a few years ago when we went to the mid atlatic cup races.

I didn't have a power meter on but it was an over load of intervals. Ouch.

Cheers JB

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 5:30 PM 0 comments

"Hail to the King"

Ian Davidson Jr wins Masters worlds in Hawaii!

There are few people who are able to win a world championship title I am glad to say I know why Ian won this one.
His tireless motivation discipline and downright gritt made him the man to beat in my mind despite this being a nervous endeavor for him.

An excited Erin snaged my attention last night and gave me the news she couldn't beleive it.

We are very proud of Ian, had he skiped our wedding to lose I would have been pissed! Just kidding. :) But he won and not just any race it is the one that millions of moleuclues of rubber had to pay dearly for one at a time. Good inspiration for us lads, good indeed my man.

Ciao, JB

I wonder what Brian Fawleys doing?

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 10:16 AM 0 comments

KAUAI

Hanalei Bay, stay.

Aloha,

Erin and I are on Honeymoon in Kauai so I won’t be updating too much.
Today we had a much more kicked back day than yesterday. It felt like a triathalon of activities starting with a 7am brisk road ride a several mile paddle with Erin on the Hanalei river and a afternoon group ride with the local posse of mountain bikers at the singletrack hotspot in Anahola. The trails were fast, dry as a bone somehow and feature some cool steep grinds and crazy beachside trail on black lava rock with the ocean frothing below! Or group included Paul, Jonny Seargent of the North Shore Bike Docktor, Jed who is a fire fighter in Princville, pro beach volley ball player and John from Georgia. This side of the island gets like 120 inches of rain and our ride spot only 50 or 60 inches a year. Of note one of the wettest places on Earth is a mountain less than 15 miles from here receives 440 inches of rain a year.

Erin and I have been having great time here in Kaui and I am shure we would both love to come back. Perhaps on our next trip we will have everything dialed since we will have some great connections here.

Mahaolo for reading.

Jeremiah and Erin

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 12:23 PM 0 comments

After the FIRE

Today I had another challenge to test the limits of a healing back. During todays dual sport ride I took a wrong turn on to a brutally steep trail on the massenutten range. Hiking with sweat buning my eyes it led me to a mountainside recently scorched by a forest fire. The understory was filled with crimson and golden colored shrubs and wild flowers thriving off of the ashy. I though of my recent injury and it may help recharge me in a way my body needs every few years. Perhaps my best yet lies after the fire.

Jeremiah

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 7:01 PM 0 comments

Urban Mountain Biking in Richmond!

The ultimate test of my back is what Jeff called today's planed ride. I wasn't too sure how keen I was about that ride description until I saw what was really out there.

Living up to the legend, Richmond has some killer mountain biking. The best urban trail system I have ever seen in fact was today on my ride with groomsmen Jeff Herrick and Todd XXX Helmick. During our exploration we had the good fortune of running into local fast-racer-guys Tony and Jimmy. Our posse ripped thru the serpentine single tracks and warp speed. I was surprised how fast and well maintained the trails where. I was told that M.O.R.E. was the group responsible for the awesome benchwork bridges and log craftsmanship that made the trail unique. One spot had us climbing an ancient looking cobbled walk way that was benched into the side of a forested hillside! I wish I had my camera. This was one of many leg breaking steep pitches that made my legs quiver after a couple hours of hammering. The scenery was always changing like an urban mountain bike video game with interesting junctions turns, walkways and elevated bridges.

I am glad I gave the ride a chance and now I know its there I am sure I will meet up again for some Urban adventure.

Hoo Yah

JB

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 6:41 PM 0 comments

Ride for the ARM OF GENERAL LEE!

3:45

Sam Thompson, Jeff and busted out a long road ride in Richmond today, a land of some magnificent American history. Our ride past right by the home of Patric Henry and past the spot where General Lee’s arm was buried after it was amputated. 18 mph for 3 ½ hrs was fast considering I was on my fuel with mtb tires and they were on road bikes. I was on the rivet for the last half hour as Jeff and Sam traded attacks that would have made General Lee Proud. During our route we contemplated a stop at the famous dognut shop in Maine that Jeff once visited, apparently Krispy Cream has nothing on the magical dognuts from Maine.

We wraped up the day with a vistit to one of a plethora of exotic resteraunts that spans the west end of Richmond Va known as Carrie town. I we had some fine tasty Indian food followed by ice cream.

Richmond has more to it than I could have imagined you should check it out, I assure you it has a lot more flavor and history than the view you see coming up interstate 95.

Until tomorrow;

Jeremiah

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 6:39 PM 0 comments

18th Annual Tidewater Moutain Bike Challenge.