Troupe Racing Co.

The Racers and Chasers events have been going on for a few years now, but they always seem to overlap other events (or preperation for other events) in our area. So when the planets finally aligned and gave us a free weekend for the January 28 race, we jumped in. Originally, the plan was to race the xc event.

To quote the great Monte Python, “And now for something completely differet”.

Michelle decided she wanted to try the marathon. She’s had a solo 6 hour on her mind, and will probably try that this summer. This marathon had a more grassroots approach; start as many laps as you can in the 3.5 hours time limit.

My training plan called for 3.5 hours and a steady pace, so we devised a plan to make this work. I’d ride with her for the company and also be her pack mule domestique. When she needed to shed layers or get food, I’d have it ready.

Thanks to the 7 am start, we were able to park close to the course before any of the xc riders arrived to the venue. The Element served once again as a fine pit stop. The cooler was stocked with pre-mixed Perpetuem on ice, gels, and a pile of tools ready for anything. I’d simply exit the course and ride a short distance to the car, gab bottles or gels, and then ride back and re-enter the course (at the same place I exited) and chase Michelle back with the fresh bottles and supplies.

Our strategy changed once the ride got going. Race adrenaline is always pumping and we marked another woman rider from the Albion Brewery team who was setting a strong pace. We kept an eye on her, and never let her out of sight until around 1 lap in, and then it was time to re-focus and make sure we were riding Michelle’s pace.

The course actually quite challenging, and brought riders through a variety of conditions: rocky ridgeline where bike handeling got a bit sketchy at times (we both had a slow-speed wash out a couple times), meadowy rolling terrain, great flowing single track through an area called Martha’s something-er-other.

Through it all, the bikes, as usual, we perfect. I know, 29ers are all the rage, and I even have a lovely carbon Tallboy, but you’ll have to pry me off my carbon Blur xc. Same for Michelle. The bikes were so solid and light. (Note – Michelle’s new XX drivetrain brought her carbon Blur down to 22 lb flat). They were a great to ride, for sure.

But, more importantly, was Michelle’s new found endurance. She kicked it into diesel mode and kept the pace going forward. Legs got heavy, backs began to ache, but she never stopped.

After 3 laps we felt like a 4th lap would be no problem. We had plenty of water on board, so we rolled through and stated lap 4. We had only been passed by a few of the marathon pros, and were feeling pretty good.

Half way through the 4th lap, we started to do some math. It was clear that on our current pace, we’d come in with enough time to start a 5th lap. “What if the other girls stopped at 4 – then I need to do 1 more”. I had a very proud husband moment at that point in the race, and we pushed on without pitting before our 5th and final lap!

Turns out, the woman rider that had gotten away from us during the first lap had a major mechanical on her 4th lap and had to run her bike in to the finish. Our 5th lap sealed the deal and locked Michelle in to her first marathon win. Could there be more? Only the 2012 season will tell.

Thanks to Rashers and Chasers for putting on a great winter series. We’ll have to do a few more of these.

The 2012 season is officially off and running. Seems like just a week ago we were acknowledging the end of the ’11 season. But, one end is another beginning, so here we go.

The first race is always the first 12 Hours of Temecula. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: this endurance series is the real deal. The people at SoCal Endurance put on a great race and this one like all the others before it was no exception.

Leading up to the event, we had some pretty bleak looking weather forecast. 80% chance of rain all say, high winds, cold temps. The memory of our last wet 12 hour race was all fresh in our minds, and no one was really keen on a day and night in the rain.

We set up base camp a day early in an attempt to reduce the stress of a frantic morning trying to get both bikes and shelter set up. By 7 pm, everything was set and we were enjoying filet mignon, rice and a bit of red wine in the warm rented RV. Troupe is racing in style….

We awoke on Saturday to rain. No surprise there. Not really rain, but heavy thick falling mist that wasn’t quite rain but still was enough to warrant the use of rain gear. What we didn’t know was that the rain was soaking into the trail and setting up for one of the fastest courses to date.

Our line up looked like this:

4 women team : Michelle, Laura, Monica and Mary
4 man team : Mykyta, Joses, Tom and Pavel
3 man #1 : Charlie, Nat and Tim
3 man #2 : Jeff, JP and guest rider Craig
solo 6 hour : Mike, Ben and Damon

The race got up and rolling right on schedule, just as it always does. From that point on, we ran the rotations like clock work. While are times were not the fastest out there of all the racers, we were putting in some good times for being so early in the year, and they were fast enough to put us in some good spots right away.

The two 3 man teams had a good battle going on and were riding hard to fend off the team in 4th. The 4 man had a very close race which came down to just about 2 minutes in the end – a very close race over the course of 12 hours.

Our women did what they do bast and kept consistent laps going against a very tough team.

The solos put their heads down and pushed for 6 hours, with Mike coming through with a 5th place finish in the 40+ masters class.

The following day, Ben raced in the first Super D stage race – a 3 race series featuring some of Vail Lakes best downhill trails. Riders start in packs of 5 or so, and once finish ride to the following stage. It was a new and exciting format to watch with riders throwin’ elbows while passing on the little climbs. Ben strapped on some elbow pads and won the sport men class.

After Saturday’s race, we gathered (17 people) in the RV for our pre-awards party, including some much needed lasagna, and of course a bit of beer (of course). It was a fine end to a fine day of pushing the limits and we all got to share our best moments from the day’s laps.

final results
4 women team – 2nd
3 man team 1 – 2nd
3 man team 2 – 3rd
4 man team – 3rd
6 hour solo – mike 5th
super d stage race – ben 1st

The 2011 race season has finally come to an end. It was the 4th year for the Troupe, and it’s been a long and challenging one – one with unexpected twists that we never saw coming. It kept us guessing and ultimately coming back for more. Races started in January, and lasted through November. That’s long season.

Laura and Tim closed out the xc season with the final race of the SoCal Triple Crown series in Fontana. Usually, this is a good course with a fair bit of technical stuff thrown in. For this final race, a new section was added to the front half making one of the best xc course of the year. Lots more technical climbing, a bit more technical descending – a real mountain bike course. Laura finished 2nd, and Tim made it up on the podium for 3rd. Laura also took home 2nd for the series overall, while Tim just missed the podium with his 4th overall. We hope this course comes back next year – it was by far the best course Fontana has put together and maybe one of the best course of the xc season.

Of course cross season is going on, and Michelle and Mykyta raced the SoCal Prestige series Turkey Trot in Glendale. This was a technical course by cross standards, with lots of roots and tight, off camber turns. Michelle finished 4th, while Mykyta fought hard in the single speed class and finished somewhere in the top 10.

The following week, a group of Troupers hit the UCI CXLA in Los Angeles. Laura took 2nd, Michelle 9th, and Mykyta and Jeff both took 6th in the two single speed classes.

Whew. Thats a lot of racing in 3 weeks.

And with that, we’re done! We’ve had injury, illness and all sorts of random setbacks. We could think about how its all about the struggle to get to the race, the sacrifices made and all that. But set backs and broken collar bones aren’t fun. As always, our focus on goals and our passion for riding that keeps us sane and going forward.

So what’s on tap for 2012?

We’re lucky enough to have what we feel are the greatest partners out there. Santa Cruz bikes, X Fusion, crankbrothers, Formula, Ergon and fi’zi:k will all be back in our line up. Knog will be supporting us again with all sorts of lights. The essential pit accessory – the Sqivvy changing tent, will be with us in 2012, along with Kinetic Trainers. Lazer is creating the best helmets and they will again be part of our kit, along with Hincapie Sportswear. For cooler weather training, we’ll again be using Soigneur Embrocation. And finally, the whole team will be fueled by Hammer Nutrition.

There’s that old saying if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it. Thats sort of where we’re at with our sponsors. We’ve got what we feel is the best support, and there’s no reason to change it.

Its early to know for sure, but the event calendar will have some new races too. A number of us are looking at getting out to races outside of SoCal. Already, some of us are registered for the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo. We’ll hit the Mellow Jonny’s Classic and the Whiskey 50, and have plans to go to Nationals before they move over to the east side of the US for a couple years. No doubt that 2012 is going to be a busy season.

So to our sponsors and those of you following our news updates, thanks on behalf of Troupe for your support and for making 2011 a great season.

Troupe out.

The season is finally coming to a close. While some of us race ‘cross into the winter, most of us save that last bit of speed left in the tank for the final race of the SoCal Endurance series, the 12 Hours of Temecula.

We’ve been planning this one for a while. These events are fantastic, and is something that everyone should try at least once. Put them on your cycling bucket list. The organization is top notch, and the crew of SoCal Endurance puts on an excellent series. Electronic timing with constantly updated results, great sponsors and expo area, perfect venue with full camping facilities, and of course, a killer course for each of the 3 races each year. It’s always a favorite event of ours, and something that the whole team comes out for.

One small detail was starting to cause concern to say the least: the weather. A “Pacific storm system” to be precise, perfectly timed for the Saturday of the race.

We started to devise a plan to assure some sort of shelter. I pulled out the Mnt. Hardware Basecamp shelter – a 25 person huge dome tent. This would be our primary pit station. Mike and Laura rented and RV, giving us a prime sleeping situation for the 2 nights we would be there.

Friday came and we set up the pit zone. It was an hour long process but it was finally up, staked in and ready for the team to arrive Saturday morning.  By sundown, Jason and his crew were relaxing by the fire and a glass of grape juice. Everything seemed to be on track…

Of course, we woke up Saturday morning to a virtual monsoon. Luckily, the course holds water well and spirits were optimistic that the clouds would pass. But the rain put a damper on that great camp breakfast we usually have as we focused on how to stay dry.

Our line up looked like this:

4 women team
Michelle, Laura, Monica, and our guest rider Mary of Velo605

Jeff, riding solo 12 hr

4 man team
Mykyta, Charlie, Tom and guest rider and long time Troupe friend, Joses

3 man team
Mike, Tim, and guest rider Nat

The race got started at 9:00 AM, just as it should. The first riders came in with reports of the course being a bit wet and muddy. Bikes needed a quick hose-down, but overall, things were looking good.

The middle laps – laps from 2 – 5, where some of the best laps ever put down at Vail. Despite being a little slow from the moisture, any tire was hooking up like it was on velcro. Traction was insane, the downhills were fast and riders were coming in grinning from ear to ear.

And then the rain came around 2:30. It started as a light sprinkle, but slowly came on strong and turned the top of the ridge line single tracks from super fun to super slippery and sketchy. Times slowed down, drivetrains took a beating but the race went on.

But by 4:30, the conditions had really declined, and the weather showed no signs of stopping. There were reports of riders crashing multiple times, of them falling over going up hill, and even a rumor of lightning. The race director had to pull the plug for safety issues. No matter how disappointing, it was the right thing to do. For the next 2 hours, riders came in soaked with mud on bikes that would no longer shift.

At the end of the day, we did work and were able to get some laps in good enough to get some of us on the scoreboard. Our women’s team took 2nd, Jeff took 1st in the solo masters class, and the 3 man team finished 4th. Both men’s teams had over 20 teams entered, too.

There are also series awards. It’s a combined lap count (and time) combined from all 3 races. Again or women’s team took 2nd, Jeff won the series, and the 3 man team took 3rd.

Once again, thanks to Jason and his crew at SoCal Endurance. You guys put on a great series and something that we always look forward to. We’re already looking forward to the next 12 hour in January!