A Tale of Tire Woes...SM100

Labor Day weekend marks my favorite race of the year, the annual meeting of the Moonstompers...Shenandoah 100. Most unfortunately this year, 2 great events were going on the same weekend. GoCross in Roanoke was upgraded to a UCI race but was moved up to the same weekend forcing dirt lovers to pick between the two. Thanks to USAC refusing to upgrade me past a Cat3 last year I opted for the completely slacker option of participating and completely sandbagging the Cat 3/4 race on Saturday. Ride to Fallon from the house, do a few laps, ride home. Legs loosened, check. Yes, I won and beat up on a bunch of kids in the process. No shame. I blame USAC. But I'll be racing in the more appropriate field from here on out during cross season, don't worry.

Stomper Ridge at Stokesville
(and the sweet Cutaway kit bags being put to great use!)

The next morning it was the usual early wake up for the dawn start. Unlike the last 100, I was a good girl and made sure I was well rested going in and I really felt good. I positioned myself forward from where I did last year to try to keep as close to the lead group as possible leading into the first singletrack climb. I avoided the back up there last year, but this year I was hoping to get through that early enough to be able to catch on with some stronger guys for the road sections after. 4 miles in I was right where I wanted to be, nearing the narrowing of the first fire road when all of a sudden I went over a little seemingly nothing bump and "HIIIISSSS". Flat. Rear tire flat.

How I kept a long stream of profanities inside I'm not sure. I could see the spot the Stans was and tried to plug it but it was too close to the bead and I couldn't get the bacon in. I reinflated but it wouldn't seal. Meanwhile the stream of riders kept flowing by and I knew I was toast as far as positioning goes. Interestingly there were at least 6 other riders pulled over in the same spot with flats as well. WTH did we hit?! As I made the decision to put a tube in, fellow Deschutes team member and Moonstomper Rob Issem pulled over and lent a hand and with a quick double team effort I was back on and riding.

I worked hard and passed a bunch of people over the next 1-2 miles but then hit singletrack and not only slowed but stopped. Dead stop. Like not even walking. Stopped. I was dying inside with my level of frustration through the roof. Finally though, we cleared the climb and the main technical features and started the smoother descent. And then it happened, another "HIIIISSSS". The tube had blown. My tire had a 1/2" slice. I didn't have a second tube. I was certain I was done. Walking down, I was having to jump out of the way for all those riders I had passed on the fireroad and the climb as they came down.

Rob came up on me and incredibly stopped again. I just want to say that I was and still am so overwhelmed with his selflessness and sportsmanship for not only helping me once, but twice. He saw my frustration boil over and the tears that came. At that moment I was certain I was done for the day and would be getting my first ever DNF. Rob gave me his spare tube, quickly ate one of his GUs, and helped me patch the hole with his GU and my Honey Stinger wrapper. Then we inflated that tube as hard as we could. Please, please, please let this one hold.

Coming into Aid 1 in a very dark mental place.
Photo: Jack Anderson

We got rolling again, my confidence shattered. I was riding so cautiously, scared at any moment this tube was going to blow too. We were literally in dead last. We passed a couple folks on the rest of the descent into Aid 1. There, I saw Chris Scott who heard what had happened and offered me words of encouragement and I learned that several of the lead men had also suffered early flats as well. I put my head down and just vowed to try to make up what time that I could. We were so far back that the Lynn back up was starting to clear out and I was able to ride all the way to the first switchback before running into it. After a leisurely congo line up the rest of Lynn with discussions of RockStar 270 (yup, Rob was still right behind me!), I headed down Wolf still riding cautiously on my tube.

Safely to the bottom and to the fireroad, I kicked it into high gear. I finally was clear of the line and knew that it was time to make up what time I could. With my loss in position, my other loss was the complete lack of anyone to draft/trade pulls with on the road sections. The only thing I was doing was passing people and there was nothing to reduce my work.

Photo credit: Jack Looney

 

Quickly enough, Aid 2 was past and I was climbing, climbing and then onward towards Round 1 of Hankey and Dowells Draft. Finally the crowd had thinned and I could go my pace. I passed people steadily, moving up the field. Dowell's had some rather sketchy wet roots but I made it through without incident. Quickly through Aid 3 and on up 250 I went.

The rest went smoothly, I felt great on the Death Climb and part way up passed Julia Thumel and another lady. I knew Julia would be towards the top of the women's field so I knew I was getting back in the mix. At Aid 5 I heard I was probably 30 min behind the last woman to come through. I had a feeling that was something I wouldn't make up but all I could do was keep riding my hardest.

Love my Top Fuel, but down Wild Oak was definitely more fun last year with my Tall Boy even with the alloy frame vs carbon. More travel is just nice....Then it was through 6 and into a refreshing little rain shower just before Hankey Round #2. Then I was topped out and the final stretch flew by until suddenly I was descending into Stokesville and through the finish line. Final time 10:12:30, in 3rd place. I was stoked to see Laura at the finish and find out she had in fact won!! Meanwhile, if time estimates were correct I had made up a solid chunk of time just between Aid 5 and the finish with #2 just 12 minutes in front of me.

Overall, although it was not the time I had been hoping for, I am happy with what I was able to accomplish after the early struggles. I was so close to quitting mentally, partly frustration and partly just terrified my tire was going to blow again and I'd end up stranded with a real long hike! After Wolf I PR'd nearly the whole last 2/3 of the course.

Goal for next year: work on my repair skills. I am the first to admit they are not the strongest and this race really made me want to focus more on dialing them in. I've been lucky to not have too many huge mechanicals out on rides in the past, but the downside of that is I haven't been forced to learn to fix them.

Thanks so much to Chris Scott for putting on another AMAZING event. I can't wait for all the rad Shenandoah Mountain Touring events to start again in 2019. Definitely planning this fall to get back to Stokesville for some camping and some big backcountry days!

The rest of the evening was spent hanging out with the Stompers sharing race stories since I was lucky enough not to have to work until 4p on Monday....

So impressed by the nighttime finishers!!

Tire went flat again in camp. No joke.