FINALLY-A Double Header!!!!!

Well, you can read the details or get the summary of this weekend story at:
http://xxcmagblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/hbrwayne-ultra-double-dip-award.html

Aahh, sometimes this is almost all I prepare for & obsess about....the few good double headers that will happen to come about & that I will happen to be in just good enough mode to do ok.

Now, it just can't be any double header. I mean two XC might be ok, but seriously if the word XXC, Marathon, or Ultra isn't involved, then it might just not catch my attention. BUT, this weekend is labeled perfectly:
Saturday-ABRA HillyBilly Roubaix--70 mile road/gravel/dirt/pothole course
Sunday-WVMBA Wayne Ultra--45 mile mtb thru state park

So, JP & I pack up the little 4cyl car for both events & a camping excursion, bogging it down as usual & then wondering why it has NO power on the highway hills!!

HillyBilly Roubaix
So, this is a first time event. Although lots of folks have been scouting the trail, preriding the trail, talking about the trail, switching up tires for the trail, analyzing GPS data of the trail....quite frankly I have ignored all this banter & just get a friggin bike ready to ride that can handle just about anything I want to do on it for 70 miles.

Enter MAXWELL the MAN, the newest steed in the stable. This stud is willing to change according to my whims (every girls dream:-))Built close to the newest 'cross bike turned commuter' trends that seem to be popping up, but with lots more options!!! The best being:
-can take ANY road/cross or MTB tire up to 2.3 WITH studs!!!!
-carbon fork, flat bars, disc brakes.
-and did I mention it comes stock in 14"!!!! How much more perfect could this guy be!!

So, with all girls in an OPEN class (ok by me!) we head out. Roadie bikes, cross bikes, SS cross bikes, and MAXWELL. Geez, how is this going to go? Overall, not too bad! Maxwell performed as good as he could given my meager pedal power and uncoordinated aerodynamics on the road. Climbing was ON, gravel descending was ON, riding mud puddles & dirt was ON. The girls split up fast on the first climb, and with Nina flatting shortly after. With Nina getting the flat fixed & able to catch back up, she was the only girl I saw all day prior to check #3 (<10 miles from finish?) At some point, marshalls yelled that I was 5th, wth?? There were like 20+ girls here & I swear I was the last one up the initial climb. I verify with Nina, she said yeah, 5th sounded about right. Still astounded, I slowly pulled ahead of Nina at check #3 hoping maybe, just maybe I could catch one more spot, & caught Emily about 5 miles from the end. Emily knows the course & was gu'ing it up asap after I passed her, then she quickly took on the last few miles at a pace I could not even attempt! So 5th it was for the day. Found out a few girls had DNF including Chrissy with flat issues & several others with flats or ?? heat?? I guess it was like over 90 degrees or whatever. I was happy with 5th, and pretty happy with MAXWELL, although after this, he is getting a compact!!

I find out after I am done, JP has awesome day...coming in 2nd overall to the Plug, Gerry on a SS & JP on straight up roadie bike/tires. Good job guys & to the tons of other Pgh peeps that also had a good day, and to those that got plagued by flats.....it IS a Roubaix!!!

After attempting to get our body temperatures back to normal from being in the scorching sun/heat all day by literally laying under the parks water faucet, JP & I get on the 2 hour drive to OH where our camp spot awaits. This seems to take forever when you are tired, dirty, hungry and getting stiff. Finally there, meet some other racers hanging out & call it a night...with a little twist. Our camp neighbor is in domestic dispute. Save the details...but I did learn a new word that I seem to like....."****EVER". oh yeah, that will be coming out of my mouth a lot.


WAYNE ULTRA
It's another hot one folks!! Maybe some people heed the weatherman, maybe some don't. I don't. But when at about mile 30, the marshalls directed us to a reroute indicating to take out a climb I knew something was up. Most likely people were dropping like flies. I really wasn't feeling effect of heat at this point, & I knew fast little Mandi who was the only girl in front of me was no stranger to tough conditions so I kept pushing just hoping for a glimpse of her although I knew 2nd was pretty much where I was going to be, as I had been since Check #1 @ 16 miles.

Up until Check #1, I was moving quite slow, in fact the initial climb left me almost dead last of the girls....or anyone..... into the singletrack. Back & forth with Meredith a little, but not really enough to pull away from her she gets the line. Oh no, maybe this double header just wasn't for me!! Oh well, just ride it out, 45 miles will go by quickly!! I settle in my own pace, seeing some peeps along the way with flats....and even a chatty pass by TJ as he got to the start late. It's all good, and I am shocked when I get to the check & Meredith & Ryanne are HANGING OUT....I mean, HANGING OUT....being my usual self I jump at the chance to snag entry to the next section alone.....knowing it's a little too early to attempt some scared rabbit riding but figure I have little choice. This keeps up, & suprisingly I never see them again:-( Luckily nothing was wrong, they just needed the break in the heat.

Along the way, I see Durb plagued with flats, JP & lotsa fellows are hangin at Check #2....I don't ask any questions, just roll thru as fast as I can....he yells I am 10 min behind first place little fast Mandi.....is this good or bad??? I have no idea as I have no idea what the course has in store. No sooner am I bouncing downhill, I start to feel guilty that I didn't even ask WTH JP was doing Checkhangin??? Well, I figured there were a bunch of guys there so any help needed was probably already taken care of....hopefully??? Turns out he was a flat issue this day & not able to finish:-(

Pushing along, I ride out the road climbing with Josh Matta SS it. We get a little confused, well me mostly, about the detour but just keep moving on. Enter the last singletrack to home, let Josh take the DH and we are DONE!!! Cruising the flat trail back to the start, entering the lot.....low and behold like EVERYONE is cleaned up already and I notice the Plug car is gone even. I come to find out, a ton of DNF occurred, mostly due to heat....but not Mandi of course!! She was feeling fine as a fiddle and kept her 10 min gap on me, with Meredith right behind.

Double Header Wrap Up
So, my first double header this year was ok. Two super HOT but super fun races, placing ok in each & not feeling too bad!! I even find out that XXCmag.com had posted a challenge for doing both these events....and I was the only one to finish both!! Thanks XXC/Jason for the contest, swag, and article!