The Burn 2009 - Just Riding Along

"Just riding my bike on the race course, while the race is going on." That was my plan for The Burn in 2009 and that's exactly what happened. The Burn was one of my favorite races last year. It's held as a time trial because of two endangered species that inhabit the course, the Preble's Jumping Mouse and the Pawnee Montane Skipper Butterfly. The time trail format is great because it opens up the course allowing riders to go faster. It also suited my injured state.

It had been 3 weeks since my PRP Injection (here), of which recovery has been a roller coaster ride. Sometimes I feel fine and other times it hurts for no reason. Including our epic ride in Taos I had only ridden 3 times since the injection. I had built up a good base before the injection, but 3 weeks off before a race is not a recipe for success. A hectic work schedule and poor sleep the 5 days before the race put me over the top. When I woke up at 6:30am on Saturday morning I was already in survival mode. It didn't matter. My plan is to rehab my knee and focus on the Laramie Enduro and 24 Hours of Moab. Keeping this in mind and tried to just go out and enjoy the course and the race scene.

Jo and I met up with Jonny V. and carpooled to Lake Wellington, where the start / finish is. We brought Sugar and Molly along with my kayak to round out the day. Doug was going to meet us there with Joni and a teammate. I registered in the Expert Class back in the winter before my knee pain set in. With all of my knee issues and chronic fatigue I didn't expect to be competitive in Sport, much less Expert. Expert also meant that my start time was earlier. As soon as we parked the truck I was hustling to get ready. After hurried hello's with Doug and Joni, I rolled into the start tent at 9:40am. That gave me 9 minutes to warm up, good thing I was just riding my bike on the race course.

Lake Wellington



Hurrying to Make My Start Time



I cued up and sprinted out of the gate at 9:49. The riders were spaced out at one minute intervals. The course started on a dirt road that winded through the camp ground, along the creek to a steep rutted descent. It finishes with a climb up the same road, which I reminded myself of throughout the race. At the bottom of the descent the course turned left onto a gradual singletrack climb. The guy behind me caught me here. I couldn't believe it. Already! It was going to be a long race. I'm not used to getting passed, much less by someone I can't catch. I could have buried myself and rode his wheel up the climb, but the huge climb lurking at the end of the course shut down that idea. "Ride your own race"; I told myself. My own race today needed to be slow and not wreck my knee. Discipline, not suffering would be hardest part of the race.

Sprinting out of the Campground





After the first climb was a smooth, fast, single track that carved through the rolling, burnt hills of Buffalo Creek. Buff Creek was on the western end of the Hayman Fire in 2002. It's been 7 years, but there is still a stark contrast between the burnt open areas and thick forest that was spared. The sweet singletrack of the course treats you to both. I couldn't think of a more beautiful place to ride my bike on a race course while the race was going on.

The Burn

(from last year)

On the next climb I started to feel my lack of fitness and got passed again. The elevation profile of the climb is a series of steps separated by flatter spots. Each step look a little more out of me and by the top I had been passed by 3 other riders. Ouch! "Maintain, maintain, let em go..."; I repeated in my head - not that I could catch them anyway!

Jo Going Out

On the second descent I felt tight and awkward on my bike. Part of it was my lack of warm up and loosening my upper body and part of it was the longer stem I mounted after my bike fit. I couldn't seem to flow with the trail and maintain my speed. I suspect my lack of sleep was affecting my concentration too. I put my focus on staying loose and not getting frustrated.

Doug Going Out

Soon I was at the start of the last climb. I had marked it on earlier on the GPS. According to my calculations it started at 20.75 miles. I dropped into my granny gear and spun as the road pointed skyward. It hurt, but it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. I got passed by a few more riders, but soon was at the top. If anything I erred too conservatively and could have hit it a little harder, but my knee appreciated the pace.

At the top I put in a solid sprint to the finish, but my time was going to be dismal. I finished the 22 mile course in 1 hour and 53 minutes, 10 minutes slower than last year and 23rd out of 26 people. I wasn't last, but I'm not used to finishing so close to the bottom. I really was just riding my bike on the race course while the race was going on. Like any race there were lessons to be learned. The most obvious one was that things are going to be different in Cat 1 / Expert. The talent level is high and once my knee is right I'm going to need to work on all areas of my riding to be competitive. Even though my time was bad, I succeeded in my goals of sticking to my plan and not wrecking my knee. Now my job is to follow plan through, follow Coach Brian's advice, and incrementally build my fitness so I am competitive for The Laramie Enduro and 24 Hours of Moab.

Jo Coming In

Jo on the other hand had a great race. It was her first race on the Superfly Single Speed and even though she has only been training for 6 weeks she rode her way into first place! I missed her start because I was out on the course, but watched her finish and she looked strong. I can't wait to see how fast she is going to be at the Laramie Enduro.

Crossing the Finish Line in 1st Place