(Thursday, July 31)

It has been one year since its inception to the mountain bike world. The Colorado Crankworx course is set, and it is intense. No…not like camping in-tents. It IS intense. Our late arrival on the opening practice day denied us access to the chairlifts, however, the Winter Park staff was immensely helpful and accommodating. We were left to mingle with the pros and hike up the slopestyle course. Pictures are no match when viewing the stunts and jumps firsthand.

The athletes that compete in slopestyle competitions are on their A game, and there is nothing else like it. These obstacles are huge. The main roll-in begins with a near vertical rock drop to a roller coaster step down gap jump.

The riders’ insanity will then determine the line that is the most creative: the wallride or the bridge to the sugarbowl? From this point on, the dual slalom course intertwines with that of the slopestyle, leaving no restrictions on creativity for the riders. Stay tuned for more updates, here is a link to the first day’s results and more photos.

As we previously reported, the Mountain’s Edge 2008 Cactus Cup is scheduled for September 19th – 21st, 2008 in Las Vegas, NV. The latest incarnation of this venerable event sticks with the tried and true Cactus Cup formula, combining a three-day festival and a mountain bike stage race.

The latest news is that the Cactus Cup is offering a total prize purse of $25,000, and a percentage of registration fees payback pool to all male and female categories, which include Pro, Semi-Pro (men’s class only, no women’s class available), Expert, Sport and Beginner.

“The percentage of entry fees payback-awarded to registered racers creates a prize pool so that larger, more competitive classes have larger cash purses. Each class has a guaranteed prize list with a varying percentage of entry fees added to this guarantee,” explains Ravi Rajcoomar, managing director for Swagger (the company putting on the race). “While the top levels have a chance to win money, we created incentives for those new to racing, who are in the Beginner category, so they can reinvest in their own cycling.”

Registration is now open at www.cactuscuplasvegas.com. The stage race and optional omnium format (where racers compete in individual events and are assigned points for performance) for Expert through Beginner categories includes the Exploration Peak Time Trial, Super D, and the Cottonwood Cross Country. The Fat Tire Criterium is only available as a part of a full stage race registration.

Expert, Sport and Beginner categories are offered in the following age groups: 18-and-under, 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54 and 55+ (based on USA Cycling racing age classes). Age classes with fewer than 10 entries will be combined with the closest lower age group (55+ and 18-and-under excluded).

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Handlebar to handlebar racing action! Thrills, chills and spills. Mud, blood and gears. Bring your camera!

Pedal boats suck.

So I just got back from racing in the US National Mountain Bike Championships at Mt. Snow Vt., and let’s just say that things did not go as planned. Last year I raced in my first XC Nationals and surprised myself by coming away with the Stars and Stripes in the Expert 30-34 class. This year I could either compete in the 35-39 class or race in the open Singlespeed class, looking for a new challenge I decided to race the other singlespeeders. Being an open class meant all ages and abilities were welcome, from Pros on down. I raced last year with a crushed patella tendon in my left knee and did well, so I figured I had a good chance for another jersey this year. Assuming I didn’t have a knee injury again.

A few weeks ago I raced in a local Short Track race at Bear Creek Ski Area. After a narrow loss to Mike Yozell, riding with gears, we jumped in a couple pedal boats to race around the pond. It seemed like agood idea. About the time we rounded the second fountain my right knee started to feel odd. Not hurt exactly, just felt a little off. I marked it up to my long legs in a small boat. So then I decide to ride a lap of the XC course, which starts by heading straight up the mountain. Ok, now my knee hurts like hell. And I keep riding. Stupid.

The next day I can barely walk up stairs. I yank out our well thumbed copy of Andy Pruitt’s “Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists” for some self diagnosis. Chondromalacia, yep that sounds about right. Therapy; ice and flat spins with no climbing! 3 weeks before nationals at Mt. Snow, great, no climbing. So, I ice and rest, put some gears on my bike and look for flat roads, not easy in the Pocono Mountains. A week before Nationals I’m feeling better, until I go on a road ride with my wife and we do two 10 minute intervals, halfway through the second one I consider having her go get the car and pick me up. Shit. Two days, and lots of ice later, I go for a mountain bike ride, and no pain. I like this. A couple more mountain bike rides and it’s still good, even after some hills. So, I go ahead and register for Nats., and stay off the road bike.

My friend Josh West and I headed up to Mt. Snow on Thursday and got there in time for a practice lap. I rode a 32×19 on my 29’er and it seemed tough but doable on the tweaked course layout. I walked one steep climb but that was it. What a difference a dry course made from last year’s mud. Josh and I camped at Woodford State Park, down the road from Mt. Snow. Friday night had the usual loud campers nearby when we turned in at 9 for the 8am start. Then at about midnight the wind kicked up and the rain came pouring down. So much for a dry course. We awoke, not that we slept much, to a very damp morning and made some food and coffee, then headed out.

Photo by Jay DeJesus

The singlespeed class went off as the first bunch of Expert XC racers. At about 35 strong we hit the first steep climbs fast, and I knew my gearing was off. I was just able to make it up riding, but it hurt. I was sitting around 3^rd as we started down toward the start/finish area and this guy just blew past me. This was not going to be easy. When we hit the first of the climbs which lead to the top of the mountain I had to hop off and run. Afterwards I found of that Mike Yozell had used a 32×20 last year, and would have gone with a 21 this year. By the end of the first lap my knee was hurting and I was contemplating a DNF. But Vermont’s a hell of a drive for a DNF, so I decided that if I just walked the climbs maybe my knee would survive. I did, and it did, mostly. I ended up finishing 9^th, and not even tired. That’s frustrating. That guy who blew by me? Travis Livermon (Kobold, 2006 US World Championship team member etc.), who not only won the Singlespeed class by more than 5 minutes, but posted the fastest Expert time overall. That’s two years in a row that singlespeeds have challenged the gearies for the overall, Mike finished second overall last year by 13 seconds, riding in a “geared” class.

My knee felt like hell after the 5 hour drive home, but after some ice and beer it’s starting to feel better. I’m going to be laying off the singlespeed for a while and see if I can’t get this back to 100% for some late season races. Oh, and pedal boats suck.

For the eighth straight year, the Versus network is bringing TV viewers Tour de France coverage, with an average of 14 hours of coverage per day. Daily coverage includes a pre-race show followed by live morning race coverage, race action replays four times daily, and an expanded prime-time show. During the key mountain stages, Versus will provide extended coverage beginning, some days, at 6:30 a.m. ET. Start times will vary depending on stages and rest days; a complete schedule is available at versus.com.

In addition to television coverage, versus.com is providing web coverage that includes highlights of race footage, exclusive videos and features, daily reports from Versus analysts and experts, and the interactive “Fan Zone” for cycling enthusiasts. The site also includes information on all riders, photo galleries, detailed information on arrival and departure towns, and dynamic stage profiles that chart the peloton’s progress. Additionally, standings by category, including time gaps, a comprehensive text summary of the results, interviews with stage winners and live, minute-to-minute updates of each stage are available.

Getting the most speed out of your singlespeed bike requires learning some new skills, and perfecting old ones. Well mastered basic skills for cross country mountain bike riding are essential to singlespeed riding. The nature of riding a singlespeed tends to magnify any lapses in your technique. With only one gear, there are also some tricks you can use to get the most out of it.

The basic skills for mountain biking include; riding technical terrain, cornering, descending, climbing, and pacing. When riding technical terrain, rock gardens, roots, and logs, it is best to try and maintain momentum and keep riding. On a singlespeed it generally takes more effort to recover from a dab, putting your foot down, than a geared bike due to the gear ratio. But, with no derailleur or shifting to worry about, it can often be faster in technical section. Make sure to keep your eyes focused ahead and enter a technical section at moderate speed, try and pick a line which will allow you to flow through like water. Picking the line of least resistance is the key, you want to let your bike roll as smoothly as possible, keeping your body loose. A common mistake riding in rocky sections is to try and pick a line between all of the rocks, sometimes riding over a larger rock is actually smoother. In rock gardens of 3”-5” rocks, more speed can actually help you avoid getting stuck between rocks. Always look where you want to go, not where you want to avoid, your bike will follow your eyes. The more you can conserve your momentum, the better, each time you brake and accelerate you are wasting energy. In roots, aim to cross a root at a 90 degree angle, or aim for a spot where two roots intersect. When crossing logs, practice bunnyhopping smaller ones, and bouncing off your front wheel over larger ones. When riding or racing with geared riders try and get into the technical sections first, you will likely be faster, and you don’t want to be stuck behind one when their chain drops.

The basics of cornering apply equally to geared and singlespeed riders, but once again maintaining momentum is critical. In a fast corner look forward through the corner and try to start wide then cut to the inside and steer through the apex. Brake before the corner, not during it, and accelerate out of the corner. Keep your outside foot down and push on that pedal. On tight corners you can sometimes toss the bike more side to side without moving your body as much from the center, this can be used to slalom through tight trees. On a singlespeed, keeping your speed up is critical, and make sure to power out of each turn. If there is enough pedal clearance keep pedaling through the turn, even while braking, this will speed up your acceleration out of the corner. The best way to corner faster is to follow someone faster, chasing Ed Bush (Bike Baby/ Wissahickon Cycles) through Belmont Plateau in Philly is my best practice.

Most aspects of going downhill fast are universal, singlespeeds are only challenged by lack of rear suspension. On a steep, smooth, descents there really is not much of a difference between geared bikes and singlespeeds. On rocky descents the lack of rear suspension on singlespeeds, or a rigid fork, can make it more challenging. Fast descending on a hardtail requires technique, rather than technology. You can’t just bash straight down the trail and expect things to come out well. Pick a line much like you would through a technical section and try to shift your weight to keep from hitting the rear tire too hard (see Project SSR Race Report #1 for how not to do this). Bunnyhop dangerous looking rocks when you can. 29” wheels and tubeless tires can also help smooth things out and minimize pinch flats.

Climbing is one aspect of riding where singlespeeds can excel. The combination of light weight and efficiency can be a big advantage when coupled with good training. On short, steep hills, start accelerating before you reach the hill. Hit the bottom at a high cadence and power to the top standing on the pedals. As your cadence drops, leverage with your bars and try and tough it out, even if your legs are barely moving you can often make it up steeper slopes then you imagine. Sometimes you might even need to ratchet your cranks to maintain good leverage. If approaching a hill you don’t think you can ride, dismount before reaching it and run/walk up. If you try and pedal it, and then have to dismount mid-climb, you are likely to snag your seat and get frustrated. On longer climbs try to pick a gear in advance that will let you pedal up it at 60-70 rpm. Climb as much as you can seated, using standing efforts sparingly. When you start to reach the crest, accelerate. Since you have been using more muscular endurance on the climb then the geared riders you can often transition to a higher cadence at the top, and get a jump on them. As in technical sections, try and hit the climbs before the geared riders, they are likely to slow at the bottom while shifting gears. Try and gain as much on the climbs and crests as possible to make up for any losses on the flat sections.

How you pace you race or ride is also very important. Geared riders will tend to go out fast, and then slow during the technical sections and climbs, while speeding up on the flats. As we mentioned in Part 2, this leads to a more uniform power output than when on a singlespeed. Singlepeed riders will tend to start a bit slower, due to gearing, but will be faster on the technical sections and climbs. Because of this difference in pacing, it can be difficult to ride with geared riders. In a race scenario, trying to ride on a singlespeed behind a geared rider can be frustrating and slow you down, this also happens in reverse. You are better off keeping a distance from them so you are not as affected by their changes in pace as they shift. Alternatively, you can pass them before climbs and technical sections, and then let them pass on flats. If you choose this option it helps to be courteous, and let them know you are on a singlespeed so they don’t just think you are an ass. When they pass you on a flat section, try and pull into their draft and hold on as long as you can. Sometimes the best tactic is to not be too concerned about a slower start, and just pick off geared riders as you go, always making sure not to get re-passed.

The best way to practice all of these skills is riding on a many different types of trails as you can, and seeing what works best for you. If you find yourself really enjoying a ride, and not dabbing or bobbling, then you are probably flowing well with the terrain. Fighting the trail is never as fast as trying to flow with it. Also try following a faster or more skilled rider and watch them carefully. Don’t be afraid to try new things while out on the trail.