Whiteface Uphill Bike Race - Five Minutes Apart, One Second Togther

Hot and humid weather at the start turned to fog and mist at the finish; the ride down was in a pouring rain with thunder and lightning, but the Whiteface Race was a good day for both of us.

Donna and I did a lot of training together for this race. We did our hill intervals on Willard and Summit climbs. I would always pull ahead of Donna and circle back to cheer her on. My training was impaired by the ankle and my work schedule and Donna's by her hectic schedule. I noticed that she was getting closer and closer to matching my efforts as we got closer to race day.

Day of the race was very hot and humid with chance of severe thunderstorms late in the day. The race starts at 5:30 with waves going off in five-minute intervals. Close to 300 racers were gathered at the start. We warmed up for about 15 miles and then waited for all the preceding waves to go off. Donna's wave was five minutes before my "old men's" wave, the last one. I cheered as she started off in the bright hot sun.

The five-minute wait seems to last longer. Eventually the gun goes off and you have to start. The effort is pretty evenly distributed the whole 8-mile trip up the 8% on average slope mountain road. Which means, you have to start right off the bat by pushing it. The wait to start works against me every time because it is tough to turn it on right at the get go. I have a 25 sprocket on the back with the 39 low crank, so had to go there right away and only once or twice can i click it up one or two gears. My splits the first couple of miles are pretty good, so I was feeling encouraged. This is my fourth time doing the race, so I should learn that the early good news means bad news later. Mile 4 was a good split too, so I look at the heart rate monitor and I am staying around 168 most of the time.

By mile 6 I start receiving the bad news from my quads, back and ribs. Heart rate is still up there in the 165 range, but I am losing ground on the splits. I was heading for a 1:10 time, but that is slipping away. You can start to hear the announcer and the cheers from the finish at this point, yet there is much more work to do. I pass a couple of women and wonder how Donna is doing. I thought I might of seen her a couple of times when you can see far enough ahead.

Final push for the end and the fog is thick and air much cooler with some wind. The rain starts coming down hard the final 200 meters and the finish crew is scrambling for cover. I was unsure exactly where the finish line was in the confusion. But, finally it was over as there was no more up to go. I gasped and struggled to regain some dignity wiping foam and sweat from my face. I kept pedaling through the tunnel of the monument and there was Donna sitting huddled frozen Georgia mountain style. I asked what her time was and she says 1:15:09. I had my time at 1:15:48, but was not sure if I had it right in the confusion at the end.

Times were less important right now, getting off the mountain was paramount. Because, the sky lit up with lightning and thunder sent everyone scrambling and the wind and rain started to unload. After getting some food and Gatorade I tried to convince Donna we needed to start riding down. She thought we were not yet allowed, but from previous experience, I knew we were allowed to go. Finally we started, but this time we were not allowed to pass the traffic jam of cars and bikes that were going as slow as their brakes would allow. The road was flooded with runoff and the visibility was near zero. The ride down was almost as painful as the ride up. Our shoes were water logged as was the rest of our bodies. Forearms and hands grew numb with the effort of holding the breaks so the bikes would stay slow enough against the pull of gravity to stay in place behind cars and bikes.

Finally, we were off the mountain and at the car changing out of our wet heavy clothes. We made our way over to the picnic and consumed the food in large gulps under the cover of tents in the pouring rain. The Stewart's ice cream topped off the meal. We were soon on our way home with another exhilarating mountain cycling experience.

Later that week I was off in western NY and checking email, but decided to see if the results of the race were posted yet. I opened up the overall results of the 240 riders and found my name, and Donna's right next to each other:

171 Paul Mang            Toronto        ON  46 M  170 1:25:14  171 1:15:14   
172 Kevin McNamara       Barre          VT  45 M  171 1:25:21  172 1:15:21   
173 Kurt Ruppel          Greenwich      NY  55 M  194 1:30:28  173 1:15:28         
174 Donna M Ruppel       Greenwich      NY  44 F  173 1:25:29  174 1:15:29   
175 Gaetan Duperron      Montreal       PQ  37 M  135 1:20:54  175 1:15:54   
176 Joseph Whiteley      Pleasant Valle NY  49 M  176 1:26:14  176 1:16:14

Even though we started in waves five minutes apart and never even saw each other during the race, we completed the course in ALMOST exactly the same time -- only one second apart!! I burst out in laughter and sent the results to Donna in an email. She looked at the email and results after I left a voice mail. You can tell we trained together for the race. People not knowing we were in different waves would think we rode together and then I jumped at the finish line to just nip her, male pride intact. Donna's theory is that we had the same time exactly and they had to separate us by one second, because the system is not designed to take a tie. This is obviously female folly. In any case we make a great team and it shows in the results.

Ready to MTB and Race

Ankle continues to improve, getting stronger with greater range of motion. So, I ventured out on the mountain bike and Donna and I both signed-up for the Whiteface Mountain Uphill Bike Race, coming up shortly on June 14.

I have purposefully stayed off the trails until the ankle was in better condition. No sense in cutting my recovery short when I can ride on the road and the trails were muddy and full of turkey hunters. But the trails are drying out, and turkey season is now over, so to move things along I went out on our home trails for a good ride.

Our home trails are one reason we have not moved from our present location. A half-mile down our road begins a 6-mile network of trails that are a result of years of 2- and 4-wheeler, snowmobile, and motocross activity. They include a short stretch of recently added single-track, some rocks and roots (but not much compared to other sites), a few short, step climbs - but mostly flat, a challenging motocross racing track, a heart-pounding G-drop, long open field runs and plenty of fast twisty trails through the mostly pine woods. When I go "end-to-end and back again" it is a 12-mile, ~1:20 workout/ride.

Depending on what I want to accomplish, I can go slow and steady (usually doesn't happen), spend time doing intervals on the motocross course, which I run backwards (to the direction the motocross bikes run) , and is a great way to get the heart rate up, or just cruise it as fast as I can go- which is usually what I do, and what I did this time. Result of this ride on the home trails was a new eagerness to go on some group mountain bike rides, and assurance that the ankle will withstand the jolting of some rougher trails.

At the same time, Donna and I have been talking about doing the Whiteface race together. I have encouraged her to do the race, knowing she would enjoy the challenge and do well. Last year I did the race and she did a hike and then we stayed at a B+B in Keene Valley. This year we are both registered for the race and we are looking for a place to stay. I have begun (way too late) to get some good climbing rides in. Friday morning of this week I awoke to 65 degree temperature with sunny weather and the prospect of rain and hot weather later, as well as an appointment with Donato and varied work commitments filling up my day. It was a no-brainer -- I was on the bike rolling out of the driveway at 7:45 am. My goal was to get some climbing in on Willard Mountain, which is home to a local Ski Mountain only 8 miles from our door. My usual "Willard ride" is to go into Greenwich, then up a small climb on Burton Rd. to warm up, then the big climb up Interval Road, which is about 400 feet of elevation gain in about a mile of riding. I then go down on Vly Summit Rd. to Rt. 40 in North Easton, and climb back up the other way. Then repeat. And repeat again, and again, if the legs can handle it. Then it is a 8 mile ride back by way of town to warm down.

Looking for a new version to spice up the ride, I decided to get to the top, go down to Route 40, but then climb past the turn for the Ski area, all the way to another high spot on Vly Summit Road (550 feet over 2 miles). Then go down to Rt. 74, and go over to Herrington Hill Road, which is a steep, long climb (550 feet over 1 1/2 miles) on a well-packed dirt road that takes you back to the ski area a different way. My legs and time only allowed for one set of each climbs, but it was enough to get in 30 miles and about 2200 feet of climbing, before a late breakfast.

The climbing I just started doing should have been done three weeks ago to properly prepare for the Whiteface Race, but that will have to do. Donna and I will have fun challenging ourselves on the 8 mile, 8% slope race in less than 2 weeks!

Adirondack Mountain Weekend

Another Weekend, another race - this time Whiteface Mountain UPHILL Bike Race. Donna and I made a weekend of it as she did an ADK A+ rated hike up and over Ester and Whiteface while I rested up and warmed up and then raced up the 8-mile road to the summit of Whiteface. Mid-week I enjoyed a great Mountain Bike ride in the Norhteast Kingdom of VT during our June Conference. We ended the weekend staying at a great and peaceful B+B in Keene Valley.

Hill training on Willard and developing a better power to weight ratio were benefits of putting the Whiteface Race on the schedule. As a result my time continued in a pattern setup back in 2004 when I first did the race. My time then was 1:08. I missed in 2005, but rode again in 2006, two years later, and 2 minutes slower at 1:10. In 2007 the pattern of losing 1 minute per year continued as I clocked in at 1:11, which put me at 28 out of 41 in the 50 to 59 age group and 166 out of 245 riders overall.

After last weeks race the only riding I did before this race was a 3:40 ride covering about 25 miles of beautiful Vermont single track at the Kingdom Trails. Marty and I were the only ones taking advantage of the mountain biking paradise at our disposal. We took a lift in a pick-up so the first 2 mile climb on the highway was avoided. After dropping us at the campground, the Trail Director gave us directions for a great loop. We would climb up the right side of the toll road, then drop down Dead Moose Alley, then climb up again about 1/2 way until we hit the CCC road over to the ski area, dropping down the J-Bar run, which is the best single track I have ever been on! Then it was up to the start of Moose Alley that drops all the way down to the river. White School takes you back to the start. The weather was great and I could go hard and then wait for Marty - getting good interval workout and enjoying the scenery.

I have developed a routine for driving up to the race, resting and then warming up before starting the race. This year I park again at the Post Office and took a nap in the shade. As I was waking up a car pulled into a space near mine and starting setting up. I looked at the car and it was a Toyota Supra Turbo - 1991 with 191,000 miles on it, so I had to tell him about Jesse's Supra. Tom and Bridget were from Rochester and he had a beautiful Titus frame built up with mountain bike components. The handlebar had bar ends that formed 'antlers' to the inside and had bar end shifters on them. He had back issues and had the bike custom fitted and built. Tom is a 9 year veteran of the Mt. Washington climb, but doing Whiteface for the first time. We had a good time talking and Bridget offered to take a jacket up to the top for me. I got about an hour of riding before the start and then waited for the 'real' start with Tom and other older riders.

Each year the first two miles are a killer. I get to start in the last wave, 15 minutes behind the first wave, so the warm up fades and the body needs to kick in again when the gun goes off. I used the 34 x 11:21 gear combo and was in the 21 most of the time. When I checked back in my training log I saw that last year I had the 11:23 sproket on. This year's gearing had locked me into grinding hard and not spinning. The thought has been that if I have lower gears available I will not spin fast enough to keep the speed high enough. But, I thought I had used the 11:21 last year. The down side is when you are locked into the lowest gear right from the start, with the ability to shift higher only coming after the 5 mile mark when the road levels off some from the 8% average grade, it plays with your head.

Donna cheered all of us on from the hood of her Crown Vic at the 4-mile mark. She told me I was looking good, but I answered, "I don't feel good!" Actually, I was just starting to feel better. In fact I stood and passed several riders that had fallen off the wave ahead of me just after passing Donna. The course eases up just a tad at the Toll Station and then goes back into the 8-10% grade until the 5.5 mile point. I passed a few riders that had mechanical and physical issues before catching some that had fallen off the earlier waves.

With about 1.5 miles to go you can see the top, and it is always a mental anchor. It is hard to believe I am going to pedal up to that point in the time that is left. I have the computer set to give me the race time and distance, but did not look at the time until I had only a few minutes left. I did look at the miles as I climbed. At this point I always struggle to keep the effort high enough. I use the heart rate monitor to make sure I am pushing hard enough, but not too hard. The right amount of effort is between 160 and 165 beats per minute (bpm). If I go harder, I will blow-up; lower and I will regret not going harder. I looked at the monitor at this point and saw that I was doing 157, so I tried to dig harder. Lower back pain has kept that from happening at this stage the last two times and this time is no different. Standing and sitting helps and eventually you start to hear the cheering of the crowd at the finish.

The finish is always around one more bend in the road than I think it is. As a result when I hear the crowd I push to over 170 bpm and can not sustain it. But, it serves the purpose of passing a few right at the end. As I finally do round the last turn the road pitches up to make you really work to hit the finish. It is a long straight climb and now you can let it all out. Heart rate topped out at 175 as I hit the finish line with several riders that see-sawed back and forth with me the last mile or so. The worst part is that you immediately have to dismount the bike and walk in the order you finished so they can properly record your placing.

A mere 30 seconds after feeling like you are going to explode and collapse, you feel great again. In fact better than great, you feel awesome! I get back on the bike and slowly roll up to the end of the road and look out over Lake Placid and the rest of the mountains. Soon the cool air on top and the soaked clothes combine to make you very cool. I get some water, Gatorade, bananas and oranges and then start looking for Tom and Bridget. Before I find them, I spot Dan, who leads our winter spinning class, crossing the line. After I get my jacket and talk briefly to Tom I start the descent - the funnest part! You hit 40-plus MPH really easy and there are large pot holes that can throw you down if you are not careful. After stopping a couple of times to admire the mountain top views I start really going fast. The last 4 miles are great as there are fewer potholes and turns to worry about so you do not have to scrub off any speed. Finally I get down to the car after hitting a 48 MPH max speed for an extended time. I change at the car and then drive over to find Donna at the post race dinner. We found John from last week and Dan and visited after we ate.

Donna was also pretty spent after her strenuous hike, so we both welcomed the comfort of the Trails End Bed and Breakfast in Keene Valley, about a 20 minute drive from the race finish. We quickly showered and hit the large comfortable bed in our large and airy room. Great place and breakfast in the morning was only surpassed by the post-breakfast nap until the 11 am check out time forced us to leave. A great finish to a great weekend. We drove home after stopping at Chapel Pond to look up at the great rock ledges.

May Biking Is Best

Clear, dry and warmer weather means more biking and mid-week opportunities mean, that's right, more biking. Long days open up late afternoon rides. Donna and I have done great rides starting 5-6pm and getting back well before dark. With the Whiteface Uphill Race about a month away, I have started getting climbs in.

Willard rides are great for hill training. Donna and I can do them together and it works well because I can push it on a hill then catch my breath as Donna gets to the top - great interval work! Also, in only an hour and a half I can get a lot of effort expended. I like to go through Greenwich, then out on 74, turning right on Burton Rd, going past the former Leatherstocking Beef Farm, which is now an Episcopalian Church Retreat. The view to the east is inspring as you can see Rt. 74 falling away further and further below. I have small sprints at the begining and end of Greenwich and then as Burton climbs there are a couple of other set areas that I can push and hit high heart rates.

When you make the left on Easton Station Rd. it is a very gradual climb that you can either push or rest on. Finally, on the right turn on Intervale the feeling of impending doom fills your head, because the real climbing now starts. Intreval is really three climbs over about a mile. The first is long and increasingly steeper - finishing at about 18 percent. Then a brief decline and another short 15 percent section, then a long descent and a brief +20 percent push to the top.

Now the descent down to the Christmas Tree Farm and then Vly Summit Road to North Easton and Route 40. The usual time check is 43 minutes. Then turn around and start climbing back on the same route in reverse. The climb back is similar to the climb up - a three stage afair with breaks. The breaks let you push on the hill if you are up to it, so it can be a true interval workout or you can go at a steady pace for long climb effect.

The descent down the Intervale Road is a speed rush. I have hit >50 MPH on many occasions - a tailwind is needed for that. The return down Burton Road is a great way to on wind and stretch the back and legs. This is the classic "Willard 2X" ride. The 2X is that you climbed Willard twice. As we get closer to the Race I will up that to 3X, 4X and more by turning around after the Intervale descent. For a new wrinkle I may go down the dirt Harrington Hill Road and make that part of the routine.

Last Wednesday I joined the CVC Wednesday Ride. It was after Donna and I did a 35-mile out-and-back West River Road ride in the early morning. So, I was not planning on pushing it and did not know what to expect. The group was great - we had all levels represented and plenty of regrouping, so you can push and be pushed, and have time to recover. I will try to get to this ride when I have the Wednesday open.

On Friday I joined the MHCC mountain biking group ride for the first time of the season. For the first time riding Pittstown I am starting at Pittstown instead of dropping down from Grafton. We climbed up Zig-Zag then over onto Bonnie and Clyde then down the fire road to the parking lot. About 9 riders in all, it was good to get the balance and upper body work that only mountain biking gives you. Mountain biking is short hard bursts of climbing mixed with long climbing, so a great way to get better at climbing whether it be road or mountain. The rocks and roots were particluarly slippery on this ordinarily technical singletrack, so it was a great way to initiate the mountain biking for this season. The Epic performed well using all its travel; these trails are more suited to the Yeti, but it is still in the shop getting the fork serviced.

Early morning rides are another way I get more rides in this time of year. I did a Willard 2X ride this morning before heading off to Burlington to do a seminar for vets. Shorter days and colder weather of even a few weeks ago would have prevented the ride - now that May is here - a'ridn I go!