Andrea and I headed east to Dahlonega, Georgia for the 2nd annual Southern X. This year, the date had to be rescheduled due to impassible roads on the original date two weeks ago, the new date fortunately allowed me to go (couldn’t make the first date). The weather was a damp 45F or so, probably colder up at the high points of the course.
This year’s course was completely different than last years, but featured the same type of terrain. Starting out at Camp Wahsega, we did a cyclocross loop before heading out onto the gravel roads for 49 miles or so. I came out of the Camp probably in 9th or 10th spot, with a 50 foot gap to the group. I was unable to close it and had to watch the group pull away from me as we climbed up and down the smaller hills that proceeded the first main climb. I managed to pull back one rider going up the climbs and was passed by a mountain bike going up the steeper sections of the climbs.
The problem that I had with the climbs was primarily gearing (and maybe some fitness). My spare road compact crank, Andrea was using and I didn’t really have time to pull one off my other cyclocross bike before we left on the trip. I was forced to walk part of the hill when the grade pitched up to 10% or so. Generally I was able to keep my speed about the same as what I was muscling over (~4 mph) in my low gear (39×26). The soft muddy gravel made the normally rideable grades (on the road) impossible to manage.
On the first long descent after the first main climb, I repassed the mountain biker who was stopped on the side of the road. He must have not been stopped long because he was right behind me at the end of the descent as we turned onto the pavement.
The pavement section was about 10 miles long with a short section of gravel joining the two stretches. The first part of the pavement was downhill or downwind and I rolling at 25-30 mph for the first 2 miles so. Hills and wind slowed down the rest of the pavement, but I managed to pull back in a rider that flatted out of the lead group. We rode the last section of the pavement a few miles and several miles of the gravel together. It was on this gravel section that I ate my two gels (really needed to eat more, but didn’t bring anything else). Towards the end of the 2nd largest climb, I couldn’t hold his pace and he rode away from me. So I back to riding alone with no one in sight.
After another kick in the teeth hill, I started the final long descent back to the Camp. Early parts were rocky and washboard, it sounded like my bike was falling apart.. It turned out that I lost the lower cage bolt on seat tube bottle cage and the top on was loose. Before realizing this, I was passed with authority by the Applegates riding a mountain tandem down the hill.
As I entered the Camp property I pitched off my seat tube bottle (to keep the bottle from flopping around) and rode to the dreaded run up. Like last year, the cyclocross loop was modified on the return to include a long run up and some singletrack. The run was longer, by a lot. It was scramble up a steep embankment followed by a long power line section. At the power line section, you could see minutes up the course due to the slow speeds and ahead were the rider I was riding with earlier and the mountain tandem… By the time I got to the top, I was wondering how we would get back down. The answer was a winding descending singletrack. Most of it was fine, had to get over 5 logs or so (my legs were pissed by this point) and around a slippery hairpin switchback. My tires didn’t want to hookup, so I did a half crash there with out actually falling. By then I could see Andrea coming behind me. I pretty much tried to get out of her way when we hit the bridge, but my hamstring suddenly cramped, so it was pretty retarded… Anyway, she passed me and I just rode it on in for 8th. Andrea took 1st in Open Women.
Even better than the race (which was really hard actually), was the cabin that Namrita & Eddie setup near the Camp. In total we had about 10 people staying there. Between the microbrew (thanks, Dave), the hot tub, and the good company it was a great weekend. The cabin represented a good portion of the top riders in the race with 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th in Open Men and 1st, 4th, and 7th in Open Women. The mix of the worlds of (endurance) mountain biking and road cycling made for a great evening.
The weekend was a good way to kick off my real training for the 2010 road season. I have been riding, but nothing this intense or this long (at least not often). It is also a great capstone to my cyclocross season (which effectively ended back in mid-November). I plan on making No. 3….just need to put a 34 tooth up front and eat more.
