Indian Camp Creek-3/6 Hour

Last weekend, I decided to race Indian Camp Creek 6 hour on my singlespeed, of course. Most of you know, my husband, Todd, was the race director for this race. We really wanted to bring a long endurance race 3/6hr to our area for the 1st time so Off the Front Racing hosted their 1st mountain bike race. There was a lot of work that went into this long event and many folks and sponsors involved that helped make this event possible.

I questioned myself even racing since there was so much work involved prior to the race but, I really wanted to support the divisions my husband allowed me to add...women's singlespeed (thanks honey!). As a side note, I have really been advocating and working with race directors for women's singlespeed

divisions with a lot of the bigger races in Missouri and Arkansas. This is not only for my selfish reasons but, to really try to grow the division/sport for women. I have had success over these past 2 years with Berryman Epic and Ouachita Challenge. This year, I talked a lot with Steve Parker for Syllamo's Revenge. He agreed to add this division but, there were only 2 women signed up and one of them signed up in men's SS division. For Indian Camp Creek, you could say I had some personal connections getting this division added and there were 3 SS women who raced!

After just completing 4 big races in Arkansas this spring already (Arkansas Marathon Series-Spa City, Ouachita Challenge, Slobberknocker, and Syllamo), I went into this race knowing it was a "C" race for me. Syllamo was just the weekend prior so my legs were not recovered either. So, didn't have any expectations for the race but, to have fun.

The race course at Indian Camp Creek was about an 8-mile loop. The 1st several miles were almost completely flat. I was worried how I would keep up with the geared bikes on this part. After the gun went off, I knew I had to do a really quick sprint/run to the staged bikes so I could have a good placing among the 170 racers on the flats on my SS. I was able to find myself behind Lisa White, who was on a geared bike and she had a pretty fast pace which I was able to hold on my SS.

After coming off the flats, the rest of the course consisted of some short switchback climbs and mostly rolling terrain. There was not really any hard technical parts which is usually an advantage for me. As I started climbing, I found myself passing folks. I quickly caught up with Kerri Schewi on the 1st lap. She was doing her 1st 6 hour race and was doing great! I told her I would slow down a bit and I would ride with her as much as I could unless Wendy Davis started getting close (another competitor in the women's SS division). Even though my pace was a little slower, I had a blast riding in a race with someone! Keri and I rode 4 laps together and it was so much fun and mentally, less painful!This was her 1st 6hr race and I wanted her to win her division.

We came in from our 3rd lap to find out that we were in 2nd and 3rd overall 6hr women. Coach Chris told me 1st was only 3 minutes in front of us. We kept our steady pace and finally caught up with Stephanie McCleary on the flats. I told her to jump on the train and lets go. The 3 of us rode together for awhile but, Stephanie was affected by the heat a bit and was feeling a little nauseated. She told us to go ahead.

Towards the end of the 4th lap, Kerri flatted. Bummer! I was so bummed to lose my racing partner. I made sure she had what she needed and raced on. Coming in off the 4th lap, coach Chris told me Wendy was now only 4 minutes behind me. Uh oh...maybe I shouldn't have hung back as much. It was now the 5th lap on the flats, I saw Wendy, with Jim in front, hauling! I just kept telling myself to keep my faster steady pace because I will have 2 more laps to go after this for 7 laps total. I didn't think she would be able to maintain that pace for 2 1/2 more laps. So, I let her pass and told her she was now in 1st overall and go for it!

Race on now!! I quickly switched my "C" race mentality to I want to win not

just my division but, overall. As I rolled through to start my 6th lap, Coach

Chris said..."she is just 1 minute in front of you and storms are rolling in. Make this lap count!" I lowered my head and upper body and cranked up the pace for probably the last lap due to bad storms rolling in. I was hoping she would run out of gas since she was flying on the 5th lap. As soon as I flew into the flats I could see her. I road about 30 seconds behind her for quite a bit. It started raining and lightning 1/2 way through the 6th lap and things started getting pretty slick. Time to crank it up again. I quickly found myself catching right up to her. She asked if I wanted to pass. I said I had a better idea..."Let's ride it in together to tie it!" I thought this would be really cool to have 2 SS women win the overall 6hr. She agreed so we road the last 3 miles in together. I guess my wheel crossed the line 1st so the USCycling official awarded me 1st and Wendy 2nd. A little bummed we couldn't stand on the 1st place podium together. I know I could of race my own pace faster but, I still wouldn't have changed how I did it. I had such a blast riding with Kerri and Wendy put up a good fight on the last 2 laps with me. I ended up placing 1st Women's SS 6hr and 1st Overall Women's. My favorite quote of the day came from superstud, Mark Gullett, "When you are doing bad you find yourself looking over your shoulder. When you are doing good, you look ahead!"

Results ... http://unitedindirt.com/results/ICC3_6_results.htm

Thank you to all the racers and spectators who came out! We had around170 racers and 22 of them women! Thanks to racers and coach Meleski from Off the Front Racing who made this race possible. Special thanks to Mitch and Greg who were the course directors and put a lot of hard work into the trails which were fantastic! Thanks to Loreen for helping me with scoring sheets and race packets. Many thanks to all the sponsors, photographers, and race day volunteers. We couldn't have made this race possible without your help!

I feel I've had a great racing season so far this year. I built myself up over the winter and peaked in the Spring for Syllamo with 3 big races prior to that. Thank you coach Meleski! For the next 2 months, I will be toning it down a bit. Races will be shorter and mostly 3hrs. Plan to build back up to peak again in the Fall for the bigger 12hr and 50 miler races. My Fall "A" race is a secret!

SYLLAMO!!!!

I have been building up all Winter and Spring for Syllamo's Revenge, my "A" race. I had talked to the race director, Steve Parker, about adding on a women's singlespeed division this year prior to opening day of registration. He said he would add it. I was so excited since this is such a big race that draws folks from all over the country. Unfortantely, the women I know who have singlespeeds chose to race geared and the only other SS female registered in the male SS division. Therefore, we didn't get our own SS division and got added in the overall geared women's results. Come on SS women! Don't you want one of these? We need more women to register with SS to get a division.

Syllamo is probably the most technical and hardest race of the year for me on the singlespeed. However, I think I have an advantage on the SS since it is all pure singletrack and no roads like the Ouachita Challenge on the SS. The only disadvantage for me is that I get lumped in with the geared women for the Arkansas Marathon Series points, which my goal was top 3. I made it my goal to go for 7 hrs and beat my time of 7:35 last year.

It wouldn't be Syllamo unless it rained the night before the race. The only difference was last year I was driving like a mad women in my car with Loreen to seek shelter the night before since we were warned by a restaurant owner to leave immediately due to 2 tornadoes coming our way. The other difference with Syllamo this year was the NUE 100 mile series would be starting on the same day but, a hour before Syllamo's Revenge.

31 women out of 33 who registered showed up to race. Wow! I believe this is a record for the number of women racing in Syllamo history. This is awesome. The race started as a mass start on bikes out on a short paved section that led us to a .9 mile climb up a gravel road which is a 11% grade. There was a pile up immediately at the start of the gravel climb due to too many people (over 300 racers) and a couple of crashes. I quickly jumped off my bike and ran around it. I felt I had a good pace going on the 1st section, the yellow loop, which is somewhat rolling with a few rocky technical sections. They did a better job trimming the brush on this section this year.

The blue and orange sections of the trail are much more technical and rocky. These sections were really wet and slick. The stream crossings were pretty high this year too. I remember sliding on a rock and what stopped me from going off the trail was the side of my face and neck hitting a tree. I felt strong climbing up the technical sections this year. I knew to not get too carried away and to save a little for the end. I always find it funny that the last 12 miles of this race, the red section, seems like forever even though it is singlespeed friendly and hardly any technical sections.

I came in stronger this year with a time of 7:01 and beat my time last year by 34 minutes. However, even though I was faster, there were many faster geared women this year. Last year this time would have given me 4th overall. This year I was 12th overall. A little bummed with overall finish but, very happy with my better time. The only other female SS to compare to came in 52 minutes after me and I beat 13 SS men. I guess this is why we keep going back to seek "Syllamo's Revenge."