ORAMM (off-road assault on mt. Mitchell) MTB race

ORAMM stands for the Off Road Assault on Mt. Mitchell.   Mt. Michell is part of the Pisgah National Forest and is Northeast from Asheville, NC.   Four of the Joe's Bike Shop Racing team along with four of the Virginia Wicked Wash team drove 8+ hours down to the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains to race this epic endurance mtb race.

Chris Lane had successfully worked his mountain bike endurance racing peer pressure on to all of us.   This was my first time racing this race but everyone there owed racing ORAMM to Chris.

I have only a few things to say about  ORAMM and I'll leave you with pictures...

• Most beautiful mountain trails ever
• Hardest bike race I have done "yet"
• Amazingly hard climbs and wicked fast descents that hug the side of the mountain 
• Many Cat1 climbs and an HC climb, yes seriously.  It took me 1h45m to climb the HC.
• I met a few "dark places" @ ORAMM but overcame, often thinking of Tracy and my cats :-) to pull me back to the "light side"
• The last ten miles hurt so bad....
• I raced the open women category and took 4th.  woo
• I sat a blind goal to beat 7 hours and I did it, 6h50m
• I'll be back... (the Tillmanator)  
• 2014 ORAMM 5 minute video:  http://youtu.be/RxEPNN2gQxE
• Strava file: http://app.strava.com/activities/172250767 
 

 

The course is 60-63 miles depending on whether you trust you Garmin or the mountain survey data.  And those 60+ miles have you climb ~ 11K feet.  

Pic from before the Saturday Preride w ORAMM veteran rider and teammate, Chris Lane.  We climbed Kitsuma and descended a ridge trail back to road.  8-9 mi, 70 min of climbing, 2300 feet.  20 min descent.  Hands hurt!  Need to relax but the drop offs were getting to my nerves.

Pre Race Dinner @ the Wicked Weed Brewery in Asheville with te Joe's Bike Shop And Wicked Wash ORAMM racers:

Back to the  hotel to get good night rest before the big race tomorrow.  Alarm 5:30a, race meeting 7:45a.

   7x Infinit bottles packed

   Extra chamois cream

   Race day power J&T custom oatmeal ready fir breakfast

   Camel w lots of electrolytes

   Superfly race machine clean, lubed and numbered

   Rider, ready to rest!

   

Race Day Shots:

'Before' Team Shots --- Jeff, Kathleen, Me & Chris (Joe's) & John, Tom, Marco, Jeff (Wicked Wash)

John, me, Kathleen, and Tom - Race Day, over 500 Riders (Photo:  Wicked Wash cool guy Tom Howe)

Marco and me  (Photo:  Wicked Wash cool guy Tom Howe)

'After" shot!!

Hard Awesomeness

Cross country nationals - July 19

So I'll start by saying that Bear Creek Mountain Bike Nationals was one of my best days racing my Mountain Bike...why?, here are a few of the many reasons:

• I made the podium and took home a Nationals medal.  Yeah baby.
• I raced against some fast women who were also crazy enough to take on the technical and demanding Bear Creek course.   That course is tough!
• My heart rate soared into Zone 5+ for nearly an hour.  See the graph.  OUCH!  Sufferfest.
• I felt great, I raced my race and the rocks were awesome! 
• I was surrounded by amazing friends, fellow racers, and tons of nut case cyclists all day long
• Best heckle spectator pit area in the middle of a rocky, technical section.   Anne Rock, you are one of a kind.  Best nun ever...
• FatMarc, I think I heard you in the last rocky section before the start/finish, if that was you,  thanks so much for the huge cheers! It helped.
• And thanks to everyone else for cheering me during the Race!

 I have been training hard this year and it all came together at Nationals.  

 Mentions:   Kudos to Jessica Hill from Harford County who took 4th in our Cat1 division, Stacy Barbossa who rocked and took 3rd place in the Cat1 45-49s, Cati Scheifele who took 10th in the Cat1 30-34, and Cindy Copley who took 11th.  

Vicki B kicked some butt winning the single speed division and Cheryl S seriously put out wicked efforts in the Pro race, finishing in 7th.  Woot!

I am honored to have raced with so many women from across the country and it is even better knowing that our own Midatlantic women rocked the house.  Well done ladies!

 

Meet the Amateur course:

Here are a few photos from the day:

the first lap Prologue start (photo credit to awesome Bill White)

one of the switchback climbs (photo credit to awesome Bill White)

one of the switchback climbs (photo credit to awesome Bill White)

 
          

Heckle Pit Panoramic 1

Heckle Pit Panoramic2

As HARD as YOU CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Yeah,  that was as HARD as YOU COULD GO....

Meet your Top 5 Cat1 35-39 Podium Finishers --- woo hoo

Best Champagne Spray of the Day

Guzzle guzzle

Sure I'll have a sip

Champagne is better when shared!  Salute!

Rocking the Medal.  Zen Jen Tillmanator.

 Pro Women Leaders Georgia and Leah:



Pro Men Race - Ethan Frey of Joe's Bike Shop ripping the rocks:

the Epic Challenge, the Patapsco 66

The Patapsco 100 mile race is going to be known as the hardest 100 mile race in the country.   Next year (2015), this race officially becomes part of the NUE series (national ultra endurance MTB race series). 

The 100 mile consists of 3x33 mile laps.  Brutal climbing @ 5500 feet per lap.  Nearly 95% singletrack, classic punchy technical midatlantic terrain.  

This race is for the hardcore and therefore, AFC (Adventures for the Cure - race team sponsor) puts on four races to ensure everyone has the right race challenge for the day:   

• the 100
• the 66 (or 100K)
• the 33
• and the 22

Race Summary in a few bullets:

 

Morning Inspirational Card

• Turtle def wins the race.   This was a great opportunity to apply a new strategy.  I had to focus on pace, on holding back and not going into the anaerobic pain cave that I am accustomed to .... for me, focusing on this strategy guaranteed I could go the distance and feel pretty damn good while doing so.  
• So basically, I stayed in my Endurance/Tempo zones.  kept threshold to a minimum and avoided the land of Anaerobia.  It meant I walked a few steep sections or climbed delicately and slowly.   
• It also meant I felt great the entire race.  I never cramped. I never ran out of energy.  In fact, I was able to kick up it HARD the last 10 miles and empty the tank.
• I never hit a "dark place"
  
• I smiled into the finish
• I ended up going faster overall than I had projected.  I was aiming for 9hrs or more.  I finished in 8h10m total time, 7h55m moving time.  Faster than my pre-race training rides.  Yeah, there are a few lessons this race has taught me.



Smiling into the Finish, Yah!

• I think I may just love endurance a bit.   I love to go as fast as I can (XC, 'cross) but this type of sport really offers a solid balance for me.   It is teaching me to be the Turtle.  I dig that.

 Mentions: 

• Volunteers at the aid stations were amazing.  My brain never functions quite right during races and they never seemed to mind.  I'd take in a huge mouth of peanut M&Ms and try to communicate, yeah sorry!  The Volunteers were awesome and attentive, thank-you!

  

  Podium w
  

  
  

  Trail Building Legend, Ed Dixon

• Teammates.  My teammates are amazing.  They train with me.  They push me.  They get my quirks and they love me anyway.  Kudos to my Joe's teammates. So many of you were on the podium. 
• Tracy.  She just totally gets me and gives me room to live the cycling life.   Thanks Tracy, you're my rock.
• Tillmanator prime supporter Allyson Jordan was there at the finish to hold me up and show support.  Thanks Ally.
• Ethan, thanks for the personal help at the race and being a wise bike mechanic.  Your saturday support guaranteed my bike was ready for race day.  I seriously appreciate all that you do for me.   Beer gift time!  What's your desired flavor of the week?
• Wrona and Jenn from AFC, thanks for helping me at the pit between lap 1 and 2.  
  
• Joe, thank-you for everything you do for me.  You and your shop take the best care of the team. 
• Kathleen and Chris Lane - I always think of you two first for encouraging me to get into Endurance in '14. ;-)
• Rittler.  You're awesome and very inspiring to me as well.  I love our race strategy exchanges.  And I love how you seem to balance so many demands - work, family, fun, etc.  You're an example to all of us.  And you are always smiling.
• Newell.  Your plan is working.  Thanks for keeping me focused and being a friend on top of it.
• Hellmers with two Ls, Brian Wilkerson, Jeff Brown, Carla the Crusher, and Greg Gavin --- thanks for being willing to push my limits on the WNDWs pain cave or elsewhere.  It helps and I love to suffer with all of you.
• Brian W - way to go.  Glad I get to train with you regularly.  You're a ss killer.  
• Hellmers.  You have soooooo much fun pushing yourself....and i always think you have more in the gas tank.  Animal.  Rigid SS hardcore.  Way to keep your handlebars in tact for this race ;-)  And I really appreciate all the smiles and encouragement out on the course. 

for those interested in the data, here are the stats:

I ordered up a bunch of tempo with a nice side of endurance.  Finished off with just the right dollop of threshy at key points ... no cherry on top (z5+), not for this race.