FLCC> 2007 ORAMM Results and Report

Thu Jul 26 13:01:26 EDT 2007

ORAMM 2007 – Vanya’s Race Review and Report
  Race start at 8AM        Sunday, June 22 at Old Fort, NC
  Report written 7/26/07

  Weekend stats:
  Total driving: 2200mi; 40 hrs
  Total biking: 70mi; 10hrs
  Total bicycle mechanical issues: 4
  Total speed-induced crashes: 5
  resulting in
Total cuts, scrapes, bruises: 3 

  Weekend Recap:
  Thursday 7/19: DRIVE
  4:30 PM           Leave Lowell, MA in Cameron’s WRX
  10:00 PM         Camp out at Lake Nockamixon state park near Allentown, PA

  Friday 7/20: DRIVE
  6:30 AM          Wake up
  8:30 AM          Depart after breakfast at Coopersburg Diner
  7:00 PM           Arrive at Cameron’s house in Asheville, NC

  Saturday 7/21: REST
  Blue Ridge Parkway preview
sweet.
  12PM              Garrett, Dave, Charles arrive from Ithaca
  Race preparations: tune up bikes, install new tubeless tires on Cameron’s bike (tire pops off rim with shotgun sound on roof rack
make sure to deflate to 30 psi after installation!)
  Afternoon MTB ride at Bent Creek. Awesome trails, climbing.

  Sunday 7/22: RACE
  Off Road Assault on Mt. Mitchell (ORAMM)
  6AM                wake up, Cameron makes pancakes for breakfast, drive to Old Fort ~20min.
  8:15 AM
      GO! 450 starters! 
  Representing Cornell: Charles Krohn, Dave Perry, Me (Vanya)
  Representing Asheville (and vicinity): Garrett Graham, Richard Fry
  Representing both: Cameron Cogburner

  Note: at least 20 single-speeders present, four of them on rigid frames (one of them got 10th overall)!

  Part 1: Kitsuma “warm up”
paved road
pack stretches out already, gravel road climb, paved along highway, singletrack hike-a-bike to top, ride on ridge, ridiculously long downhill, a few minor crashes
probably pushing the pace a bit too fast, wrist fatigue, water bottle holder breaks, punctures bottle. Back on paved road to

  Rest Stop #1, 5min: Catch up to Cameron, refill with energy drink (tasted like laundry detergent), Red Bull, Clif Bar.

  Part 2: Suffering to Rest Stop 2
gravel road, to uphill single track switchbacks to downhill singletrack. Fall down at sharp hairpin. Front wheel a bit out of true, left pedal starts making fatal noises
maybe 6-dollar Wal-Mart pedals were not the best choice? 
  Long double track: gentle climb, ups and downs (pedal making bad sounds) moderate downhill
finally!
  Rest Stop #2, 7min: You’re almost a third of the way there
damn. Feeling close to bonking
must eat!

  Part 3: ENDLESS MONSTER CLIMB
Unbelievable. 100% gravel road, 100% uphill, the further you go, the steeper it gets. 9 miles, 2 hours, several thousand feet elevation gain. Alternate between second gear, walking, trying not to throw up. Hey, the pedal is quiet again
I wonder if a bearing got crushed? Many people, including Garrett and later Charles passed me here.
  Rest Stop #3, 10min: Thank God.

  Part 4: Blue Ridge Parkway, up hill, down hill.
  Hard to get back on bike
ass is sore. But the road is so smooth! Charles falls back on climb. Turn onto singletrack after 7 miles of blissful pavement.
  Rest Stop #4 (water only), skipped

  Part 5: Down, down, down.
  10-min hike-a-bike from Parkway, followed by long gradual to moderate singletrack downhill. Half way down hit root hard with rear wheel. Starts hissing 10 min later on short walking section. Awkward place to fix a flat, but doable. 15-min setback. Definitely a pinch flat. Everyone who passes me (20 people) ask if I have everything
MTBers watch out for one another!
  Back on track
this trail seems familiar
it’s the switchbacks of Part 2 done in reverse
 definitely more fun!
  Rest Stop #5 (same as #1), skipped, but ate half a Clif Bar on gravel road climb. 

  Part 6: Kitsuma “cool down”
don’t tell me we have to do this one AGAIN! No way out, trudge up the hike-a bike
lonely, riders very spread out. No wrist fatigue this time around. Downhill goes much smoother
feet in contact with pedals about half the time. T-shirt, tied to stem, loosens up and gets tangled up in front brake rotor. Damn. Remove front wheel, tear off shirt melted to rotor
brakes still work though. Back on. Rider catches up, let him pass at hairpin. “Smooth lines, man.” Blast last section, turn right onto paved road for three mile ride to Old Fort. Sprinting power on demand, except chain skips in big ring
must have bent a tooth hopping over the RR tracks. Pass a few people before finish line.

  It’s OVER!! 

  Results: see attached spreadsheet for more accurate times
  Cameron:        55th  at 6:43 (compare to 8:55 last year!)
  Garrett:          91st  at 7:03
  Vanya:            171st at 7:45
  Charles:          ???   at 8:05
  Dave:              ???   at 8:15
  Richard:          ???   at 9:05

  Monday 7/23 DRIVE
  9:30 AM          Stock up on food, head out of Asheville.
  8:00 PM           Dinner at Dunkin Donuts Allentown, PA.
  12:00 AM        At Mass. line
  Tuesday 7/24 DRIVE, SLEEP
  2:00 AM          Back in Lowell, MA
foggy. 

  Post-Race Thoughts:
  Let’s start off by saying that ORAMM was certainly the most demanding bicycle event that I have ever completed. This was, first and foremost, a climbing endurance race. Technical MTB skills came in handy only on the downhills, to keep the flow going, reduce crashes, and maximize the thrill factor, but in terms of bettering the total ride time, the technical rider’s advantage was negligible. If you are a master downhill rider without the climbing endurance, you won’t get too far. However, if you can climb consistently for 2 hours, you already have what it takes to be in the top half of the standings.
  Taken individually, all the parts can be ridden fast with minimal injury to bike and body. However, being on the course for the first time, I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the climbs and descents. The roughest part of the race was probably the first descent from Kitsuma Peak. The trail was unbelievably fast, but rooty and narrow at the same time. I’ve never ridden such a long continuous downhill, so the glee, wrist fatigue, and hand-numbing pain was the perfect recipe for a few minor crashes, usually going off the trail at a hairpin turn or slipping off the loose side of the inclined singletrack. Just that first part was an unbelievable ride in itself, but the adventure was only a quarter of the way done by the time I hit the first rest stop.
  During a race of this length, one must think of the big picture at all times, meaning planning ahead and asking yourself such questions as “Would shaving a few seconds now be worth it in the long run?” or “Should I sit and rest for a few extra minutes now so I could ride consistently up the longest hill later?” or “Crashing early on would really set me back for the rest of the ride
or even worse, a serious mechanical could be a DNF. Not worth the risk
”
  By the second rest stop my priorities changed (as predicted). Now I was racing against myself, and not the other guys. I wouldn’t care if anyone passed me and would not chase anyone (well, except maybe for Charles and Dave).
  The defining trademark of ORAMM has to be the MONSTER CLIMB up Curtis Creek Road. I think that this is the section that most influences the results, and if I was to train for the race, this would be the climb to do. It is taxing not only physically, but mentally as well. If you can overcome this obstacle, all the other parts will seem trivial and short in comparison. Again, even on its own, this climb is an epic journey
basically scaling the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi, give or take a few thousand feet. And as part of a 63-mile bike race it is all the more crushing.
  After the third rest stop, you ride dazed along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The views come at you left and right, as rewards for the excruciating ascent. Seven miles on smooth pavement feel like nothing, and it’s a rude awakening when you turn left and hit the hike-a-bike singletrack. That only lasts 15 minutes, and then the descent kicks in. This part is probably the least memorable, as you’re fatigued and just holding on to your handlebars for dear life. Hardtails have to watch out here, as I got a pinch flat hitting a root really hard, although my rear tire was at 50psi to begin with! That was a welcome 15-minute break, while changing the tube on a steep incline
not too convenient, but doable. Chances are that bringing tools and a few spare parts will save the day. Also, everyone who rode by asked if I had everything I needed
 definitely wouldn’t happed in a competitive road race!
  From that point on it is familiar turf, as the course doubles back on itself. For a first-timer, this has two effects: one, you know how far away the finish is. And two, you realize that it’s quite a ways away
and that you have to ride Kitsuma peak again, as if one time wasn’t enough! Second time down Kitsuma actually went smoother than the first. Just shows that being familiar with the course is a substantial advantage.
  Cruising back down paved roads into Old Fort is blissful. Your legs actually feel fresh and you can turn the big ring all the way to the finish line. How sweet it is!

  So there you have it. For a few days after ORAMM you will throw your bike in a corner and despise MTBing as a sport, but in a week you can’t wait to get back on the bike, tune it up after the intense beating, and ride some trails. Most trails will seem artificially easy after doing ORAMM, and you will be looking for new challenges. WHEW.

  Vanya

  P.S. Official Results are attached. Note the winning time was under 5 hours!!

Note: forwarded message attached.

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From: "Todd Branham" <epicrides at gmail.com>
Subject: 2007 ORAMM Results
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 05:51:49 -0700 (PDT)
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