FLCC> 2007 ORAMM Results and Report
Amanda and Mark Shenstone
gardens at lightlink.com
Thu Jul 26 15:17:51 EDT 2007
Vanya, do you reccomend a kickstand in an
endurance event such as this? Nice report! Way to
go!
Mark
--------------------------------------------------
Amanda and Mark Shenstone
Graceful Gardens
PO Box 100
Mecklenburg, NY 14886
607.387.5529
http://www.gracefulgardens.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Vanya Temnykh
To: flcc at icycle.org
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2007 1:01 PM
Subject: FLCC> 2007 ORAMM Results and Report
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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