Fool's Gold 100, open men, 2nd place, Christian Tanguy

The 13 hour drive from Michigan to Georgia was one more time quite tiring. I set to go early to bed and rest as much as possible in order to be ready the next morning. In the middle of the night, the down pour woke me up. It was quite a sight as the parking lot of the hotel was transformed into a swimming pool. I returned to my bed and turned on the alarm twenty minutes earlier such I could change tires to ready the bike for the mud.

Surprisingly, the start finish area was not in such a bad shape considering the amount of rain we had the night before. The grassy field was "spongy" and water would come out as you walked on the grass but there was no monster water puddle and the grass field was not transformed into a swamp area. The race promoter gave us the usual advices and started the count down for the 2 laps of 50 miles.

The lap starts by a long and steady dirt road climb; I don't know what stung Jeff Schalk but he set up an incredible tempo right from the beginning. For a moment, I thought that he just wanted to get his legs and heart in gear but after a minute of this high speed pace, there was no slow down. One by one, I watched Jeff's followers losing ground as I was reaching from the back. When I finally made the lead group, Jeff was about 50 yards ahead by himself.

Nobody in the group wanted to stay at that speed since there was still 98 miles to go. Maybe Jeff wanted to set up the longest run away of any 100 mile race? Anyway, I had good legs too and decided to bridge back. Knowing the course from the year prior, I knew I had plenty of time to reach back. I did it very gradually and in a very controlled manner without having to red line the legs or the heart. Jeff and I were now 20 minutes into the race when the first rain drops started to fall around us. 30 seconds later, it was a strong rain.

The Cohutta and Mohican races came back to memory. Will the weather at this year Fool's Gold race be worse? At least, it was a good start as the sky let see no indication that the rain would stop anytime soon.

The steep and long downhill from aid station #1 got me to blink every 5 seconds; the road was just a blurry brownish stripe in front of me. The trail at the bottom was a running creek and I could hear the discs already chewing apart the brake pads. By now, Jeff set up in a much more comfortable pace but yet I got sometimes distanced because I could not distinguish the trail anymore from all the dirt on my glasses.

As we arrived at aid station#2 (also aid station #3), I could have used a short stop to grab a fresh bottle but nothing was set up yet: no tent, no bags, no volunteers. Jeff was a little disoriented as arrows were pointing in several directions. Since I raced there last year and knowing that the loop between aid #2 and aid #3 was run in the opposite direction, I quickly guided us to the proper path.

As we entered a steeper single track, my chain became to get jammed between the chain rings and the chain stay. The first few times, I bridged back to Jeff but the chain suck became worse causing me to chase for longer durations. However, it is in the downhill that I let Jeff go alone. Once more, my vision was impeded by the dirt on the glasses. So far, I have been cleaning quite successfully my glasses while riding but the increased speeds in the downhill caused an increased amount of dirt on the glasses.... in addition, my rear break gave its last hurray in the downhill to aid #3.

I finally reached the aid station and this time it was ready. I grabbed my bottles and took that opportunity to clean my glasses once more. What a difference clean glasses make! Literally day and night!

The chain sucks became more and more frequent and where it used to happen only on the small ring while riding uphill sections, it was now occurring on the large chain ring on flats... Anyway I was still moving forward, at least for the moment.

By now, I started to notice a lot of riders ahead of me. In fact, the weather conditions took its toll on men and machines and many racers were not able to continue racing and were on their way to return to the start finish. On a flat dirt road I met one of them. He jumped out of his bike to help me with yet another chain suck. We rapidly got the chain untangled but it required a tremendous effort to spin the cranks such that we thought the chain was still stuck somewhere. We double checked everything: the chain line was fine and diagnosed the problem. The free wheel was locked. After a few power pedal strokes out of the saddle, the free wheel started to spin somewhat freely...

Before aid station #4, Harlan Price bridged back; he was doing extremely well in the uphill sections and rode several trails on his single speed that I ended-up pushing due to bike problem.

Chain sucks and reduced visibility were my excuses to let Harlan go. Finally, I reached a steep downhill. I remembered this trail to be tricky and made sure I did not entered it with speed as it would be even harder to slow down with my fading front brake. Unfortunately, Harlan did not have the same knowledge of the trail and crashed at speed. His bike was upside down in a tree and the content of his jersey's back pockets scattered all over the trail. As soon as I could see him I crushed the brake lever. Where normally I would have been catapulted over the bar, the bike was gently slowing down; I think this was the last time my front brake somewhat worked.

Harlan was on his feet which was a good thing. After awhile, Harlan sent me on my way, confirming that he was bruised but okay.

The rest of the course was just a blurry mess. Both brakes now completely out, I was really cautious in the downhill trails. In one of the uphill forest road, I saw glimpse of Jeff before he finally disappeared for good in the following downhill. Few times, while reaching approx. 12 miles an hour, I would dismount the bike and start running to reduce my speed. It was really scary at times.

I was relieved when Eddie (race promoter) stopped the race at one lap. I had replacement brake pads in my car and could have changed them for the second lap... or maybe not... Now back home, after cleaning the bike, I noticed that the brake pad was completely gone, not just the brake compound but also the supporting plate. The piston was able to move so far out, that the hydraulic oil was gone. Looking back, changing the brake pads will have been no use.

Anyway, it was an interesting race for sure; worth remembering.

Ore to Shore, Christian Tanguy, open men, 7th place

I spent another weekend away from home to participate to the Ore to Shore XC race. The weather was ideal and the long drive (8 hours) was completed without any troubles. At the registration, talking to friends, I was trying to understand what was ahead of me. They mentioned some hike a bike, water puddles???

Since it was my first participation at this race, I did not qualify for one of the 75 "preferred start" positions. Consequently, I would be staged with the remaining 600 competitors. When I arrived at the start location, I immediately placed my bike on the ground to reserve a spot as close to the front as possible. The 2 front lines behind the preferred start area were already full, so I left my bike on the 3^rd line and went back to the car to relax.

5 minutes prior to the start, I arrived to the starting line – what a crowd! Everybody was ready to take off. I hurried up to try to find my bike in the crowd. Fortunately, the bike was right where I left it. I was now hoping that the start will be somewhat conservative to allow my legs to warm up slowly.

The gun went off and the train left the station at great speed. Well no quite the descent warm-up I was hoping for... My legs felt sore from the violent effort. I pressed on and 2 to 3 miles in I was in the top 20, right where I wanted to be; next to last year's 2^nd place finisher (Mike Anderson).

The little hill called Lucy's hill, sorted things a little more before a relaxed pace on the downhill / flat trails allowed racers to join back to the front group. Everything was new to me and my goal was just to stay in the front before the "power house" racers will crush me on the fast rolling trails and dirt roads.

We rode thru some sandy portions, along side a railroad, etc. until a reached a creek; I carefully carried my bike using the bridge (to avoid dirt in the drive train); but was probably too careful and had to close a 50 yard gap. It was all for nothing as we reached a very long water puddle which was quite deep in spots. I lost some ground in the mucky waters, forcing me to a hard chase to close the gap.

Finally, we reached a double track trail underneath some power lines. Mike A. was slowly letting a gap being created and by the time I realized it and went around him, the front group was already 100 yards away. I closed the gap by an all-out effort.

One mile later or so, I screwed up one of the tricky steep climb and end-up having to close the gap one more time. When we finally reached the hike a bike section called "Misery Hill" I was dropped again. Each time, I performed a mini time trial to get back to the front; each time it was taking me more time....

At the half way point, we were 7 riders: Mike Simonson, Derek Graham, Brian Matter, Tristan Schouten, TJ Woodruff, Nathan Guerra and me. Prior to the race, I gave myself a 50% chance to be with the front group at that point so it was already a victory of some sort.

By now, there were mad accelerations followed by really easy pedaling. Yes, it was just a road race only we were on mountain bikes.

Blurry several miles of hard efforts later, we were still the 7 of us, 3 miles from the finish. I was struggling for a while and in a small steep incline, I lost contact. This time there was no bridging back. When I finally moved my body over the short climb, the leaders were already at top speed. Amazing how fast they were pulling away!

The racers behind me could not be too far; I maintained a good pace to the finish line and arrived in 7^th place. It is a very satisfying result not so much for the overall position but rather by my riding. For the first time, I could ride with the lead group on a race course which does not hit on my strength. I also noticed severe lack in some skills which I need to improve if I am going to be a contender for the win like: dismount, run, remount or ride 2 feet behind the preceding rider rather than 5 yards behind....

Time now to rest for the Fool's Gold 100 in GA.

Pontiac Lake XC, Elite Men, 1st place, 1h51m17s

Pontiac Lake Recreational State Area is one of the most preferred places to ride in the Detroit area. The place has some hills, rough sections, fast transition trails, etc. Plus, one lap is about 10 miles long, so we don't feel like a hamster in its cage. However, Pontiac Lake is a little too far from home and the last time I was there was three years ago for the cross-country race. I just hoped that I was going to remember the tricky spots.

The starting line was stocked with all the racers chasing for the championship points. As the front runners for the championship were called to the line, we squeezed in to leave a spot for Mike Simonson as Pontiac is his home trail and he is incredibly fast.

As expected, Mike Simonson took the hole shot, closely followed by Steve Dempsey (overall point leader) and myself. Mike put the pedal to the metal and after half a lap; Mike and myself distanced ourselves from the field.

In some turns, the visibility was limited and I probably used the brakes a little more than I could have. On the other hand, Mike's knowledge of the trails enabled him to keep the pace at the maximum speed such that he opened small gaps. Of course, I worked extra hard in the climbs and open areas just to reach back to him.

I was glad when we completed the first lap out of three. I had a little breather when Mike picked up a fresh bottle and actually this short slow down was sufficient to trade positions. I was not feeling so fresh anymore but pressed on each time the trail went up. Surprisingly, two or three miles later, I had a small gap.

Like usual, I kept pedaling as hard as I could but it would have been nice to know the time gaps. Starting the third lap, I was getting sloppy in the tight trails. Thankfully, the tires held strong and the suspension of the Trek Top Fuel saved the day when I deviated to the worst line possible. Apparently everybody was about a minute slower between the 2^nd and the 3^rd lap.

When I finally crossed the finish line, I was really tired. However, I was very pleased to put Team CF at the top of the podium. Next race will be the Ore to Shore in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. Although the terrain should not favor me, as it is mostly flat or slightly downhill on open trails, I will give my best effort to stay close to the front. 

Long time gone

It has been a long time since I have reported.  Sorry.  It has been a whirl wind on my end.  One extreme to the next.  It all started back in early July with a 2 1/2 week trip to Colorado.  I competed in three events during my trip.  Firecracker 50, Winter Park point to point, and then the Breck 100.  Altitude definitely does not favor me, but my time was well spent on new experiences and good training.  At the firecracker I placed 9th, Winter Park 4th and then 3rd in the Breck 100.

From there I directly traveled to Corolla NC for a fun family beach fest.  At the end of that week I then high tailed it home for my favorite race of the Michaux endurance series.  The Curse of Dark Hollow can definitely live up to its name, but I still managed to place 1st amongst the women.

So if you have been keeping track that makes four races in a row, but we aren't done yet.  Just last weekend I competed in another NUE race The Wilderness 101.  I was very nervous for this race, but the day proved to be a great one for me.  I placed first among the women with a time of 8:06.  Now I am off to Bend OR for another NUE race.  That will make it six in a row.  I'll let you know how it goes:)

Wilderness 101, Christian Tanguy, open men, 2nd place

It was my third trip to the Wilderness 101. This year, Chris Eatough and Josh Tostado were missing but Jeremiah Bishop and Nick Waite were there to animate the front of the race. The weather was going to be excellent and all conditions seemed to be gathered to break the race record.

Leading to the race, my training was on track and the day before the race I felt good. After a good night resting, I hoped I would be ready to survive 101 miles of mountain bike racing against some of the toughest racers in the country.

For once, the start was pretty mild on the first climb of the day. That provided a good warm-up for the legs and before we realized, we were already by the aid station #1. On the slopes of the next mountain, the front group was slowly getting smaller and as we started our descent to aid station #2, the group was counting 7 riders: Jeff Schalk, Jeremiah Bishop, Mike Simonson, Brandon Draugelis, Nick Waite, Robert Lichtenwalner and myself.

We completed most of the downhill and I was holding my own. Could it be that I finally reach aid station #2 with the lead group? That was my third attempt at it, and this year was just like the previous ones. The chain got jammed into the cranks and chain rings. It all happened in a fraction of a second such that I was still pedaling. The chain was completely twisted; the links will be oriented vertically by the chain rings but be horizontally oriented by the cassette.

Frustration and adrenaline helping, I pulled like a mad man on the chain and finally got it into an acceptable shape. Before I jumped on my bike, Chris Beck came flying down; I already lost quite some time. I exited the single track downhill and was now on a smooth dirt road. At every other rotation of the cranks, the chain will skip on the cassette. It was impossible to produce any kind of effort. It was clear that if there wasn't a mechanic with a 10-speed chain at the aid station, I would have been forced to quit the race.

It was my lucky day! The mechanic had a brand new chain. Of course, the few minutes I spent standing aside the bike appeared to last hours especially when watching other racers coming and leaving the aid station. The mechanic told me that my rear derailleur had a weak spring which was probably the cause of the chain getting jammed into the cranks in the first place.

Before taking off from the aid station, all the volunteers gave me a great cheer; especially Brandon's mom who convinced me that I was still in range for a descent finish. Indeed, the last 2 years, I was in the same kind of position and each time I arrived in the top 5.

The bike was ride able again but the tired derailleur spring along with a slightly too long new chain; caused the chain to skip every 20 seconds or so. For the remainder of the race (60 miles), I constantly adjusted the cable tension in order to minimize the chain skipping with various successes depending on the gear.

I always welcomed the long dirt road climb right after the aid station #2. I consider it like a launch pad of some sort. My regained motivation was fueling me and instead of "cooling down" two thirds up the mountain like the previous years, this time I kept the throttle fully opened to the very top. In the span of one climb, I gained back 5 places and was already spotting Chris Beck.

I had really good legs and by the aid station #3 I was back in 6^th place. On the rocky single track ascend, I had a nice talk with my bike: "Either die or work properly!" as the chain skipped nonstop causing me to push the bike for a while. Apparently, it elected for the latter choice. Mid way between aid #3 and aid #4, I caught up to Brandon Draugelis. My close competitors were also suffering from mechanical problems so I passed Mike Simonson and Jeremiah Bishop while they were repairing their bikes. Nick Waite was with Jeremiah as I was riding by.

Incredibly, rolling in to aid station #4, I caught everybody but Jeff Schalk. Brandon's mom was again cheering me on and of course had to tell me: "I told you so!" The hardest part was still ahead of me. How do you contain a pro-road racer (Nick Waite) and a pro mountain biker (Jeremiah Bishop) from bridging back? And let's not forget Brandon Draugelis, always well placed. Simple! I rode like a dog: hammered the climbs, crossed my fingers on the rocky descents for the tires to hold up.

By aid station #5, nobody bridged back. It actually made me more nervous as it is easier to deal with an apparent danger rather than with a latent one. Anyway, I crushed the pedals for the last climb of the day. I surprised myself wishing for the mountain to be taller such that I could use my advantage in the climbs a little longer.

The bike gave me a last reminder that it needed some care when in the pitch black tunnel, one mile of the finish line, the chain dropped...  Oh well, this time shifting between the different chain rings did the trick and I carried enough speed to keep my balance.

I am delighted I could cross the line in 2^nd place behind Jeff. Except for the mechanical problem with the chain, everything went well. I need to thank one of our sponsor and friend Chris Eatough for the advice on the nutrition. Following his advice, I tried a new formulation of the Infinit product and it rocks!