Xterra World Championship - Rocking With The Best

Xterra World Championship – the crowning achievement of my athletic career. It’s been a long hard journey to get here and I loved every moment of it.

Up until race morning I wasn’t nervous about this race. Quite unusual since I usually get sick to my stomach and have a sleepless night at least one day in advance of every race. But once I got in the car it hit me, this is the biggest Xterra event there is and I’ll be going up against 550 of the best Xterra athletes in the WORLD. Talk about pressure.

Ever since I played high school football I would always build up my opponents to mythical proportions in my mind and quite literally be scared, on the verge of hysteria , before every game. They are bigger than me, they are faster than me, and they are going to kick my ass are the kinds of thoughts that would go through my head. I kind of had that feeling again wondering if I am worthy of competing on such a grand stage but then I said to myself, “I bet they are intimidated of me just as much as I am of them.” Once I got to the race I saw Dean and his usual calm, Canadian demeanor helped settle me down and regain focus. I earned my spot to get here, dues have been paid, it’s time to go out and prove I belong.


Prerace Blessing

As they gave the traditional Hawaiian blessing and played the National Anthem, I looked around and saw the skin suits of all the athletes issued by their national federation, Italy, Germany, Czech, Japan, Austria, Brazil, France, Spain, Canada. Wow, I’m now rocking with the best, representing my country. I could feel I was fighting back tears thinking how far I’ve come since my first race over a decade ago and what an honor it is to be here.

Once the race started it felt like everything went in fast forward. I was focused and in the zone just like every other Xterra race I did this year. I found some feet to swim behind and stayed behind them. Swimming in perfectly clear water you could see tropical fish swimming in the reef below. The swim felt great, but it was over before I knew it. Looking at my split I certainly didn’t swim that fast, it was just that the moment was over so quickly.

Then it was on to the bike. I am climbing great and passing an endless train of people on the lower slopes of Haleakala. Hardly anyone passed me on the climbs, but once I got to the descents, caution got the better of me and people were flying past me. The course is almost all Jeep track but with all the lava rock and dust, these are far from easy trails to ride. One mistake or unlucky break and you are crashing on a cruel surface or stopping by the side of the trail to fix a flat tire.

You hear of all the difficult sections of the course in the Xterra videos. Heartbreak Hill, Ned’s Hill, the Plunge, trails of difficulty built up to mythical stature. Each time I got to a point I would ask someone a question like, “was that Heartbreak Hill?”, and if they spoke English they would respond, “no, that was a couple miles ago.” Same thing happened with the Plunge. Each time I was thinking I was so caught up in the moment I completely missed it. Again, for the bike, it was over before I knew it. I was so in the moment, it just passed me by so quickly. I was wishing the course was longer and this moment, this feeling, would last forever.

Onto the run the legs are moving slow. The bike took it’s toll and the hills, sun and heat weren’t helping matters. Everyone around me is moving slowly too. It’s kind of funny because it is like racing in slow motion now. After 4 miles I’m averaging about 8 minute miles then we hit the first beach and the pace gets really slow. The last 3 miles are on sand and on big lava rocks. This section can break your will or your bones. To get my mind off the difficulty of the race I would talk to the other competitors. They would respond at length in Japanesse or German. Somehow I felt like I understood them. Either suffering is universal or the early stages of delirium were starting to set in.

I got to the finish line in about the time I estimated I could get to the finish line if I had a great race. Even though I never did this race before I hit all my target splits based on others I competed against who did this race before me.

People ask me if I won, and when I say no, they look disappointed. I didn’t win or anything, but I proved I belonged with the best athletes in the world. That means something to me. All the tears, sweat, blood, disappointment, money and broken bones it took to get here was worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQwHb6K_n5Q

That's me at 10:10 in the video. :-)

I’ve competed in big races like National Championships before and nothing compares to this race. This race is special and an unforgettable experience. Everything from the difficulty of the course, to the high level of competitors, to the fact that everyone here loves racing Xterra, to the fact that it is located in a tropical paradise makes this race a unique event. I want to convince all my athletic friends to qualify for this race and do it with me next year. That would be so much fun and something to look forward to.

Xterra WC Countdown

It’s intimidating to be in the presence of so many great athletes.
- Kingpin

Two days to go until the big day. 11 years racing Xterra and I’m finally about to reach a lifelong goal. At my first Xterra race in 1999 I was the slowest swimmer and one of the last finishers in the race. Who would have thought I could keep taking it to a higher level and make it to the biggest race in this sport of off road triathlon?

I’m not really nervous about this race like all my other races. I was put in my place at Nationals so I don’t have any aspirations or delusions about placing well at Worlds. My goal is just to take it all in and enjoy the experience. It is so cool to see all these athletes from around the world here for this race. These are the best athletes from each country and I finally proved that I am worthy of being here and competing with them. I wish the race was tomorrow. I can’t wait.

Trail Review – Poli Poli Springs State Park, HI

I rode this trail when I visited Maui back in 2000. I rented a specialized Stumpjumper with flat pedals, had my parents drop me off at the start point and told them to pick me up in a couple hours. When I was finished riding, I remember thinking this was the steepest, hardest trail I had ever ridden. In hindsight I figured I was kind of heavy and out of shape back then so my memories of how hard it was were skewed toward the fact that I actually sucked at bike riding then.

Back in Maui in 2009 and like a dog that can always find his way home, I quickly find this trail and ride it again. I must admit my initial impressions from 2000 were dead on. This is no joke, it’s one of the steepest roads I’ve ever ridden. I think Greg LeMond said, “it doesn’t get easier, you just get faster.” Right on brother.

Waipoli road is the road you take to get to the trail and if you can’t wait to get to the dirt road, park your car on the side of the road and start riding. That’s what I did. Waipoli road is paved for 5.8 miles and ascends about 3500 feet. If you do the math, that is steep. Think switchback after switchback seeming to never end.

Eventually it does end and the paved road turns to a fire road. Here it levels off for several miles and you can shift it to the big ring, get your climbing muscles some recovery and cruise for 5 or 6 miles. Beautiful views of the ocean and the island are below as you ride along. This part of the ride is similar to the flume trail in Tahoe, but not quite as harrowing. At the end of this section you can choose to go right and descend a mile to the Poli Poli camp ground or you can go left and keep climbing.

If you go left you made the right choice. You are in for more epic climbing, the only difference is you are now doing it off road on loose gravel. After a couple miles you choose to go left or right. Right will take you to on Kahua road and you will top out at 7,126 feet. Go left and you will take the skyline trail to the peak of Haleakala. As far as I’m concerned, this is the only way to go.

I don’t know if it is cumulative fatigue that starts to set in, or if you start to feel the effect of elevation, but from here on out you are in your smallest chainring and largest cog. As you climb the terrain changes from forested area to barren, lava rock filled desert. You have clear sightlines when you look up and you keep thinking you’ve just about reached the top until you get to the top of that ridge and see you still have more work to do. You’ll keep getting tricked like this and now you will have to battle fierce winds in addition to the loose terrain, steep grades and elevation. You will hit some unridable switchbacks uphill that you will have to walk and the only thing that allows you to keep going is the determination to conquer the mountain.

Eventually you’ll come around a ridge and see a shiny silver dome at the peak of the mountain. This is the space station atop the peak of Haleakala, elevation 10,023 feet. Congratulations you made it. Now get ready for a white knuckle decent back to your car. No pedaling required.
I’ve never been to France but I think this is the mountain bikers version of Ventoux, a barren moonlike landscape with ridiculous elevation gains. Nothing scenic or remarkable about the trail, just a test of your will to keep going, God’s gift to the self loathing.

There are single track trails around these dirt roads, but not what I was looking for at this point in time. I rode the Waiakoa loop trail and it was pretty decent. Very technical - Steep switchbacks, loose dirt, off camber riding, lava rock. I would rate this more of an all mountain trail rather than a cross country trail. Very slow riding whether you are going up or down.
I also hiked the boundary trail. Even though the sign says mountain bikes are allowed on this trail I am glad I hiked it instead of riding it. Very steep, bumpy and doesn’t have much flow. If you try to ride this you will be pushing your bike a lot.

I recommend you stick to the jeep roads and work on your climbing.

There is no preriding the Xterra World Championship mountain bike course, and I never did it before, but I think this trail will prepare me both mentally and physically for the demands of the course.

Xterra National Championship

I've been traveling to races at altitude for years. My first race was Xterra Keystone back in 2000. Each time I race I come back home with my ass kicked not just by my fellow competitors, but also by the relentless climbing and the lack of oxygen at altitude.

Each time I race, I learn a little bit more about planning, preparation and pacing at altitude. Nevertheless, I always get my ass kicked and feel I could have done better.

This year, like every year, I figured it would be different. I'm in the best shape of my life. I finally qualified for the World Championship, I won a few races, and I was undefeated in my age group this year. I lost a solid 10 pounds yet my power is at all time highs.

I had dreams that it is possible to get on the podium in my age group, so despite my history of racing at altitude, still I must travel out to Ogden UT and give it a shot.

Looking at the start list I knew that was a tall order because nearly everyone on that start list has beaten me at some point in my Xterra career. Still, on any given day you never know who will have a good day and who will have a bad day.

Xterra Ogden is a unique course because it has 2 transition areas spaced far apart. T1 is near Pineview reservoir at 4000-4500 feet. From there you climb up to Snow Basin ski resort where the course tops out at about 7500 feet before descending back to the resort and T2. This gives you a course that has disproportionally more climbing than descending. The course is fun, but it is not supertechnical, so power to weight ratio will be the key factor to determine who will shred the bike course.

Once you come out of T2 you run up some steep inclines, then it levels out a little before you do some more climbing. Then after that you do a little more climbing before you basically run straight down the mountain back to the finish line. I bet most people do about a 5 minute mile for the last mile of this race which will take in total about 3 hours. That's how steep it is.

Prerace, I notice the water is cold, but not numbingly cold like at Lake Tahoe. Once the gun goes off I try to find some feet but I am constantly getting dunked, punched and kicked. This was one of the toughest starts I have ever done, and that is completely understandable. This is the National Championship, no one is messing around.

Still getting pummeled, I get to the first buoy and I notice a decent number of pro caps around me. This is bad because that means I started way too hard. About 50 meters later people are still swimming on top of me and it hits me and I think, uh oh, I just bonked 4 minutes into a 3 hour race. In my past experience I found that when I go over my limit at altitude I don't recover and a bad day is in store. I tried not to panic and moved out of the aggressive pack. After a few easy strokes I recovered and felt fine. I didn't have any feet to follow, but I felt much more comfortable.

Onto the bike I felt great. I followed my strategy and only 2 people passed me on the bike, and that was because I got off and pushed my bike on the steepest climbs at Snow Basin while they rode. Lesson learned, when riding a single chain ring, you need a ring small enough to allow you to climb the steeps.

Most years I'm the one getting passed when the trail turns upwards. In hindsight, I realized no one passed me on the bike because all the good mountain bikers learned to swim this year and they were way ahead of me. Another lesson learned, Xterra athletes are becoming more well rounded athletes. Nevertheless, it was still a pretty good bike, and if I had swam a little faster I could have easily taken two minutes off my split without much effort by not getting stuck behind riders who were the world's slowest descenders.

Onto the run and I head straight up the ski hill. I felt alright but not great so I started at a very conservative pace. A guy in my age group and 2 pro women pass me in the first half mile. After that I started feeling better and I don't think anybody passed me for the rest of the race. I just focused on a good cadence and reeling in people ahead of me.

When it was all said and done, I had a great race. I beat my time on this course last year, and this years course was 1/2 mile longer on the bike and 1 mile longer on the run. In total I would say I am faster by about 10 minutes. I finished 56th overall, 32nd amateur, 11th in my age group. I think my swim split was ranked 102th, Bike 54th, and run 52nd. Not too bad, now I see what I have to work on in the off season.

I got my ass kicked in my age group, but it was super competitive. The guy who won my age group also won the amateur overall and he beat the reigning AG National champion by 10 minutes. Last years national champ beat this dude by over 15 minutes at last years national championship. Now that is stepping up your game. That is crazy improvement.

So that's it for me. Now I'm excited to compete in Hawaii for the World Championships, but I also have to find the motivation to keep on training. It has been such a long season. I must keep on training, it's what I do.