Race Updates

 - Zack gets 3rd in Men's open podium from Rattling Creek 50

-Jeff and Mike do The Battle at Burke Farm (part of VAMTBS and VORS). Both made it on the podium (if there was a podium). Fun race!

-Jon and Ross do Mountain Creek H2H race

 

-Fair Hill was the conclusion of the MASS XC series. Cam came away with the win and the overall series win. Nick finished up 4th on the day, with Jeff in 5th, Mike in 10th and Zack in 11th. Jay cleaned up in the 50+ category with a win on the day and second in the overall series. Great turnout for an awesome course. There aren't many 27 mile single lap mtb races to be had, especially ones that are 90% singletrack!

 

-A podium sweep in the Open/Elite race at the D&Q Summer Sizzler with Dylan in 1st, Jeff in 2nd, Nick in 3rd, Zack in 8th and Mike in 9th. 

-Congratulations to Dylan on the overall win at the Wednesday at Wakefield ( Mike came in third)

-Cam finishes 8th,  US Pro XCT short track event in Vermont... http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/pro-xct-catamount-classic-xc-2013/elite-men-short-track/results

-and 20th in the XC Race 

Medilast Compression Sock Review

Compression socks are some of the things that I had never considered using until our sponsor Medilast sent me some. Now that I've started wearing them, I'm hooked. They have several uses according to the Medilast. You can wear them while training, during recovery or on long car rides (not sure if they suggest that last one but they should).

I wear them when traveling to and from races under my pants or with shorts. As opposed to compression tights that are difficult to take on and off the socks can come on and off easy. Stopping in a rest area and don't want to look like a weirdo with knee high socks, just take them off and put them back on when you get back in the car.

I also wear them after almost every ride or jog I do. I normally have an urge to sit down with my legs up after a ride but that isn't always possible or convenient. Wearing these leg compression socks is the next best thing to laying down. Sometimes I even do both.

I wear them when I know I will be on my feet for a while. Two days ago I got back from a 3-hour ride and my dad asked me to help move furniture to his new place. I threw the tall sock on under my pants and was able to more comfortably stand and work with fatigued legs. I've also used them while working construction. There have been many days when I know I will be on my feet all day painting or hanging dry wall and having the extra support helps. It is another layer of clothing though, so on hot days I don't wear them.

I haven't used the tall compression socks during training or racing (normally its too hot out) but I do use their ankle high short socks. They cover less of the body so they don't do too much as far as aiding in recovery or preventing jarring muscles but they are nice, durable socks with quality elastic. 

I can see how the tall socks would be valuable for runners with the high impact causing muscles to shake and fatigue faster. I have used Medilast arm covers and they are nice on super rocky descents with a lot of jarring for preventing arm fatigue.  They're a little too hot for me for summertime use - I feel a little odd on the first mtb rides of the year not wearing them.  I never thought that arm compression sleeves would help out on a mtb ride, but they definitely help me feel fresher after long rides (they even work well for reducing fatigue on long road rides).

I have used a few pair for 2 yrs now that still feel like new.

For the most part I use the tall socks. I've used several pair for two years (and I wear them a lot); the compression of the material has stayed strong. I have noticed some pilling with the black compression socks. The white ones don't show any sign of age besides looking a little grey, mostly because I don't separate my white when doing laundry. I don't do anything special for washing or drying them, the socks go in the wash with everything else. I'm not sure what the proper procedure is for caring for them (the packaging was all in Spanish).

Medilast has me sold on compression clothing, especially the tall Compression socks. I'd highly recommend their products to anybody if you're looking to recover faster and feel better while racing, training or at work. Here is the link to their website…

http://www.medilast-sport.com/en/welcome.aspx

The black knee high socks are for wearing during exercise, or for recovery (that lump at my ankle is another pair of socks on underneath)

the white knee high socks are tighter and meant for recovery only

ankle high white socks - these feel great for riding

white and black ankle high in package

some pilling after 2 yrs of heavy use

white knee high socks after 2 yrs of use (no pilling - I think they are made from a different material than the black ones, they are a bit tighter too)

sizing info

 Teammates and I use the ankle high socks all the time during races and rides...

Photo credit to Ian McAlexander / ITMexposures.com

Photo credit to Ian McAlexander / ITMexposures.com

Scott Genius 730 Detailed Review

Hardtail race bikes are super fun but you can only do so much on them. A few years ago I transitioned to being an XC/road geek, but there was a time before that when I enjoyed jumping off of things and getting a little rowdy on my bike. Last year I realized how much I missed that and I was determined to get my hands on a bike that would let me have that kind of fun again. When Scott revamped the Genius platform and added a 650b option, I was sold! 

I’m tall, at 6’ 4” and I love my 29er hardtail for XC, but I’ve ridden 29er trail bikes from Specialized, Trek, Giant and others and I didn’t like any of them. For aggressive trail riding and moderate jumps and drops, 29er trail bikes just don’t ride well. It isn’t really a fault of the manufacturers, though. 2.35” tires can make those 29” wheels feel a whole lot larger than they already are, and for me, even at my height, that’s too big. I have owned 26” freeride bikes and I just didn’t like the instability of the small wheel. I have no problem going back and forth between my Genius 650b and Scale 900, whereas I did have a problem going back and forth between my 29er and 26er. 

Onto the bike itself. The 730 is the highest aluminum model and about mid-range overall. My stock XL weighed just under 32lbs with Shimano DX pedals. Not a lightweight, but not terrible either. Smaller sizes are under 30lbs. The SLX/XT parts are solid. Absolutely no problems with anything. Shimano has seriously stepped up their game. Cable routing isn’t internal, but it is routed cleanly. 

I am very partial to Fox suspension and I’m happy with the Talus that comes on the Genius, but I wish it had a larger range of rebound adjustment. Unlike the Fox forks on my other bikes, I can’t get this one to rebound fast enough. I’m 180lbs and run a pretty standard pressure. This is an "Evolution" fork, essentially Fox's new budget line. The fork, otherwise, is damped well and ramps up perfectly to prevent harsh bottoming out. Next year Scott will be using Fox almost exclusively, which I think is fantastic. From my experience with Rockshox, they honestly don’t seem to have a quality control department and you’ll spend more time getting your suspension warrantied than riding.

As for the DT Swiss rear shock, a common complaint is that their shocks don’t have a platform. This is where it gets tricky. A full suspension bike is not a hardtail. There is a lot more going on with a FS bike and you can’t simply look at geometry numbers to understand how it rides. My take on all this is that platform shocks really don’t pedal all that much better than non-platform shocks. I’ve used both a DT and a Fox RP23 on the same bike (for comparison). I’ve used SPV, DHX air and coil and RP3 shocks on other bikes. The main difference I have observed is the small bump compliance you get with non-platform shocks. This bike, combined with the super grippy tires stays glued to the ground. You can corner super hard on this bike, and get low without any slip of the rear wheel. I have yet to bottom the shock or fork, but I've come close (a good thing!). Both the fork and shock work flawlessly with the Twinlock remote. You have a fully open setting, a reduced travel / platform mode for the rear (fork open) and a locked out rear/platform front option. I thought I was a “set and forget it” rider, but the system is honestly so simple and works so well that I use it all the time and it makes pavement stretches and hillclimbs much easier. 

As for the rest of the bike, it has a very solid part spec overall. The wheels are stiff and the front/rear thu-axles are sweet!!! The tires are suuuuper tacky and are real 2.35” (not 2.2’s labeled as 2.35). I changed the stem, however since I could feel some flex up front. You may also want to get a stiffer handlebar depending on what you plan on doing. 

The bike, overall rides well. Aside from the rear suspension, the bike has an XC feel to it. It encourages an upright riding position, even in the “slack mode.” Switching between steep and slack is super easy and only takes a minute. The wheelbase feels about right, perhaps just a tiny bit on the long side, but that translates to stability. The frame isn’t the stiffest, but I need to remind myself that this isn’t a freeride bike. Also keep in mind that I’m 180lbs. I’ve been told that the carbon version is stiffer, so keep that in mind. And, keep your eyes open for the 2014 revamped Genius LT in a 650b flavor. This has been a great bike for technical XC with 4 and 5 foot drops thrown in (with transitions). If that sounds like the kind of stuff you like to do, this bike will be perfect for you. Take the bike for a test ride. Everyone is different but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the Genius 700 lineup!

Race Report - Michaux Endurance Series - Curse of Dark Hollow - 2013

July 21, 2013
Curse of Dark Hollow - 40 Mile Race
Riders: Mike, Jeff
Location: Rocks of central PA
Conditions: Humid, hot, buggy
Result: Jeff, 4th (senior); Mike, 6th (senior)

Mike and I headed to the rocks of Michaux State Forest outside Gettysburg, PA this past weekend for some rock riding at the 40 mile Curse of Dark Hollow.  I'd never been to Michaux before, but it was relatively close to DC and the longer distance format was better for me than going to the US National Championships this weekend and getting pulled in the costly XC event due to the 80% rule given the limited to no training I'd done since early June (wedding and honeymoon).

After an early morning start with a solid waffle/bacon breakfast, I picked up Mike and we headed north.  We got a bit lost trying to find the race venue, but arrived with plenty of time to register and drop off our bags of items that were going to be transported to the aid station at mile 20.

Getting ready for some rocks

The race had the feel of some good-old-time mountain bike racing.  Low key vibe, moto-leaders, good food and beer after the race, a t-shirt for entrants and a hard, hard course.  These are the things that make races great!

Race venue - very low key!

The day was very humid and promised to be hot.  Having not ridden my mtb on any technical terrain since mid-June at the Massanutten Hoo-Ha, I was a bit worried that 40 miles was going to take me a long, long, long time to finish.

I rode my full suspension carbon 29er Spark. It took the edge off some of the punishment the rocks gave out and made it thought the day unscathed. Mike rode his Scale (hartail) with some big Continental X-King 2.4” tires on some wide rim Stan's Flow wheels. The large tire volume added suspension and grip on the rocks and roots.

The 2.2 X-King on the left and the much, much bigger 2.4 X-King on the right

I started out on the first descent well and got into a line of fast riders in around 4th place.  On the first hard climb, we four separated ourselves from the rest of the field, and on the first hard section of rocks, the first three riders separated themselves from me.  I would ride most of the rest of the day on my own.

The trails were somewhat like the Frederick 'Shed.  Loamy soil with rock after rock, all sharp and waiting to destroy your tires, bike and body with a wrong move. But, there were some very fast, and smooth descents (one came about 10-15 miles into the race - an eye blurring rip through the trees) and a bunch of hard packed fire roads.

I was starting to catch up to third place, Brandon Draugelis, one one of the longer fire-road climbs, when my front Conti X-King Protection tire went flat.  It was the first flat I've gotten on one of these tires in two years of beating on them.  The Michaux rocks had put a huge slice in the sidewall.

Luckily, I had a tube of rubberized super glue (this Loctite stuff is great), shoved a ton of glue into the large hole that the Stan's sealant wasn't filling, turned the hole to the bottom of the tire, shook it to get some sealant into the glue and hit it with a CO2.  It held air, and I rode off. (The tire is still holding air today.)

Glue plus Stan's patch worked and kept my tire inflated and running tubeless

One rider, Colin Becker, passed me when I was fixing my tire, and I'd work to catch him for the next 2 hours.  I did finally catch up to him on a long climb, just before we went into what's tagged on Strava as the "Bombing Mad Scientist" descent, where the Michaux Off-Road weekend's Super-D was held earlier in the season.  I lost Colin's wheel when I clipped my bar on a tree at high speed, sending me shoulder first into another tree which stopped me dead.  I took a minute to assess as I was sure I'd dislocated my shoulder (my hand was completely numb and I couldn't feel the handlebars).  I felt it was in place and gingerly set off again.  Later, I found that my new wedding band had taken a big chunk out of my finger (time to stop riding with it on).

I nearly caught Colin while climbing the next section of road, but he was well out of sight on the last long section of singletrack.

The final section of singletrack incorporated a crazy sliding descent into a stream.  I had just about run out of steam at this point, and the hike-a-bike out of the stream valley thereafter finished me off.  I trickled into the finish for 4th in the Senior category and 5th overall (a singlespeed guy went by me in a rock field at light speed - he was flying!!).

Mike came in just a bit later for 6th in the Senior category.

Instant results were available

The race illustration. I believe this is a metaphor for the race... get through the challenge and you're rewarded with pain and some food (a free meal ticket came with the entree fee -- no cup cakes though)

Following the race was lunch and beer on the grass.  A perfect way to end a tough day of bashing through the rocks!

Here's the data from Strava:

In addition to Scott Bicycles, we'd like to thank our other sponsors of the team -- these folks keep us going! 

• Continental Tires - Tires that can handle a ton of abuse
• Optic Nerve - Sunglasses -- Colorado to the Core
• Limar Helmets - The lightest and most comfortable helmets in the world
• Fizik Saddles - Comfortable and light and fit to your body flexibility type
• ESI Grips - Hands down the most comfortable grips int he world
• Zevlin - Makers of fine chamois cream, body care products for cyclists and handlebar tape
• Yokozuna - Ultrapremium shift cables
• Lifeproof - iPhone, iPad and iPod cases that are waterproof, shock proof, dust proof and snow proof, plus the accessories to take your device to the extreme.
• Stan's NoTubes - Tubeless wheels and systems
• Stuffitts - Portable drying solutions to keep your cycling gear dry and smelling good
• Dumonde Tech - Eco Friendly and High Performance lubricants
• The Parts Shoppe - Ceramic bottom brackets, pulleys, bearings and ultra low friction grease
• Medilast - Compression gear for athletes
• VeloInk - Custom graphics for your bike
• Polar Bottle - Keeping your liquids hot or cold
• Strava - Tracking rides and competing against friends
• The Sufferfest - Training videos to kick our asses today so we can beat yours tomorrow!
• Wolftooth Components - Drop-stop chainrings to keep you focused on pedaling, rather than dropped chains

- Jeff

Cam Dodge 3rd at U23 Nationals!

Cam rode a great race today to finish 3rd at the U23 national championships.  An awesome result in the midst of a stellar season.

Here is the race in his words:

Watch more video of 2013 Cross Country National Championships on cyclingdirt.org

Wednesdays at Wakefield (W@W) race #3

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Expert: Jeff Dickey 1^st, Mike Joos 6th

Course: fast, short, and twisty

Weather: high / mid 90’s sunny and humid (so humid, one might have thought you needed gills to breathe properly)

Jeff showed up to this one after being off his bike for month because of his wedding /honeymoon and cleaned up. He won by a minute on a short fast course.

Mike struggled in the heat to get a 6^th place finish. Dylan the reigning W@W points leader skipped this one to be fresh for the National championships this weekend. Good luck to him!

Ian 2nd, Jeff 1st!, Sunny 3rd

Mike

MASS XC #6 - Guy's Bicycles XC Classic - Neshaminy, PA

June 23, 2013

The Guy's XC Classic in Neshaminy sports a twisty course with many short punchy climbs, filled with roots and log stacks. It was a blast to race on these fun trails. The day was hot and humid, making good hydration crucial, and the trails were tacky and fast.

Cam, Dylan and Zack came up to race in the Pro/Open, and Jay competed in the Master's field. Cam Dodge finished in first place- over 4 minutes ahead of 2nd place Aaron Snyder followed closely by Cole Oberman. Dylan said he felt off and may not have eaten enough, but still finished in 4th, and Zack rounded out the top 10.  For the 50 plus race, a hard charging Bob Eichlin took the win, and Jay Dodge had another strong finish in 2nd place. Full results here.

Open Men Podium

Wednesdays at Wakefield Race #2

 

Wednesdays at Wakefield is a race series at Wakefield Park in Annandale Virginia and is a great way for mountain bikers in the DC area to satisfy their racing fix mid week. For the second W@W race Scott Pro Mountain Bike team members Dylan Johnson, Zack Morrey, and Mike Joos came ready to throw down with some of the local competition including Ian Spivack and Dave Weaver.

At the start of the race Zack hammered up the start hill to make it first into the single track followed by Dave, Dylan, and Ian making up the lead group with Mike not far behind. Zack lead the entire first lap setting a good pace. At the end of the first lap Dylan crashed in a rocky creak crossing but quickly got up and rejoined the three leaders.

 

The beginning of the second lap saw some jostling of positions with Dave, Ian, and Dylan passing Zack and then Ian passing Dave to take up the pace making for the group. Later on in the second lap Dylan put in an attack on the open power line section of the course and was able to string out the four man group and break away leaving Ian in second, Dave in third, and Zack in fourth. Meanwhile Mike was creeping through the field making his way up to fifth place by the end of the race making for three Scott Pro Mountain bike riders in the top five!