The other day I was able to hit the “Submit” button for registration to the Blue Ridge Adventures 2019 Pisgah Stage Race. The Excitement level was extremely high. This will be my 2nd time starting the race which I feel like is always a big difference for me. Knowing on some level what to expect from the event really helps my comfort level. The Pisgah Stage Race is also a great opportunity to take part in a world class event where a lot of the logistics aren’t too terribly complex for me. There are even two stages that I will just ride my bike to the start from my house.

Last year

Last year I was sort of a late entry, the stars kind of aligned a few weeks before the race and I was able to get in. I was sort of targeting an event a few weeks after the Stage Race so I was in OK shape. I had nowhere near the level of fitness I had for the Breck Epic in 2017 but I was going to survive. Regardless of my fitness level I was pretty excited to have the opportunity to be part of the race. I ride Pisgah a lot but most of the racing I’ve done is longer endurance races and the stage race has more of 25-35 mile courses that aren’t excessively long. It is 5 days of racing back to back in Pisgah so it’s rough but each day is pretty manageable.

On the first stage last year, less than 30 minutes into the stage, I was standing on the pedals to power up a steep rooty section when something popped. I almost flew over the handlebars. I thought I caught something in the wheel…spokes were clear…turn the crank…no good…rear axle isn’t aligned…try to tighten…it just spins…hmmm…pull it out…there are no threads….WHAT???…anyhow the rear axle had sheared off in the frame. So I walked it out from there and DNF’d on the first stage. The rest of the week was good, I had a good day or two, another tough day, but nothing catastrophic. I ended up as the 4th Single Speed on the week almost clawing my way back onto the SS overall podium. I had a great time though, met some amazing folks, pushed my limits, and had the itch to come back again.

Preparation

This year I had tentatively planned on riding the Pisgah Stage Race again and set my “training” up to target that race. I use quotes around training since it’s kind of hit or miss depending on a lot of factors. However I do find that for me (at this point in my life) training is kind of fun and helps keep me motivated when I otherwise might procrastinate away ride time (and I never regret an excuse for riding). I talked a lot with Katie about it and after a while we couldn’t come up with a good reason not to do it so I got the green light.

With about 3 1/2 weeks left before the event the “training” has gone ok. I haven’t been able to do it all but I’ve tried to keep the critical workouts. I’ve had the chance to put in a few pretty solid efforts and they’ve largely gone well. We’ve been dealing with some critical family health issues recently which has made trying to get a few of the big rides I had planned tough. At the end of the day training for a bike race is insignificant when it comes to being there for family, there will always be another bike race.

With those recent challenges, I’ve spent a lot more time with the trainer than I’d care to admit but that’s how it goes sometimes. When things get tough I really like to find some time to bury myself if a killer ride or workout. Right now I find myself needing to take care of as much as possible with the kids and time away is not available. Which means the only way to get that buried in a workout is on the trainer at 5 am. All and all though I’m feeling relatively ok with my fitness given my constraints.

Equipment

As far as the equipment goes. I’m going to be riding my SS Salsa Timberjack Ti again. This is the bike I rode last year and rode for the Breck Epic in 2017. It’s my favorite bike I’ve owned by a pretty good margin. This year I’ve made a couple changes to trim it down a little. I switched out the fork for a Fox Stepcast 34, which so far has been amazing. I’m going to swap over the Carbon XO crankset onto it and possibly put a power meter on there for a little while. Lastly, it got a Fox Transfer dropper post last year, which has been a dream to use.

I’ve got a few maintenance items to take care of on my bike and while I really do like doing my own work these may end up over at Sycamore Cycles. I’m also going to have them go over my bike for me before the race, just to get a second set of eyes on it. I’ve also got a new set of tires to get mounted up. The plan right now is to go with a 2.35 Ikon/2.2 Ikon, I know there are a lot of folks who aren’t huge fans of the Ikon out there, but it’s served me really well over the years.

All and all I’m really looking forward to the race, hanging out with my mountain bike family for the week, and testing my limits.