Racing to the Races

Three months traveling and training in South America has been an amazing yet unusually challenging way to start the race season.  Nice to feel our Spanish skills improving, or in the least, the inhibitions of communicating with what we know have been lowered!  This time of intense dedication to the sport has seen Mary and I seldom in one place for a solid week making for demanding logistics and a challenge to stay grounded.  However, our racing adventures have served as great fitness preparation as we get into the heart of the season.   

Mary has continued on with her successful cross country campaign, most recently taking a pair of second place finishes in Chilean National series races.  The first at the Copa Cannondale (UCI xco1) that was contested on Cerro San Cristobal  - a bone dry, rocky and technical metropolitan park above the sky rises of Santiago.   The next Copa Chile (UCI xco2) in the close quarters single tracks that riddle the tiny observatory park in Curico.    

Chile has some well run XC races with fantastic courses and heavy international competition this year! 

Mary, Raiza (Brasil) & Fernanda (Chile)

I have been fully involved with the XC racing throughout the past few months and recently felt the need for a committed swap to the Enduro bike.  Consistently riding the bike that you plan to race is an important part of having your best day and I needed to get some specific time on my big bike to get back in the groove for the opening rounds of the Enduro World Series (EWS) in Chile and Argentina. 

Having spent the entirety of the season on my light weight but rugged dropper post equipped Spider Comp 29s prepared me well for the enduro racing. 

Fitness training is not always the priority when it comes to preparing for Enduro and due to our commitment to XC I have found myself a bit shy of training some of the technical aspects that are important to success in the sport.  I am looking forward to spending more time specifically in these areas but in the mean time I feel really lucky that my enduro ride, Intense's Carbine 29 is nothing short of confidence inspiring.  I know that as long as I can hold on, the bike will allow me to handle whatever comes my way! 

The EWS round one was held in the small port town of Corral, Chile, just a short boat ride from Valdivia.  The unique coastal range here is made up of steep, lushly forested hills stocked with world class riding potential.   The trail builders made great use of the existing network of well established chute like paths that have been carved into the hills by the local logging practice that utilizes oversize cattle to drag tree trunks out of the forest for processing.  The dank jungly feel, coupled with the excellent mix of volcanic topsoil,  almost virgin to the mountain bike, but intact with flavorful flow made for some incredible riding.  

The event started with training on Thursday and Friday when riders pedaled long transfer sections in order to access the timed sections (special stages).  This made  for some pretty big days on the enduro bikes and time for little more than a single pass on each of the weekends 6 "specials".  I really appreciated the pedaling only format as it kept the playing field level while allowing a relaxed opportunity for athletes to ride together while getting to know the intricacies of this incredible area by bike.  The no shuttling rule also served to keep things as tranquil as possible in town considering the hundreds of riders which all but overwhelmed the streets on bikes alone.       

I set up my Carbine 29er with Kenda's Nevegal 2.2's and kept pressures in the low 20's for increased traction in the tricky conditions.  It is important to have solid equipment as well as knowledge of how to set things up to inspire confidence in a wide variety of conditions. 

The racing went really well for me throughout the whole weekend, I was especially happy to defy the odds by not going down too hard or too often throughout the long and physically demanding "specials".   I focused on big efforts whenever it was possible to put power to the pedals in order to take pressure off the feeling of needing to push over my limits in the considerable technical pieces.  The racing was heated and the times were tight so I was really stoked to make the podium (3rd) while sticking to my plan focused on steady, clean riding!

Stoked to rock 3rd in the EWS season opener in the Masters 40+ 

I shook off the post race sore and tired feeling at first light on Monday morning by scoring a memorable surf session.  I had kept an eye on this special break throughout the week hoping the swell and conditions would line up for some time in the water after the race.  Surfing is never a definite and this fickle rock filled wave requires more specific conditions than most.  I felt very lucky to get some solid waves considering the tight window of possibility before we had to move onto the next mission.  

An ultra rare Chilean right hander

Logistics took up the rest of the day as we packed up Mary's equipment for a week with the US National Team in Catamarca, Argentina where she would compete at the Pan American Championships.  At the same time I carefully assembled my gear for the next round of the EWS in Bariloche.  It felt strange to be heading in separate directions for the first time in a while but we both knew that we were headed to where we needed to be.  

I dropped Mary off at the Valdivia airport for her solo adventure to her 13th Pan Ams and continued my drive two hours south to Osorno to possy up with my good friends and traveling partners for the week.  

Claus Plaut packing up…all our gear!

We crammed my gear onto the top of an already packed team truck and headed through a low point the incredible Andes directly on to the impressive mountain city of Bariloche.  Arriving just at sunset was a spectacle crowned by Cerro Catedral's impossibly jagged peaks scraping a dusty pink star filled sky.  Though were just 6 or so hours from last week's venue this was an all together different land and would prove to be a much different event as well.  

The mornings in Bariloche started below freezing, a thick frost adding discomfort and a fresh unseasonable beauty to the mountain scene.  As promised the EWS tracks in Bariloche were more akin to the Downhill side of the Enduro spectrum. The majority of the tracks would take advantage of the resort mountain where gondolas allowed access to the mountains exceptional upper reaches.

The Catedral mountains proved to be beyond beautiful and full of uniquely difficult riding. The biggest challenge for me were the visual aspects, as in "what the hell are we even riding on"  since  much of the ultra technical terrain was blanketed in a thick layer of gravelly dust. The track changed so drastically with each passing run that the lines you thought you had just dialed in might very well now be churned into airborne powder leaving only bike swallowing ruts and tremendous braking bumps at most every corner, steep or transition. 

This was the type of riding that most would not consider fun as it dramatically pushed the body and equipment to the limit.  It did however make an amazing arena for competition!  I immediately reached for all the protective gear I had on hand, lowered tire pressures, raised my bar, and borrowed some goggles cause Cerro Catedral was no place to be rocking sun glasses. 

Pedaling sections were few and far between and finding the survival line was in many cases the priority over the fast line.  Stories of chaos included riders loosing crashed bikes in the deep duff, a good deal of rarely seen equipment issues due to the uniquely horrendous conditions and of course a constant banter about the most appropriate way to attempt the countless challenging pieces.  Riders battled the choking sand, gasping  through blinding face shots of dust, burrs poking through every piece of clothing, and debris that shot skyward like shrapnel and packed into every orifice, avioli and bronchiole tube brought anywhere near the event.

This DH heavy format in Bariloche didn't necessarily play to my strengths so I was really happy to get through safe and fast enough to find my way back onto the podium (3rd once again) after such an incredibly demanding weekend!   

These vastly different EWS weekends served as a reminder of the great diversity found in Enduro competition!  The need for physical conditioning and technical skill  vary greatly from event to event.   The terrain alongside the open interpretation of Enduro rules ensures that riders' skills, strengths and weakness will be revealed and tested at each event.  Most will find the chance to learn or find areas to improve on as well as race on something that suits their style when the right track comes around. 

We managed to rally together some pretty fine meals (Me, Claus, Junior and Thomas)

We stayed up way too late BBQing into the night after the ceremony finished, adrenaline in full swing and happy to have had successful experiences pushing our limits in Bariloche.  

We somehow managed to make the early morning border crossing the next day within a couple of minutes of it's opening alongside much of the bleary eyed and still visibly pumped EWS crew that were returning to Chile to get on with the next leg of their journey.  

It was a Testament to the energy giving power of Guayaki Yerba Mate as well as the entire box of podium chocolate that I consumed on my 12 hour (1000km) solo drive back from Osorno to Santiago.  Mary and I were happily reunited in the city sometime around 2am and stayed up far later laughing at the happenings and recounting stories that brilliantly colored both our weekends.  

Mary confidently building and tuning her bike while doing everything possible to recover from travel induced cramping issues to finally get her body on form and dial in the course only just in time for the event.  Even finding the time to step outside the chaos to experience something of the culture of Catamarca, bust out an inspired Ave Maria testing the acoustics in an ancient cathedral, and by chance having her bike blessed by some local Dominican nuns!   Woa now, not really sure this is within the rules! ;-)

Hermana Marta y Esperanza excited to hear about what Mary was doing in Catamarca...

Mary racing Intense Cycles Spider Comp 29 with Kenda Tires Small Block 8s - Pan AMs 2016

Super proud of Mary for her 4th place finish at Pan American Continental Championships - an event  that has been a favorite for our team since we made it to our first one in Ecuador 2004 and since has remained high on the priority list no matter our plans for the reminder of the season.  Racing on foreign soil always seems to bring memorable experiences.  We  love the adventure of travel and riding in new places, and especially meeting up with the local people and bike tribe wherever we go.  There is also something very special about racing in the American colors and so publicly and nationalistically representing the country, something that Mary seems to do like no other!

We woke up the next morning and jetted out of the city to our preferred spot on the central Chilean coast.  Here we have only a few days to tie up loose ends, store equipment and say goodbye to our friends until our already planned journey back here next year.  It's now time to pack up the XC bikes and fly to Cairns, Australia for the opening round of the  Cross Country World Cup!    

Stoked to continue on with the next steps of this world wide mission!   Huge thanks to all that are helping to make this our reality! 

Mike and Mary

Team KENDA - Intense

Beautiful quaint port town of Corral Chile even had a boat named for Mike

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