Back to Mountain Bike Roots – Lock 4 Challenge

When Armondo suggested I join him and Justin for a mountain bike relay race, I swallowed my tongue.  It had been years since I’d ridden trails, and it certainly wasn’t a race.  So, in my signature haphazard form, I said, “Let’s do it!”

The race was set for Lock 4 Park in Gallatin, Tennessee, and I came to find out the trails are maintained by the “Lock 4 Trailblazers” who could not have been happy when they saw our team name, the “Lock 4 Falcons.”

The Lock 4 Falcons

Regardless, the “Blazers” put together a bitch of a course* full of rocky climbs, tight turns, and three hill white knuckler of a roller coaster.

Of course, I had no idea what was waiting.  I’d never ridden the course, nor had I ridden the new Gary Fisher mountain bike I bought off a dude on Craigslist two days before the race.  It was a big, enticing mystery that had me running for cover and peaking behind the black curtain at once.  I was shaking in my toe clips and eager to unveil talents from my hidden past.

So, here I was back on a mountain bike ready to soar into the unknown world of Lock 4.  Armondo (aka The Red Wolf) started the relay with a solid 55 minute loop and I waited by the gate for Justin to complete his.  The minute I saw his red shirt emerge from the woods, my heart screamed to get out.  It was on, and all I could do was hope I hadn’t forgotten how to handle roots, trees, rocks, and random animals.

I was off, and luckily alone, on the single track.  I started slowly, but it didn’t take long to remember.  I was dialed in, but it not comfortable to be racing a course when you have no idea what is coming.

I tore through the first mile or so with no problem.  There were a few tight turns, but nothing that put fear in my belly.  I curled around a bend, then tore into a straight away that immediately dropped over a seemingly endless hill of roots.

“Trust the bike.  Trust the bike.”

I was feeling it now.  I knew how to find a line and explode through the bottom.  I felt good.  I was back!

Then I came around a corner and saw a short steep hill which I climbed, then immediately dropped straight down off the backside.  It was almost like a cliff, but rolled right into another steep 12 foot climb, then off the back edge again, straight down.  There were three of these in a row and I was freaking out.  Maybe I wasn’t back!

I pressed on.

Other than hitting the breaks with ridiculous frequency, I felt like I was making good time.  I ripped into a badass banked bridge that you needed to hit hard or fall in the water, nailed several jumps, and took in unbelievable scenery along the lake.  I felt good, maybe even like I would keep us in the game with an Armondo-like 55 minutes loop.

I hadn’t seen another rider the whole time until I crept up behind a guy in a gray jersey.  I rode his back wheel for what seemed like miles, but he kept pulling away on the downhills.  He told me it was his third lap and delivered a crushing blow when I asked if we were almost done.

“Uh, yeah.  Only 3 and a half miles left.”

I sucked it up and gave everything I had to get by him for the next half mile or so, then I saw an opening on a short climb.  I stood off my seat and dug in to pass him when I heard a loud clang.  Suddenly I was spinning my wheels and not moving.  My chain broke with 3 miles to go.

Now, I have absolutely zero technical skills with fixing shit and a bike is no exception.  I watched as the guy in front of me pulled away while I went backwards down the hill.  Back in the day, I would have thrown in the towel and walked it back, but somehow the newly reformed triathlete in me saw the challenge.

Instinctively I jumped off my bike and started running it toward the finish line.  If I had a downhill, I’d hop on and coast as far as I could, reaching out with my leg to push off trees or rocks or whatever I could use as leverage.  On the flats I put my left foot on the left pedal and pushed with my right foot like I was riding a skateboard.  I was a man possessed and treated the experience like I was doing a brick.**

It was a never ending trail and one by one riders called out “passing on your left” as I sheepishly stepped to the side.  There were 5 in all and everyone asked if I was okay.  I chugged along with my feet flopping like a walrus and said I was fine.

It was not an easy task, but I wanted to win and felt like my time to that point was pretty solid.  I slid down hills, climbed over rocks, and skate-biked my way to the end where I had a calculated “look of disgust” just to make sure everyone knew the trail didn’t beat me.

I ran my bike around the loop and passed the baton to Armondo.  It was a stirring moment, and as mad as I was, I really felt good about being able to run that trail, let alone with a 30 pound bike in tow.***

Armondo knocked out another nice lap at around 54 minutes and a nice gentleman gave me a hand with my chain.  I would get one more lap to prove my prowess, but not before I had a couple beers with my new friend Liz, who has done Ironman Wisconsin twice and dished out loads of actionable information (that I may or may not share with the Fab Five).

Justin made it through his second lap and I was off again.  This time, no surprises other than I nearly clipped a deer in mid-air as I channeled my “inner Lock 4 Falcon” off the five foot rock jump.  I was amazed at how strong my legs have become from all the training and truthfully didn’t get all that tired.

I split the trail exit and spun around the loop where Armondo was waiting with a camera. I slowly glided in his direction, posing big time for the camera before jumping off my bike.  I high fived my Falcon teammates and the guy at the timing table yelled out, “Hey buddy, you might want to cross the damn finish line!”

Post script:  The Lock 4 Falcons took home 2nd Place medals in the “Doing this for fun” division.

* After a little research I noticed that several bikers scored this course “fast” and not very technical.  So, I guess that makes me a wuss.

** A brick triathlete lingo for combining two events at once in training.  In this case, bike and run.

*** The bike/run lap ended up being 1:01 and my second lap was just over 55 minutes.  

5 Replies to “Back to Mountain Bike Roots – Lock 4 Challenge”

    1. Thanks, man. I tried your suggestion this morning (1,000 instead of 1,500) and it felt good. I didn’t really know how to gauge my pace, so the first 100 I swam without pulling much at all… then I pulled… then I increased stroke pace on the third without much pull… then I cranked the fourth set. I suppose I should get a watch? Any thoughts?

      1. Absolutely – if your pool doesn’t have a pace clock, you should get a watch now that you’re taking steps into interval training. The times won’t matter so much initially, but it’s good to be aware of them. How did you feel about adding some faster swimming? Different than your 1500s before? Good job, btw!!!

        1. Yeah, they have a normal clock and I can’t see it to save my life. I felt pretty good with swimming faster and can totally see how it’s necessary to get that into my head. Do you have a watch recommendation?

          1. I do not have a watch recommendation. I used to wear glasses but I’ve had my vision corrected and seeing the pace clock is not an issue for me. I have a generic water proof timex that I wear when there isn’t a pace clock available, but I don’t really like swimming with watches or jewelry on… so I can’t really help you on this one. It is really up to you.

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