Jan 05 2010

Hangover Hare Scramble

I was at the Hangover Hare Scramble in Romney, WV on Jan 3, 2010. The day started out cold. I mean cold. Like really bloody cold. Did I mention it was windy … and cold. During the 2 hour drive out there I was seeing 11 degrees as the temperature. The winds were gusting to about 35 mph. Steady at probably 15-20 mph. This was not a friendly way to wake up and have to load the truck.

So the registration line was fairly short. But it was still painful. Everybody was huddled and wondering what they were doing trying to ride in the cold conditions. There was snow and ice everywhere. I saw guys trying to ride in the parking area. It wasn’t pretty. They were sliding everywhere. No traction to be had.

Luckily, I had been watching the forecast and reading the web site. They had said that ice studs or screws were going to be allowed. So I had done a bit of research and was sporting about 550 half inch screws in the knobbies of my tires. Traction was decent enough to ride. Yes, you were going to be on a bike sliding a bit, but it was controllable.

There was some confusion at the start as to which row I was supposed to be on. So I started off almost a minute after the row had started. Oh well, it’s a two hour race.

After stalling a couple of times I got into a rhythm, sorta. The deep snow was giving me fits. But before long we were off into the wooded sections. Here was a mix of everything. Frozen dirt, snow, icy, berms, hills, etc. I was getting faster as the race went along.

The screws were doing very well for traction in most of the course. I was being careful to not spin the back end much. I didn’t want to tear them up and have no traction at all. By the second lap I was lapping guys from the classes who didn’t stud their tires. I really pitied them. It really was a slippery course.

On lap 4, I got blocked going up a rocky hill. Right in the steep rocky section. By now I’ve already beaten up the earth with my body a couple of times. I’m hurting and tired. The screws are starting to round off or be ripped out. Sadly, the hill did them in for the most part.

After the hill, I was basically in survival mode with little traction. Once I crossed the finish line, I called it a day. I could have tried to go for another lap, but I was tired, dehydrated (my camelbak line froze solid on my back … no fluids for me for the race). 4 laps is my total … I think. By the end I was getting a bit hazy.

I pulled in and quickly loaded the bike in the back of the truck. Then I sat in the truck and started it for warmth. Eventually, I changed out of my sweaty clothes and was ready for the 2 hour trip home.

The ending temperature for the day — a balmy 16 degrees. Same 20 – 35 mph winds blowing. Amazingly enough, I wasn’t really cold when I was riding. I was moving and working enough that I was actually sweating. I never overheated despite wearing a t-shirt, long-sleeved riding shirt, sweatshirt, and regular jacket. Usually, I just wear a t-shirt and riding shirt. 6 hours later and I’m still hurting from this ride. It took a lot out of me.

Side Notes:

Tire Screws – Cheap and readily available at your local hardware store. I spent about $25 for 600 of them. Great for traction … for a while. Don’t spin your tires and they’ll last longer!!!

Foot and Hand Heating Pads – Available in WalMart in the hunting area. The foot ones kept my feet perfectly warm all day long. The hand ones were decent as well, just not quite as good as the foot ones. I’ve ridden in cold events before. Usually, your feet get pretty chilly despite the activity. This time my feet were perfectly warm the whole time. Good stuff!!!

Camelbak – Evidently, on cold events you need to keep it inside of a layer of clothing or jacket to keep it warm enough to flow. Lesson learned.

The Pace – I tried to ride well within my normal pace given the lack of traction. When I tried to get too frisky is when I did the gumby tumble. Both shoulders are now reminding me this is not good.

categories Racing | Steve Keener | 05 January 2010 |

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