Loving the technical downhills...and the only time I could keep up with Cannon!

On Wed, we began our two day journey in and out of Alberta beef country. The singletrack was rugged with big views of rolling green hills and lots of cows. Apparently the cows dig the trails as much as we do which was evidenced by the amounts of droppings along the way. The combination of cattle trails mixed with rain made for some epic cyclocross training. Attempting to ride this section was pure comedy but we kept trying as that seemed a better option to running through muck that was almost knee deep in spots. The jewel at the end of these two days was finishing at Little Elbow Camp with huge hail-capped peaks surrounding us.

After a great night of sleep by the river, we were stoked for day six and what appeared to be the toughest stage of the race. Coming from CO, I felt we were ready for whatever the high country had to throw at us. It had rained most of the night and the starting area was empty until just before the ACDC (our daily start music) kicked in. I checked out everyone’s gear choice for the day and was second guessing my light and fast setup. All was good up and down the first climb of the day. We made it through CP1 and were one of twenty teams that were allowed over the high pass. We were soaked to the core when we finally donned our rain coats and we didn’t warm up at all on the climb. The top of the pass hit us with harsh winds and rain blowing sideways. We were hanging in there until we had to stop at the top to fix my flat tire at which time I realized I’d ripped the cleat out of my shoe. From there it was survival mode getting to CP2 where there was warmth and shelter.

At CP2 the staff had a warming tent and hot drinks for the weathered riders. I was shaking rather violently and was sent to the front of a U-Haul truck with the heater blasting. This went on for over an hour. In the meantime, Cannon scored a shoe for me from another racer that was dropping out of the stage and our bodies warmed up enough to get back on course. So, we lost an hour and a half but it was one of those days I was thankful we were able to finish and still hold third place. The trails we rode that day were spectacular nonetheless and I hope to ride them again in fairer weather.

The last day was a parade lap for many teams that were pretty set with their overall positions in the race. It was a rolling singletrack ride into the Nordic center in Canmore. This was familiar territory as it was a world cup venue in the late nineties and one of my favorites on the circuit. We arrived at the finish soon after greeted by our support guy and a couple of Kokanees.

To sum up my experience, I would say that the Transrockies was a bigger challenge than I was expecting and I think this had a lot to do with the weather and my taking that for granted. The organizers had us covered though and didn’t miss a beat. Hot showers in the middle of the backcountry, bike wash setup, great variety of food, and strong coffee takes a lot of planning and they had it dialed.

G and Cannon at award banquet small

I would like to give a shout out to our competitors: Mical Dyck/ Jeff Neilson (first place) and Wendy Simms/Norm Thibault (2nd place) who rode strong and hard the entire week. They were friendly on and off the course and were happy to give us beta when needed. Thanks to our support guy Andy Keck and Larry at Tokyo Joe’s who has been sponsoring cycling teams for over a decade. Most importantly I’d like to thank my super-talented, patient and humble partner Cannon Shockley who helped make this race a truly unforgettable experience.

G&C crossing the rio. Yup the guy in the middle lost his bike.

Day two: Wicked fast descent, eh?

On stage two we rode to the start with blue skies to match our fresh blue leader’s jerseys. Our plan of coming here to ride and have fun has taken a competitive twist now that we have the lead. I expected we might have another good day after reading the course description. We started with a 30k climb to a super sweet single track descent that dropped 3,000 feet in under 4 miles At one point a gentleman told me “you might want to walk from here” but we ignored his advice and continued the rip session.

Cannon set a nice pace on the rollers on the way back and all I had to do was hang onto his wheel. We met up with the Honey Stinger boys from CO and it was nice to chat with them between breaths to the finish. The second place team was within sight of us for most of this second day but we managed to put another almost two minutes on them by the end.

We have been making the most of our afternoons once we are done racing and cleaning bikes. Yesterday, we stopped along the Elk River for lunch, libations, a swim, and a siesta. The race itself has been a bit of work but the afternoons are relaxing and fun. We had a great turkey dinner from the locals in Elkford last night and the hospitality all around has been remarkable.

Day three: Gettin’ served…

Today we have discovered that it’s a lot easier to lose a 3 minute lead than to gain it. I figured it would be a tough day as we started with a 40km power line road ride. We were in a pack of at least 40 and it was stressful. As the pack whittled down, Cannon helped me out by pushing me up the hills whenever I dropped from the pack. After the big ring session, we were on and off of our bikes, hiking up steep terrain overgrown with willows. This went on for probably two hours and was a bit demoralizing.

Our competitors were well up the road at this point. I was having a rough go of it today and we had to shift into damage control. Cannon helped as much as he could by taking some of the weight from me and pushing when he could. We finally made it to the top of the pass and took in the view as best as we could through spinning heads and muddy glasses. We started into what we thought was a 15km downhill that was actually more rolling with more hiking, polished off by a flat tire and a wrong turn. The finish line couldn’t have come any sooner today!

So, today wasn’t our day to shine, but that’s mountain bike racing. We are now at a camp spot in remote Etherington Creek , showered, recovering, and hoping for a grizzly sighting. We remain optimistic about the race and will enjoy the days ahead and the rest of our time in Canada.

Shockley/Reeves report from Transrockies:

After almost three days of driving, Cannon and I made it from Colorado to lovely Fernie, British Columbia and the start of the Transrockies stage race. We had a great trip up in the camper, stopping along the way to ride and dip into a couple of lakes where the water is pleasantly warmer than our lakes in CO. Our favorite stop was Whitefish, MT where we hit up some newly built trails and camped at a spot called Beaver Lakes. Cannon reminded me that we were now in grizzly country and that I should be cautious with our leftovers. Don’t want to lure the bears in the camper with all the crumbs that seem to end up on my hoody!

We pulled into Fernie Saturday afternoon and met up with our support person, Andy Keck, also from CO. He will be bumping the “house on wheels” along for us and helping us keep the bikes together. Registration was a breeze and we got some pretty sweet stuff in our goody bags which our moms will be excited to hear.

The first thing I checked out were the stats of the race to see what kind of terrain we will be up against for the next week. The course will take us from Fernie to Canmore, travel a distance of 250 miles, and climb over 40,000 feet. This is a shorter distance than in previous years; however, this year’s version will be more technical with larger percentage of singletrack. Looks like we picked a great year to do it!

Andy was on weather detail and the report was 75 and sunny for our first stage. We started to doubt this as we fell asleep last night to the pitter patter of rain turning into meatballs at times. We awoke to the same sound this morning and figured the weather man was either a little loopy or perhaps just optimistic. At any rate, it was time to get psyched up for some mud.

After a Slovakien warm-up (this is where you sit in the car with the heater on until it’s time to line up), we headed to the start line. The first stage was a time trial and something about the beeping clock as it counts down to the start makes me nervous. This quickly went away as we headed out onto the course. It was as if Cannon and I were on one of our regular weekend rides, only this one was a little faster. The first climb went from steep to steeper to where you start thinking the course markers are playing a joke on you.

The good news is that the descent was just as steep. And with the fresh coat of rain on the trails, I felt like I was back in my Georgia roots, literally. Cannon was gentlemanly enough to let me take this one first and we had a sweet ride down. The remainder of the ride was rolling, technical singletrack with a side of mud. Super-sized mud, in every crevice of your bike and body, and 3 hair-washings later there is still a little more mud. It’s like that Moab dust that you still have in your car from last October. Mountain biking rules!

We did manage to slip past the other coed teams that started in front of us and found ourselves at the top of the podium today. The times are very close and we expect there will be a good battle with our competitors throughout the week. Stay tuned for our take on the race and some photos later this week!

Gretchen Reeves Courtesy of Denver Post

AVON — By most societal measures, it takes 18 years to become an adult. That’s the generally accepted maturing process, anyway, give or take.

So it stands to reason that some 18 years into her pro mountain biking career, Tokyo Joe’s team rider Gretchen Reeves finds herself shifting gears and focusing on grown-up goals such as careers and relationships and seven-day, 250-mile stage races across the Canadian Rockies.

Read the Denver Post Article

Hello Tokyo Joe’s team supporters!
Our team had an INCREDIBLE weekend of racing.

Day One: started with Lindsay Dye taking her first podium in the Category 2, girls 15-16 age group. This is her first season of racing, she’s going to be a name to look for in the future.

Tokyo Joe’s had three girls in the Category 1, 17-18 race. Wesley Geer was our top finisher, taking the fourth step on the podium. Ellen Patton and Ellie Atkins both finished in the top ten. All three girls will race this group again next year too.

Day Two: U23 men and women. We had five racers and four finished on the podium! Lydia Tanner in her second year racing U23 finished second. In her first year racing U23, Jill Behlen earned a podium spot, taking fourth. Lydia is sending in her petition to be on the World Championship team and will know in a week or so. The men also turned in great races with Mitch Hoke finishing fourth, Matt Beaton was fifth and Brae Patton finished in the top 15.

Day Three: age-group classes and professional cross-country.
Rus Kappius started the day on a great note taking the National Championship in the 50-55 age group. Congratulations Rus!

The pro women’s race saw 32 of the nations top races take the line. Tokyo Joe’s had three contenders: Erin Huck, Chloe Forsman and Heather Szabo. Erin had her best National Championship finish, taking 9th. Heather managed to finish 24th. And unfortunately Chloe had to drop out due to back pain.

The pro men’s field had nearly 90 racers and Tokyo Joe’s had two: Jay Henry and Pete Stetina. After the first lap both were in the top 20. By the midway point, both were in the top 12. Coming into the last half lap of the race, Jay had secured 10, but even more exciting was Pete in the final podium position! This is Pete’s first year racing in the senior race, being only 23 years old.

We had 15 racers compete this weekend; 12 finished in the top ten, with eight finishing in podium positions. What a weekend!

Congratulations to our newest National Champion Rus and Pete, Jay, Erin and all the Tokyo Joe’s team members who competed at the National Championships.

Thanks to all of you for the fantastic support of our team. We are really proud of what everyone has accomplished and couldn’t do it without you.

Heather & Pete

The firecracker 50 on 4th of July is a perplexing race. On onehand you have barbeque, beer, parades, and other American festivities; onthe other side you 50 miles of sweet racing, 11,200 ft of elevation gain,and a super stacked pro mtb field.

I was super pumped to start this race and see where I could place with names like JHK, Jeremiah Bishop, Sam Shultz and Dave Weins at the start line. I think I was a bit too eager as seemed to race like it was a normal XC. I ended up in fast a group of Colin Cares, Sam Shultz and myself. I totally blew my legs trying to hang with these guys on the first lap. I think I came around the first lap in 6th or 7th place with Weins and Bishop.

The second lap was damage control I think I dropped around 10 places but due to difficult course I finished 12th. Not the top ten I was hoping for but I gave it my all.

I was proud to see teammate and road superstar Pete Stetina up there with JHK and Sam for most of the race until a rock snapped his frame. Teammate Gretchen Reeves came in at a very impressive 4th place so congrats to her!

Next year the Firecracker won’t be Marathon Nationals, but it will still be an epic race with all the festivities to go along.

Tokyo Joe’s leading the charge up the start climb:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/us-marathon-national-championships-firecracker-50-cn/photos/128986

http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100712/SPORTS/100719978/1077&ParentProfile=1058

From Rus, after the Firecracker 50.

Not what you wanted to hear, but I broke my rear derailleur and had to DNF. I tried and tried to get something to work, and even turned my bike into a singlespeed. But in the end I just couldn’t get it to go.

So I limped home with my tail between my legs. I was about 20 minutes ahead in the lead, half way around the second lap when it happened. My 1st lap split was 2:01 and the dude that ended up winning my group won with about a 4:40. Crap.

OK, get the bike fixed up, head to Sol Vista and get some revenge. Sound like a plan?

Here’s this week’s report: Crested Butte.

To start, my wish to race with the 19-29s wasn’t granted, as when I got my number plate I saw I was put in with the 50+. And since it was only about 30 minutes before the start I didn’t have time to try to convince the USA Cycling official on the category change. So it was what it was. I lined up with the 50+ group, watching six waves go off ahead of me, all well knowing we were hitting tight singletrack within a few minutes. Once we were off I took the lead about half way up the first hill, trying not to push too hard but at the same time get to the singletrack first. I passed a few younger riders before the singletrack but lined up behind a bunch of them as we entered. I was able to pick off some as we navigated the technical areas but tried to be patient and bide my time. Once we hit the open road I made a few more spots.

I knew I was riding well when I caught Stephen White from Vail and he told me he was leading the 40-49s. Hmmm, 1 hour in and I’m two minutes ahead of the 40s leader. Not bad. After four hours of racing I ended up winning my group by just a bit under 30 minutes. Top five fastest Cat 1 times, and I had to pass a bunch more guys than most of them. I feel like I’m getting set up for the Firecracker 50 just right.

Did my last set of VO2 max intervals this morning, let that settle in and time to bring my A game to Sunday’s national championships.

I’m ready: bring it.

On June 13th, we raced in Albstadt, Germany. When we pre-rode the course everything was all totally rideable except for one section. It might have been rideable but Wesley and I watched Ellie crash super hard on it and that kind of psyched us out a little bit, so we were planning on running that section.

It rained the entire night before our race so the course was really muddy and really slick. It felt like the start in Germany was much faster than the start in Champery. I was off the back when we started but I passed a few girls on the first climb. The section that Ellie crashed on was the first downhill and when we got there everyone was running the first part of it. I tried to get back on about halfway down it and I slipped in the mud and got my leg rapped around some of the tape.

On the first lap, I only crashed twice. On one crash I bent my stem off to the left, but it wasn’t too bad so I didn’t stop to fix it. On the second lap it started to rain a little bit but not too bad. I was not having too much fun on that second lap. I was really hoping I would get lapped. I am glad I didn’t though because on the third lap I started to have more fun.

The first climb of the lap was packed with people. It was like riding in the Tour. It also started to rain really hard on the third lap so the course was even slicker than before. I think on the third lap I must have crashed at least eight times. I fell once and bent my stem off to the right, so I was all used to riding with it to the left but now it was off to the right, so I had to stop and fix it. I got lapped finally so I didn’t have to go out for a fourth lap which, even though I was having a lot of fun on that last lap, I wasn’t too bummed about. I ended up 18th place.