ORAMM 2011 (Matt guest blogging)

I am mostly writing this so I can read it before I even consider signing up for ORAMM next year. Some folks may find something beneficial from it.

ORAMM weekend started for me and Becky Saturday morning. We were up early and out the door to meet Tim, Dave and Eddie at Bent Creek in Asheville. Becky and I last rode BC on an anniversary trip to Asheville 3 years ago. A 3 hour drive later and we were ready to ride. We met up with our riding buddies, soon to be drinking buddies, but you will have to ask Becky about that. We climbed a gravel road to the top of Greens Lick. On the way up, I managed to snap a spoke in half on the rear wheel. Now I had to get to a bike shop and get it fixed on a Saturday morning. Tim said there was a bike shop down the street, so we should be good. We descended GL and hit some other trail around the lake. I took it as easy as I could on the damaged wheel.

We headed back to the cars and planned to meet at the bike shop. I saw a sign for Carolina Bike Mechanic in a small shack of a building. I walked into a clean bike shop with a friendly owner. I told him my story, and he put down what he was doing and got to work on my wheel. He got me squared away and worked past closing time to get the wheel true. Only downer was no Stan’s rim strip, so I would be rocking a tube for the race on Sunday. We then went down to Papa’s and Beers where I taught a burrito a lesson.

The party was moved to the hotel where we checked in and chilled out waiting for early registration. At registration we stood around in the heat catching up with friends. Pisgah Brew in the industrial area of Black Mtn was the next stop. The 5 of us drank beers and shot the proverbial poo while we became hungrier by the second. The thirst for beer was high, but our hunger won out and we headed back to the downtown area in search of pizza. After dinner it was off (a stumble to some) to bed to rest for what everyone said was going to be a long, tough day.

A little background on me and ORAMM. When I first started riding, I came across the event on the internet. It was an event I aspired to do, at the time I had neither the skill nor the fitness. This race has been on a pedestal for me ever since. Every year the race would pop up and I would shy away. Once registration opened this go round, Becky signed us both up quickly to avoid us not getting spot. Life got in the way and Becky sold her spot, but she continued to support me doing the race. I spent the weekends leading up to the race on the bike without her which was weird.

Back to the story, race morning shows and we hit up Huddle house for some eggs. We bump into friends there. We head over to the start. Becky signed up to work a SAG stop so she left to get her assignment. I got suited up, dialed my nutrition and equipment and lined up to start. I lined up next to some more friends Travis and Tom, pretty sure this would be the only time I see them that day. The gun went off and we headed out on pavement for the next 6-7 miles. Mindset for the race; take my time early, singletrack will be clogged, worry only about myself, who cares who passes me, ride hard when I can, and shoot for under 8 hours. I spun my SS up the road and passed some folks as the road started to climb. Hit the Kitzuma trail (right next to the interstate) and the walk-a-thon started. Hike, ride, hike, ride. Tim and Eddie caught me on the countless switchbacks. I was tempted to push and hang on, but kept saying to myself “save it”. After the first bit of climbing was a steep descent that had my stomach flat on the saddle and then some ripping ST. More ripping ST after some ridge climbing then a conga line descent in the campground at the bottom of the trail.

On side note, I kept getting stuck behind folks on the descents who were on their brakes and not using momentum and all it has to offer. I started to try and coach them without making them rush, but I am sure I was just pissing them off. More flatish pavement and I rolled through SAG #1 where my lovely wife was stationed. I had planned to stop and chat, but she was busy. So I slowed and shouted to her I was good to which she replied have fun. After the road there was more ST climbing that had numerous switchbacks. These were tight and filled with riders. I got stuck in a line behind a girl who would not give up the trail. She would ride (as fast I would walk) to a switchback, hop off, hike and remount. The remount would take forever it seemed. Finally, she heard about ten of us breathing down her neck so she finally yielded. We reached the top and took another screaming descent complete with tight rocky switchbacks. That was followed by a grown in fireroad that seemed to never end. Dave caught me on that road. Dave had splits for each aid station to stay on target for 8:15 and we had 8 minutes to make SAG #2. We made it in time I got a new perpetuem bottle at 2 and refilled my heed.

After 2 there was more pavement that turned to gravel road. This was the infamous Curtis Creek. The more I turned the pedals the steeper the road became. I eventually relented and had to walk. I started alternating riding and walking. Dave caught me again and rode on looking strong; he was running SS as well. My legs hurt, no other way to describe it, they have never felt this bad. I thought at some point my quads would explode. I was going over injuries and conditions on my head that would cause this. At this point, my medical knowledge was a burden on my mind. Maybe I have rhabdomyalisis, I need to check the color of my urine. Maybe I have anterior compartment syndrome, I need the pressures taken of my quads. If my quads burst through my fascia can I finish the ride? I think I have a mysositis ossificans in my left quad, I need an x-ray. And on and on it went. I finally reached SAG# 3 where I downed some cold coke and ate a banana. I started stretching and it seemed to help.

On to SAG #4 and the Blue Ridge Pkwy, and did I mention it was raining. The descent was cold and wet, once we bottomed out the climbing started again. At some point, my legs seemed to wake up. Only took about 40 miles. I started pedaling and it started to rain again. It rained hard, but my legs felt alive and around every corner I would see another rider to chase. Climbs would look steep, but once I started up them they felt easy. I eventually caught Dave and we rolled into 4.

The BRP was a slow uphill to a ridiculous steep hike a bike. I could barely fit my wide SS bars between some of the trees. Once on top we started the 7ish mile descent down Heartbreak Ridge to SAG # 5. Heartbreak was fast, rocky, rooty, off camber, narrow and any combination of those 5. Dave was right behind me and we would walk a couple of sketchy parts (really just wanted our hands to recover). We were “tearing” down a part of trail about 3 or 4 miles into it and came up on a rider down. There was a rider with him trying to help him out. It was an obvious clavicle fracture and the rider knew it. I went to directing traffic as I seemed to do in these situations, it’s a gift what can I say. I tried to call for help while instructing Dave how to build a sling out of tube, while yelling at other riders to slow down. This was the most remote emergency I have been around. We were easily 5 miles from any road. After Dave got all “MacGyver” on the tube he went on to get help. I elected to walk the rider down. I thought he may go into shock and I was probably the best to manage it if it occurred. So onward Armando from Los Angeles and I walked. We got out of the way for riders and slowly meandered down the climb. Most were cool other were…ehh… less than cool. We eventually ran into the EMT’s that were sent in after us and I turned him over. I wished Armando luck and sped off, well it felt like that. I honestly thought Becky would be worried it was taking me this long. I rolled into SAG #5 which was also #1 and Becky was waiting on me I was spouting off what had happened and told her I planned on finishing. I yapped a bunch of other stuff, but don’t quite remember.

I turned off on to more gravel road climbing. There were some beaten and battered souls on this part of the ride. One rider on the side of the road pouring water on his head, another was ambling along then fell over in cramps. One poor guy was trudging along while his wife was hiking with a huge pack her back and he could barely keep up. I hit the Kitzuma trail again and felt good. The legs wanted to cramp with hard effort, so I walked the steep parts. Rain was imminent and I reached the highest point as it was thundering. The rain hit as I was descending Kitzuma and the trail turned into a creek bed. Any trail that was red was slick and I would drift down it almost sideways. I wrecked in a turn, but managed to stay up otherwise. I could barely see on the last part of the descent, so I let off the brakes and hoped for the best. Back on the pavement and I spun my one gear back to town in 8:59:12. Whooped but not beaten.

In case you are interested in this. The course is tough, it sucks on a SS, most of the riding is road and fire road, the descents are very very rough, the race is incredibly well organized and in the end it was fun. I hurt in places I have not hurt before. My AC and SC joints in my shoulders ache. Thanks to the rain and mud, I probably won’t be able to sit on a bike for a week. Did I mention it was fun?