TJ Woodruff ONLINE

John and I made the drive up to Flagstaff Saturday morning so that we could get in a couple mountain bike rides. Flagstaff has all of the right ingredients - singletrack, dirt, trees, rocks, altitude, and views. None of which are in short supply and we even found a spot or two of snow to ride through. The terrain at 9000+ feet  is challenging physically and also technically, so it’s super easy to lose yourself in the moment. At one point I had to remind myself where I was and what month it is - such moments are the best therapy.  John and I used to ride mtb’s back in our Eau Claire days, but it was pretty cool to see him ripping the technical stuff out here. The guy’s got skill! I on the other hand felt a little out of sorts, but managed to hold my own for the most part.  It’s been a slower than ideal return to the bike after having the teeth pulled, but hopefully I’ll be full strength sometime soon now that I can eat again. As we pre rode the State Finals course Sunday I got a pretty good bonk going before slowly finishing out the course. John on the otherhand was still rockin’.

This Saturday is the Arizona Series Finals and the course will make for nothing short of an epic battle. It’s got a huge amount of climbing, but it’s also extremely technical so it’s going to take some serious skills to stay at the front. Hopefully I can be up there, but the locals will surely have their advantage.

Thanks to Steve for showing us some of Flag’s finest. Next update will be the race report. Stay tuned. -TJ

Life has been rough since Friday when I had all three (that’s all I had) of my wisdom teeth yanked. In just thirty minutes of wrenching its amazing how much havoc one oral surgeon put into my face. It’s been nearly six full days and things are still swollen and sore. I got on the bike today and sixty minutes was plenty enough for me to be done. Every crack in the road seemed to rattling my face around 10X the normal amount. Being off the bike recently isn’t even the worst of it as I’ve been absolutely craving every food with any texture. Mashed potatoes, applesauce and yogurt aren’t very satisfying any more, but anything crunchy is too much to handle. I bet by the weekend I’ll be able to touch my upper and lower teeth together once again… I tell ya, having dental insurance and getting to go through all of this is such a wonderful thing. Seriously though, at least they’ll never have to pull them again.

Things in Tucson are in a bit of a transition as we go from hot to really hot. High temps are now in the upper 90’s by mid afternoon so it’ll be early morning training once I’m back in commission. The race scene here is pretty much coming to an end until next fall’s cyclocross scene kicks off, so I’ve been scheming up some summer time plans. Nothing is 100% certain yet, but I’ve got some fun ideas floating around in the my head. Thoughts of singletrack and varied weather keep me going. Up next will either be the NMBS in Santa Barbara or the Arizona State Championship MTB race in Flagstaff. Of course the better competition will be in Santa Barbara, but the thought of keeping it local to race on some absolutely killer trails is very tempting. Maybe for MTB they actually award a jersey (unlike the ‘cross championships) which would be pretty cool to race for.

This weekend will be a re-kickoff of the training as I get back into the groove of things. I’m really looking forward to the summer racing! Best of luck to those competing at Collegiate Road Nationals - of course I’m partial to those who I coach, but hopefully everyone there has a fun time. The U of A team sent full womens and mens squads up to Fort Collins so they ought to fair well in the DI fields. Chloe will have an 11 tooth cog to go with her 50t chainring this time, so all the girls should be on high alert since she’s been out-sprinting most with a 50×12 gear.

That’s all I’ve got for now, enjoy the ride (and all those crunchy foods). -TJ

Have a look in the Garage for links to some bike stuff that’s been collecting dust lately. Help me clean house by helping yourself to a deal or two or three. Enjoy the riding while I’m laid up for the weekend - without my wisdom teeth.  -TJ

Stage racing on the road is a pretty cool experience. Granted I haven’t done a whole lot of stage races, but there’s something nice about racing recovering and doing absolutely nothing else for several consecutive days. On Friday Kyle, Chloe and I made the two hour drive to Bisbee, arriving with plenty of time to register and get set for the evening prologue. Not just any prologue, this one sent us uphill for 2.8 miles starting at the bottom of main street and finishing way up at the divide. The first half wasn’t too steep, but the second half more than made up for any lack of suffrage as grade was relentless. I raced the Team Machine with my ‘training wheels’ on while most other racers used super tricked out carbon wheelsets. I was there to train, and that I did. The prologue went pretty well as I saved just enough in the first half so that I could do the steeper stuff with max intensity. I probably finished somewhere in the middle to back of the 60-some rider field. Chloe dominated the pro women’s race, taking the win and the leader’s jersey for Day two.

Saturday was a 80 mile road race in the morning. We road out of town and did two laps before coming back into Bisbee. Team Tecos had the leaders jersey so they more or less did a team time trial at the front, controlling the race from start to finish. It was an average speed of 26.5 with an average output of 165 watts. It was sorta boring out there… The afternoon TT was flat and fast and without any gear, I pretty much got smoked by the rocketship bikes that guys were riding. I finished towards the bottom and lost some time in the GC, but put in a decent effort. Maybe I’d be into a flat TT bike if I had the gear. Who knows?

Finally Day three came around and we got to do the hardest stage yet, 89 miles with some serious winds and climbs. The winds were the biggest factor early in the race while the climbs sorted things out closer to the finish. The group shattered into bits and pieces as Tecos again took control. I was with a small group for the bulk of the stage before we joined up with others who had fallen off from the small lead group. Towards the end we did the six mile climb up Mule pass, descended all the way down the other side, only to do a U turn and come back up the climb again. All of this after 75 miles of rotating in the wind… It was pretty sweet and I ended up getting around a bunch of guys in the final mile or so as we approached the finish. A top 30 on the stage moved me up in the overall a bit.

Whatever the result was I was happy to have ridden strong, especially on the hardest final stage. Chloe did awesome and would have likely won the GC with some aero bars in the TT. Next time perhaps we’ll both come a bit more prepared. Bisbee is a super cool town with a lot of steep and narrow streets nestled into the hillside. It was nice to have some cooler weather (in the low 70s for highs) as Tucson is getting hot these days and some peace and quiet which made for some relaxing down time. The bike racing was pretty cool too. It seems that Bisbee would be a perfect place to go and train – quiet roads, good climbs, elevation, good weather, and a relaxed pace of life. A lot of racers went on to do Gila, which starts up today, and I might just have to do that next year. Instead I’ll be getting my wisdom teeth yanked soon. From all the stories I’ve gathered it should be a wonderful experience.

-TJ

Sea Otter was a fun weekend and the racing was alright, though during the XC I did have one of my biggest meltdowns to date. It seems that many racers talk about the same experience, but I also had two of the best hours of racing followed by the worst 40 minutes. I was riding around 25th or 30th for a bulk of the day before I cracked out there. It was midway through the second lap while going over the steep rollers. I was good into the bottom of the hill, but by the top I was done for, hardly turning over the pedals… The guys I was riding with until that point went on to finish anywhere from 21st to 32nd while I drifted all the way back to 51st. At least I was strong for those first two hours… Sea Otter is a tough one and the race distance puts it in a tricky place somewhere between standard XC and Marathon. It’ll take a bit more training for me to keep that pace all the way to the finish next time.

The pro experience of hanging out under an EZ-Up tent that matched my kit was pretty cool and having the BMC crew there was a nice addition. A little bit of support is always helpful and goes a long ways. Much appreciated guys!

As if the giant bonk wasn’t bad enough, I brought home an armload of poison oak all over my left side. Today it’s oozing all over the place and I’ve been sleeping with an arm warmer on just so I wont be spreading the stuff onto the rest of me. Let’s hope it dries up sometime soon.

This weekend I’m racing the Vuelta de Bisbee road stage race. Two TT’s (one is uphill) and two climbing RR’s ought to make for some good training - something I haven’t done much of lately it seems. Work has kept me busy and the days go by quickly. Let’s hope I come out of the weekend alright as I get back into training mode. Have a good one, -TJ

Over the weekend I got in some wind/rain/snow storm training to complete my preparations for the Sea Otter. Since I missed out on such harsh conditions all winter, I was somewhat relived to experience such weather while in Sheboygan for Tristan’s wedding. Matter supplied me nicely with his fendered-up cross bike along with a nice place to stay. The wedding was a great occasion and a fun time catching up with friends new and old.
It’s been a nose to the grindstone week so far since I’m heading out of town tomorrow for the Otter. Even though the big teams will be at the World Cup instead, I’m pumped for a chance to race the epic two laps once again. Next report will be from Monterrey. Until then, -TJ

Thanks for the hand up Ty!

What once seemed elusive is no longer so after my first finish in the top 25 of a NMBS XC race. There was no single spectacular aspect of the race, but I was able to keep the hammer down all the way to the finish line passing enough guys along the way. My call up position wasn’t great so the start was mediocre at best, there was no big attack, and there were no technical or mechanical mishaps on my behalf. When nothing goes too wrong I suppose things can only turn out for the best. After the first lap I dangled just in front of a group of like ten guys, but forward thinking kept me focused and I didn’t have to deal with any of them as I kept the pace just fast enough. I focused on the pace and by the time lap three came around I began picking off riders who had previously been riding out of sight in front of me. Crunch time came when I caught Paul and one other rider on south end of the long loop just before entering the most rocky and challenging terrain on the course. As soon as I made contact Paul took control of the pace making and I followed suit knowing that this was a sure fire way to rid myself of all those guys (10 or so) riding in our shadows just seconds behind us. I didn’t hit any of the rocks too hard as we charged to the finish line. I made a conscious effort to ride delicately through the extremely rugged sections after having sliced my sidewall open last year. Paul had enough speed left to hold me off, but I was happy to have matched his pace as we worked around a couple riders in those final minutes. These NMBS races are tough because of the 85 starters there are likely 60 guys gunning for a top 20 or 25 placing, myself included, and we are all riding behind the 25 guys who are going for a top 10 finish. We all set our sights high and its quite rewarding to finish a race in a position that I’ve known I’ve been capable of all along. It didn’t seem that hard, I just did a good job of focusing on the task at hand without getting distracted along the way. Hopefully, now that I’ve been there, it’ll be easier to find my way back into that mix again sometime soon!

Sanjay and Anna kindly put me up at their house so along with Ty and Christine, we had a Wisconsin reunion of sorts. It was a great time and the opportunity to truly relax before and after my races played a big part in how the weekend turned out. Oftentimes it seems that the racing is the easy part when some of the travel logistics can get so complicated and tiring. This time it was made simple and I was able to put all of my energy into the pedals. Thanks again! Christine shot some awesome pictures so I suggestion you check them out here. I have to give some big props to Mike Phillips for his 9th place XC finish. This guy can do it all on the MTB and has officially stepped his game up to another level. Way to go. And filling Mike’s semi pro shoes was NMBS rookie Tom Bender, winner of the STXC event. Nice! Of course Jenna and Chloe both turned in some great results too, but for them that’s simply business as usual.
Now it’s back to reality until Friday. It’ll be a busy week at the office before I fly to WI for Tristan’s big day. Enjoy! -TJ

The BMC Team Elite came together nicely I’d say. 21 pounds and ready to accelerate - straight out of Switzerland!

This weekend’s stage race will be a good test of the legs and of the mind. Fontana was a mixed bag, so I’m excited for another shot this weekend. It all kicks off with a Super D (really its a TT, yet they call it Super D) this evening. With any luck I won’t get any spokes busted out of my wheel in the STXC Saturday and on Sunday it’ll be full on, all the time. The XC course at McDowell is relentless with little if any chance of recovery. Almost in a Chequamegon style you have to pedal all of the time…

More from the weekend. I’m off to the races, -TJ

Five laps of the xc course was a brutal way to break in the legs for the start of the ‘08 season. I managed to have a pretty clean start and didn’t have to get off my bike and run at all like a lot of other guys did after things got bunched up. Nice and steady was the pace and I’d pass guys on some of the climbs and then they’d go by me on the flats. By the end of the fifth lap there wasn’t much left in the tank as Paul and several others sped around. Finishing 47th doesn’t sound too impressive, but I had some fun out there.

Seeing DJ, Dave, and Kathleen was great there and we made a third annual visit to El Torrito for some Mexican glycogen replenishment and good times.

Today is the STXC and another shot at riding fast. It’s a tough course if you’re not starting in the front since there are several spots that only allow for single file traffic and it gets stretched out pretty early. With a good start maybe I’ll be able to hang on for a bulk of the race. More on that after the finish.

TJ

It’s been getting warm down here lately. High temps have been in the 80’s which is great, but considering its only March it makes me scared of what July might be like… Perhaps the heat acclimation will give me some sort of advantage at the NMBS opener in Fontana, California this weekend. I’m excited to race and see how things go out there. It’ll be my first MTB race of the year so the nerves will likely be running a little extra. The Fourstroke is receiving some last minute attention as I finish up the ‘race build’ It looks as if it’ll be tipping the scale at 23.5 pounds. This is the heaviest bike I’ve raced in a long time, but hopefully the additional suspension will make for more speed on the course. Of course the NoTubes wheelset is superlight and that’s where the grams count the most anyways. I used to be more of a weight weenie, but now its not quite as much of an issue although I did weigh four tires at Arizona Cyclist before selecting two of them. I feel bad for the guy who is left to purchase the heavier ones of the same model!

There are only a couple of key part changes on the bike this year. The BMC Fourstroke offers 4″ of front and rear suspension travel. This is more than I’ve ever raced on before. The FOx F100RL is 20mm more travel than my last fork. I’ve also switched to Shimano XTR pedals instead of the Egg Beaters. The Shimano pedals have a more solid feel and don’t allow such excessive movement of the feet and knees. After using fixed cleats on my road bike I’ve learned the importance of piston-like pedaling and I might be better off without all of the free float of the Crank Brothers.  These are the only changes for this year’s ride so everything else should be business as usual.

Sunday Chloe and I got out for a solid 3.5 hour ride. Up Redington to the AZ trail and back down Milagrosa. I say it everytime, but I really love these trails and each time out there I’m riding them better. With plenty of technical challenges these trails are always calling out the A game. We even ran into a Gila Monster out there. It was moving pretty slowly and likely just woke up from a long winter’s rest. He wasn’t too happy about the camera so after a quick snapshot we let him be.

More to come from Fontana this weekend, -TJ