Amanda's Report on Dirt Sweat & Gears

Dirt Sweat and Gears


I put Dirt, Sweat and Gears on my 2010 schedule because I thought it would be a great introduction to the 12-hr race format. Even though I’ve done many 100-mile races and have ridden my bike for 12 hours straight, I had never ridden in circles for half of a day.

My husband, Nate, and I decided to drive to Fayetteville, Tennessee instead of flying after carefully considering our packing list: 3 mountain bikes, an extra wheel set, a 10x20 Kenda tent, our dog, Nate’s dirt biking gear, a power washer, 2 coolers, an air compressor, a trainer and all the tools, tires and contraptions under the sun one could possibly need for a 12-hour bike ride. We meandered our way out over 4 days, making stops in Denver, southern Illinois and eastern Tennessee to shake out the legs on some nice singletrack. We then visited with some friends for a few days at their lakefront home in Gainesville, GA, took a evening motor boat ride to and from a local seafood joint, swam in their pool, enjoyed the local trails and begrudgingly began to acclimate to the southern heat and humidity.

My pre-ride lap on Friday revealed near perfect course conditions. The challenging 10-mile loop included a lot of tight, tacky singletrack and was full of typical east coast roots and rock gardens. The 1300 feet of climbing per lap came in lots of steep, punchy, technical climbs that kept you constantly on the gas with little time for recovery.

On race morning I woke up to 92% humidity, a forecasted high of 85-90 degrees and a 40% chance of severe thunderstorms and rain showers. Ick. At 9am, 300 racers lined up for the Lemans style start. I lined myself up in the second row and placed my bike in the perfect spot (the first bike on the outside of second row.) My strategy of sprinting as hard as I could to my bike paid off, as I made it on my bike and into the singletrack in the top 20. Only a handful of people ended up passing me during the first lap, so I knew I had saved a precious amount of energy early on by not having to pass a ton of folks on the first lap. I then kept with the same strategy the entire race: ride steady but strong, be conservative, have fun, stay far away from my redline and keep the rubber side down.

About 3 hours in…kaBOOM! Thunder, lightening and a deluge of rain hit the north half of the loop. It was the strangest weather event I’ve ever seen on a racecourse. Half the course turned into a wet, sloppy, peanut butter mud filled death march and the other half remained dry. It then became an even tricky technical skills day, as some sections were as slick as ice, requiring conservative and careful handling, braking and accelerating. The other half of the course required you to shift your brain and riding style to dry conditions mode and not get caught riding overly cautious.

Thankfully, I had 2 great bikes to choose from when the conditions became heinous, both fitted with Kenda Karma's. When the rain hit, I was on my Felt Nine, which up to that point was the ideal ride because of all the technical climbing. But when it became so caked in mud that the tires would no longer roll I was able to get a fresh, clean Felt Six LTD which proved to be the better choice in the super muddy conditions. The smaller the wheel, the less mud that could accumulate on it, making it easier to pedal up all the punchy climbs. Of course, the lighter the bike, the easier it was to carry and to push it, too. As the day went on and the course dried out, I went back to my Nine, preferring its ability to simply steamroll over all the technical sections and to maintain traction over the slick roots, rocks and sloppy corners. After 3 laps, the directors made the smart call to shorten the course by about 15-20 min. by cutting the muddiest section off the course.

Although there were times that it felt like I was riding in a sauna, I handled the humidity and heat pretty well. Each lap I dumped ice water on my head, back and chest and I was sure to keep ingesting a steady stream of Hammer endurolytes pumping all day long. My pit stops were fast, efficient and dialed thanks to Nate. He kept my bikes running well through the tough conditions, filled my bottles and flasks with cold water, Heed and Hammer Gel and constantly reminded me of all the details I was forgetting when my brain started to melt inside my helmet.

I slowly built my lead throughout the day by turning consistent lap times just shy of 1 hour (on the short course). I lapped the 3rd place woman mid-afternoon and lapped the 2nd place woman just before 7pm. When I came into the pit at 7:40, Nate told me to stop riding. He said that I was done, had won it and that it was time to celebrate! The rule at Dirt Sweat and Gears is that only laps completed before 9pm count. I could have easily gone out and completed a night lap before the cutoff, as I would have had 1:20 to do so. However, there was no possible way of 2nd place catching me and all I could think of was how awful it would be if I had gone out and gotten myself injured on a lap I didn’t need to be on. Besides, 10 laps, 10:40 of saddle time and roughly 13,000 feet of climbing was more than enough for me! I was long overdue for a cold shower and real food!

The event had a great vibe for both the racers and the spectators/support crews. The timing was dialed, the rules were clear, the payout was equal and extremely generous, and it was just a fun, fun, fun day of racing. The race directors were incredibly gracious hosts and bent over backwards to show us all some great southern hospitality. The post race party was kickin’ with a live band, a rainstorm of schwagg and lots of good beer. The event itself was a fundraiser for the local trails group SORBA and a $10 donation to SORBA got you a bottomless mug of local Yazoo. All in all, I suffered, I was successful and most importantly I had a blast. Dirt, Sweat and Gears is definitely on my repeat race list.

Thanks for reading and of course a big thanks to Kenda, Felt and all my sponsors for their support and belief in me!

Amanda Carey

A staple early season race for the Colorado Front Range has come and gone with the Battle of the Bear last weekend. 30 miles of racing around Bear Creek State Park is good for early season training; lots of flats, seated climbs and loads of passing intervals to do as there are usually around 100 riders on the 10 mile loop between all the categories.

I couldn't catch Kelli Emmit who made the move early in the race to secure first, but I made a good gap in the first quarter of our race to hold second. However, Tokyo Joe's rider, Erin Huck, made it back up by the middle of lap two. We started the final lap together and diced for position - trying to make up on our advantages and gain time on eachother. With all the riders on course, bridging gaps became tricky. I'd make up some time in the twists on the trail and Erin managed to get me on the climbs. It was just my second ride on my new carbon Felt hard tail. It took a little getting dialed, but I started to find the groove on lap two and was digging my new race rig.

The back and forth went on thru the final lap. In the last quarter of lap three, I made a push at the top of a particularly steep climb. I decided to go and see what would happen. With only a few more places to keep my advantage before the finish, I wanted to try early instead of leaving it to the last maneuver. Luckily, I made a little gap after that push and didn't look back. I finished second after a fun, but trying, game of cat and mouse.

Colin's Battle of the Bear Report

It’s finally spring in Colorado and training has been going accordingly
well. Last weekend, I contested the “Battle at the Bear” cross-country in
Bear Creek, CO. Despite the less-than-ideal race conditions created by
hundreds of people of all abilities on the course at once, the race was a
blast. In retrospect, all of the traffic added a unique tactical element
to the race. After crashing early on when I lost my front wheel in a rut,
I worked back up to leader Matt Beaton. We stayed together for a bit,
riding easy while behind people in single-track sections and then punching
it hard to get around them. Eventually, I got a gap that I was able to
hold for the win. Riding at the front of a race—no matter local or
national—is exhilarating, and hopefully I can retain some of that feeling
going into bigger races like the Triple Crown Race in Nathrop, CO this
weekend. My challenge now is to stay on the XC bike racer
straight-and-narrow while most of my friends revel in graduation
festivities. I bet I’ll be the only guy at graduation parties with
compression socks on under my pants.

Colin's Race Report

After a tough weekend at Sea Otter and a week of wondering where my legs
went, I now find myself brimming with optimism after some good races at
the opening Mountain States Cup in Fruita, CO. Never have I been more
able to relate to the idea that you’re only as good as your last race.

The weekend began with a 15 minute-ish time trial, which consisted of a
hard, though technically easy climb followed by a twisty, bermed-out
descent that left everyone at the finish line with big grins. I went so
hard up the climb and was so numb with lactic acid that I had to dab and
run a section that was about as difficult as riding up a curb. Not a pro
move by any means, but I think that bobble gave me the necessary scare to
completely push myself to the finish and get the win. The day was made
even sweeter when I checked the web and saw that Andy and Amanda had won
their respective 50 and 100 mile races. I suspect they were a lot more
tired than me. Lots of water, Recoverite, and a Chipotle burrito later,
I was excited and ready for Sunday’s XC.

If I didn’t know most of the pro men personally, I at least knew who
almost everybody was, which made the race—a huge 30-mile loop of mostly
technical singletrack—feel like a fun, albeit really hard, mountain bike
ride with a bunch of friends. The first few miles of rolling jeep trail
were pretty chaotic, but before long, I found myself riding out front with
Cannondale teammates Ben Sontag and Alex Grant, my podium mates from the
day before. I lost contact with them over some rough stuff only to
re-gain it later, thanks in large part to pacing by Colorado legend Jay
Henry. Just as I was starting to get excited about my prospects, I felt
the sinking feeling (literally and figuratively) of a slow leak in my
rear-tire. The sharp rocks and high speeds had finally gotten the best
of me. My Stans mostly did its job, and I made it to the finish after a
few Big Air blasts and some tire shaking. I was a little bit bummed but
mostly happy to have re-discovered the fitness that seemed to have been
missing at Sea Otter.

I’ve always found myself motivated more by good races than by bad ones, so
I’m now looking forward to some hard chunks of training before the next
big race, which will be the Triple Crown race in Nathrop, CO.

Kenda - Felt Team has Record Day

Three states. Three races. Three victories. It was a banner weekend for the Kenda-Felt Mountain Bike Team.

Shortly after The Sea Otter Classic, which saw the Kenda-Felt Team riders meeting with sponsors, autographing cards, and racing hard, the team dispersed across the country. Amanda Carey hopped a flight to Tennessee to race in the first race in the National Endurance Series, the Cohutta 100. She knew she was riding fast after strong performances at the first two Pro XCT races of the year but this was her first long distance race of the year so she still had a little doubt about her endurance. Eight-hours, one thunderstorm, and plenty of mud later she had not only squelched that doubt but had also dominated the race, winning by over 20 minutes. She also beat the winner’s time from last year by over three minutes, this is especially notable because the course was much slower (the men’s winning time was over 45 minutes slower this year). Asked after the race what her secret was Amanda said “Having Kenda Tires as a sponsor was crucial to my success. When I saw that there was rain in the forecast and that the course may be muddy I was able to switch my tires to the perfect ones for the conditions. Those just happened to be Karma’s, one of the best mud tires out there.”

Back west Andy Schultz was racing in the Whiskey 50. It is a 50-mile race that begins and ends in downtown Prescott, AZ, next to the famed “Whiskey Row”. With long, sustained gravel road climbs making up a majority of the course his 29” wheeled Felt Nine LTD and Kenda Small Block Eight tires were the perfect choice. “With as much climbing as there is in the Whiskey 50 having a lightweight bike is key. Our sponsors have collaborated to provide the team with one of the lightest 29” bikes out there so I definitely had an advantage” Andy said. Andy ended up completing the course in just over 3 hours, 16 minutes, almost two minutes faster than the course record. “I rarely do races over 2 hours so nutrition is always a worry for me.” Fortunately I was able to talk to the experts at Hammer Nutrition who helped me design a plan that kept well hydrated, fully fueled, and cramp free.”


In Colorado Colin Cares was racing in the first Mountain States Cup events of the year in Fruita, CO. Toeing the line were some of the fastest riders in the area, who just happen to be some of the fastest riders in the country. The day’s event was a 15 minute-ish time trial. Colin charged up the course’s only climb, leaving him, in his words, “numb with lactic acid.” The effort paid off though and he finished with the fastest time of the day, winning the event.


In all, this was one of the finest days in the history of the team. More to come!

Blogging by Colin

Having already raced once this year, I figure it’s about time to revisit another “professional racer” pastime: blogging. This year, I’ve been trying a few things differently in hopes of getting fast, the biggest of which has been relocating to warm weather during the winter months. This past February, I drove from Colorado Springs to Tucson, AZ for team Kenda/Felt’s first training camp of sorts. Amanda, Judy, and I shared a place, and Andy was already down there. It was more or less the training utopia that I had hoped for with riding, refueling with Trader Joes, watching the Olympics, and, well, not much else occupying my days. That sort of ascetic athlete lifestyle was perfect for a few weeks, but I soon began to romanticize about the hectic school life that I had been so eager to leave just a few weeks earlier. If you ignore the training, I had effectively gone from a college-kid lifestyle to that of a person from the geriatric neighborhood in which we rented our Tucson house. Oro Valley, AZ, it seems, is ideally suited for the elderly and athletes alike.
From Arizona, I took the long way home, seeing the Grand Canyon (indeed grand), stopping for three days in Moab, UT, and even fitting in one last day of skiing at Copper Mountain, which means I ended up using just half of my “four-pack” pass...ouch. Weather on the Front Range was still pretty sloppy, but the dry Moab weather enabled some long rides during which I recalled lots of previous Moab adventures—from some of my first experiences mountain biking, to a few harrowing 24-hours of Moab-induced bonks, to a training trip with then-teammate Sam Schultz and now-teammate Andy. That’s right, I was following the Schultz brothers long before schultzbrothersracing.com.
After a few days back in Colorado Springs, just long enough to remind myself how fun it is to ride with numb fingers and toes, I flew to San Dimas for the first Triple Crown race. My result wasn’t stellar but I was satisfied with my form for this early in the season and even happier with my new Felt LTD 29’er. With it, I went over the bars once going down Santa Barbara’s Cold Spring Trail; without it, I would have gone over the bars many, many more times. Turns out the recent 29’er craze isn’t all just hype.
My week in Santa Barbara was the antithesis of the Tucson training trip. Instead of staying with two dedicated athletes, I stayed with ten friends from school who were on their spring break. I did some of the hardest rides I’ve done all year, but thanks to evenings spent grilling with friends, zero time in compression tights, and very little bike-racing talk, the hard work was hardly hard. It’s becoming increasingly clear that for me, balance between training and rest, work and play, spinach and chocolate, etc., is the most direct route to fitness...it’s finding that balance that’s the hard part.
Now I’m staying in San Clemente for a few days before the first US Cup in Fontana this weekend (huge thanks to Lydia Tanner and her generous, unsuspecting housemates). I never really fancied myself the So-Cal type, but I could certainly get used to the ride/beach time/Mexican food routine that we’ve fortunately fallen into here. Then again, the So-Cal sunshine wouldn’t feel warm with the cold Colorado days, both of which, I hope, will contribute to a good race this weekend and a good season.