Team VK went out with the resident Racing with Giants mountain biking guru, Julien Lallemand today for a mountain biking clinic. Julien developed a mountain bike skills teaching method and taught regular mountain bike skills clinics in Hong Kong and rode for the Hong Kong Mountain Bike Association. Here is his article on mountain biking skills – a set of fundamental skills that will make your riding safer, better and faster.

Below are Julien’s tips from the clinic!

Practice your skills during your next rides:

Play!
Remember to play! Allow 10 minutes of playing during a training ride. Try repeatedly a sketchy section. Ask a friend to demonstrate a section you’ve got difficulty with and watch his posture, where he brakes and his line.

Release your brakes and brake harderTry to release completely your brakes on open downhills (no “death grip”!) instead of braking constantly like many riders do. Lett your bike roll and brake harder before entering a curve or reaching an obstacle. You must not skid. Watch out for the surface: gravel is the most slippery surface so allow more braking distance on it.

Remain flexibleForce yourself to flex your arms and feel the saddle between your inner thighs on fast downhill or rough trails. Try to make it a reflex. Every time you feel stiff on a trail section force yourself to relax and to find a good balance on your feet. Your arms must never be straight or stiff.

No stunts!Finally – NEVER attempt a STUNT without having built-up to it! Go PROGRESSIVELY, go one small step at the time.

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Here are few reminders about the skills we have seen last Saturday:

Posture:• Every time you are facing a situation which may challenge your balance: Get off the saddle, stand on your feet, stay low, and watch ahead. Your upper body must always be independent from your bike.
• Getting in a READY POSITION must become a reflex as soon as you are going fast, on a steep slope or on a rough section. Your arms must always remain flexed so you can steer and absorb your bike when it tilts.

Anticipation:• Looking WHERE YOU WANT TO GO is key to ride well. Going fast down a turn, taking a switch back, going through a very rough section with a big drop on the side: you must look ahead where you want to bring your bike. And NOT looking at where you do not want to go.
• Always look with your entire upper body. Your head, shoulders and chest must turn towards the point you want to reach.

Braking:• You understood yesterday the difference with braking to drastically slow down, and braking to control your speed. You must brake hard in the straightest possible line, NEVER when leaning into a curve. You have to slow down BEFORE and while in the curve you may adjust your speed mostly with your back brake.
• You also practice brake balance, you now know that you must release your FRONT brake when entering a tight turn or fast turn. This works as well for any type of obstacles. Brake before and release the brakes while overcoming the obstacle.
• If your wheel start skidding and drifting, release the pressure on your brakes immediately – you need your wheels to roll to keep their grip.

Although the racing season is over, Team VK is still getting out there and getting ready for 2009!

Today, we headed over to Water Dog Lake in Belmont. We maneuvered around this seemingly small park for almost two hours–and it was great fun.

Water Dog is comprised of dirt road & singletrack, dry chaparral hills, some challenging and technical climbs and drops. Rocks, roots, trees, bridges and even old cars are some of the obstacles that make Water Dog fun yet challenging. The edges of the park are up alongside homes, which make Water Dog Park an anomalous island of nature in the midst of suburbia.

After some gnarly riding, it’s time for some holiday parties!

Here’s a great article from the November 2008 Women’s Health.

Beginner Biking Tips
Mountain Biking: Enjoy the Ride
Still a backcountry biking virgin? Your wheels are waiting.
Terah Shelton

I’m straddling a dual-suspension mountain bike, about to roll down a ridiculously steep slope before pedaling up a near-vertical incline. My boyfriend, Jamel–who has as much mountain-biking experience as I have (uh, that would be zilch)–has already conquered the killer hill and is waving me on. This is my first real mountain-bike ride, and I’m about to face my biggest fear: losing control.

Searching for courage, I look up at the ceiling of leaves and branches about 30 feet above my head. Most urban playgrounds are carefully manicured versions of nature surrounded by skyscrapers that loom defiantly like extended middle fingers. But there are no towering buildings visible from the middle of Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park. This nearly 300-acre urban wilderness in northeastern Austin, Texas, is packed with zigzagging dirt-covered trails covering 16 miles. It’s the perfect place to get lost–and, if I’m lucky, find myself. That’s why I’m here on a sunny Saturday morning: Every now and then, when life gets too overscheduled and monotonous, I feel an overwhelming urge to do something totally insane–before I go insane. To recover, I cook up wacky adventures (like the time I hiked up a volcano). This time I’ve decided to don padded spandex.

Shock Absorbed
An hour ago, my mountain- biking sensei, Vanessa Ford, 40, president of the Austin Flyers Cycling Club, served up a crash course in the basics. Jamel and I learned how to pull up on the handlebars to jump over rocks, tree roots, and curbs. We practiced shifting our body weight back on descents. I even successfully tackled a few smaller hills and twists while pedaling at embarrassingly slow speeds. I may be an adventure junkie, but I’d rather not have to peel myself off the ground.

Gripping and regripping the handlebars, I start down a well-worn path. Within seconds, I’m plunging at what feels like 50 miles an hour. Freaked out by the speed and my trembling bike frame, I forget one of Ford’s first lessons: Pick your line before you take it. I swerve too late to avoid a protruding tree root and hit it dead on. The collision sends a jolt from my heels to my teeth. My feet slip, and the sharp metal corner of my right pedal cuts into my calf.

Blazing Saddle
As a dotted trail of blood emerges on my stinging lower leg, I lead my bike back to the starting point, determined to do better. This time I pick my line, envision myself at the top of the far rise, and shove off. Pedaling intermittently, I flutter the brakes, hike my butt up off the saddle, and shift my weight back. With my body properly balanced, the bike suddenly feels as easy to handle as a steering wheel. I take a breath and enjoy the wind rushing past my skin. The ground comes up fast and I shoot up the first third of the incline like a pinball.

The rush lasts until about halfway up the climb. My momentum sputters and I start rolling backward (and break into a swearing streak). This is when I normally would lose my nerve and feel helpless. Miraculously, I don’t. I grit my teeth and push with every ounce of strength in my glutes and quads. Ugh! I just can’t… beat… gravity. I dismount with dignity and walk the last few feet to the top. When I flash Jamel a smile and look down the truly impressive incline, victory still feels sweet.

For the next few miles of trails, the turns are easier to navigate and I take them with more guts, bunny-hopping (the technique of rising off the saddle, leveling the pedals, then squatting and springing up) over small obstacles. Facing another serious downhill with a sharp 90-degree turn at its base, I wipe all fear from my mind and descend like a seasoned pro. OK, so I’m no Lance Armstrong (who happens to call this town home). But that was awesome. Correction: I am awesome.

Take the show off the road
Learn to ride or take it to the next level at these women-only getaways

MAVERICK WOMEN’S WEEKENDS
Where Vail, Colorado
Duration 2 days
Cost $225 (includes workshops, rides, and lunches)
Skill Intermediate and up
Info vailmountainbikecamps.com

DIRT SERIES
Where Rides held in California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Canada
Duration 2 days (or less)
Cost From $165 (Canada) and $295 (U.S.) per person (includes instruction, rides, and lunch)
Skill Beginner and up
Info dirtseries.com

DIRT CAMP
Where Moab, Utah
Duration 6 days
Cost $1,250 per person (all-inclusive)

Last updated: November 6, 2008 Issue date: November 2008

In Adventure Racing, every teammate should have a tow rope on the bike and the run..

Here is the quick how-to instructions on making your own Bike Tow Rope (courtesy of JT of Team Racing with Giants):
****
Here’s what you need:
1. Mini retractable dog leash. You can use the smallest one they sell. Be sure to get one where the leash is a string not a ribbon.
2. Small bungie cord. I use the white stuff which is a few mm thick from REI. (Buy a bunch of this as you also use this for run tows)
3. Large zip ties (the type that have some type of weight rating — around a 1/4 inch thick)

Steps:
1. Tie a pretty big knot in the dog leash cord, near the metal clip designed to hook onto a dog collar.
2. Tie a loop of the bungie to the leash, right next to where you tied the knot.
3. Cut off the metal clip last.
4. Hook to your seat post using bungies (or you can try to just put in through the seat post directly like shown here):
click here
5. Last thing.. just make sure your leg doesn’t rub on it.

Happy Towing!

Race: Tahoe Big Blue, Long/12 hour race
Date: September 20, 2008
Location: Northstar at Tahoe
Team Vanderkitten: Cindi, Gwen, Austyn
Result: 1st place, All-Women’s Division

We had a GREAT race this Saturday at the Tahoe Big Blue.. we got all the mandatory checkpoints and we were safe and unscathed!

 
A couple things we learned from the race:
1. Kayak – wait until we all get in BEFORE paddling.

2. Kayak – when leaving shore, turn around to check out the lay of the land

3. Kayak – Austyn was smart to take off her VK jersey pre-kayak

4. Bike – bring extra clothes in Tahoe

5. Orienteering – pacing from intersections is a good thing!

6. Orienteering – check the direction is correct, esp before running downhill…

7. Orienteering – know when to quit looking for one that is not to be found

8. Orienteering – long pants and gloves on are usually best

Tips from the field to take to our next long race!

Big Blue – Folsom Granite Bay Sprint Course – Folsom, CA
Team Vanderkitten Racers: Cindi, Gwen
Result: First Place, Women’s category

My alarm sounded at 5 am–I needed to meet at 6 am in Foster City to meet the other Team Vanderkitten and Racing with Giants teammates: Gwen (my teammate); Gina (who was racing with Austyn); Hani (who was racing with Vince); and Julie & Angel. It was going to be a great day with a nice showing from Team VK and Team RWG.

After a 2.5 hour drive up to Folsom (with a few pit stops along the way), we quickly set up our transition area and were ready to race.

Listening to Todd (the race director for the Big Blue events), we realized the race was going to start with a run to the boat, then a kayak to the run, and then back to the transition with ALL our gear (kayak, paddle, life jacket). Hmm… interesting! Then, it was a bike and back to the finish line.

Gwen and I huddled near the front of the racers and we agreed that I would sprint to make sure we secured a boat (aka rubber ducky). I got to the boats first and started to drag the boat–a few seconds later, Gwen picks up the other end and we’re jogging to the edge of the lake.

Paddling the rubber ducky boats (named for its bright yellow color, but also it’s notoriety in difficulty to paddle/steer) was an experience. It was pretty hard to get comfortable–Gwen kept swapping from knees to bum to knees to bum, while I sat awkwardly–imagine a little kid with all legs in front. And, it was pretty hard to stay straight; we leaned right a lot. As the person in the rear, I sometimes had to just stick my paddle in the water to get us straightened back up.

As we paddled up to the shore, we saw Hani and Vince getting out right in front of us. It’s so fun to see friends in the AR community while racing–it’s a little bit of friendly competition and a bit of comradery. We dropped the kayak and paddles and were told to keep our life jackets on…we found out about 1.5 miles into our run that there was an ‘adventure’ waiting for us–a swim across in all of our gear–sneakers, backpack, lifejacket and all! It felt really nice, but was sort of awkward. Then, we were back on the run–squish, squish, squish. Gwen was smart with her Tevas, but I had my joggers and insoles–which were heavy! And then we had CP1 in sight–the turn-around point on the run, but not before another swim. On our way back, we decided to run around the water and saved some time. Back to our boat, we decided to portage (meaning carry) everything back to the transition–we had the boat on our head and semi-jogged. Probably the funniest moments during the race were the THREE times Gwen and I got our shoes stuck in the mud! That mud was like quicksand!

Back at the transition, we checked in at CP2 (the Clif Bar bus) and then quickly changed to our bike shoes and off on the bike. The mountain bike course at Folsom is fun–FAST, and we were off!! Mostly semi-single track or single track, Gwen and I were flying on the bike, following the blue (and sometimes red) arrows. There was only one turn where there was a viciously steep hill–we both hopped off and trekked up the hill–saving our energy and probably saving time. When we got to the top near the water tower, we saw CP3 hanging off a tree.

Back on the bike, we headed back the other direction…in my hardest gear, we were going fast! Some of the signs were a little tricky to figure out–and we saw one team asking if it was the road on the left or the trail on the right. We all agreed it was the trail on the right. And thank goodness, it was. This side of the mountain was a bit more technical, but still do-able…there were two huge rocks that had a huge penalty for failure–so we tapped these and kept on trucking.

Finally, after the bike section, we headed back to the transition–threw down our bikes and sprinted down on the sand and back up to the finish! We were done in 2:45…and it took a good 30 minutes or more to finally catch our breath… phew!

Awards were announced later and Gwen and I were first place women! Woohoo!!

July 26, 2008
Big Blue – Ocean Blue Long Course – Half Moon Bay, CA
Team Vanderkitten: Cindi, Austyn, and Kim
Result: 1st place! Woohoo!

The day started early, meeting at Hani’s at 5:15 a.m. to carpool with Cindi, Julie, Hani, and John. As we drove into Half Moon Bay, the sky was clear and there was absolutely no fog, the makings of a great day.

Cindi and I met Austyn in the transition area and began laying out our gear. We brought the kayak down to the water first and made sure we were all set for a good start. Next, we set up our bikes and gear for easy access throughout the race.

Shortly before the race, we were given our maps and began plotting points and solidifying our race strategy. With the rogaine format, we knew time management would be key and we had to hit all of the mandatory check points. If we had extra time, we would go for more.

It was probably 20-25 minutes from the time we received our passport and map to the start, but it felt like 5 minutes. 3-2-1, we were off with about a mile run down the beach and back to the kayak. We started the run slowly to warm up for the rest of the day, got into our kayaks and quickly headed off to the right taking the short cut through the piers. Austyn, our navigator, did an excellent job steering us through the narrow path. We headed toward the portage where we carried the boat across the beach to the ocean. There were a couple of waves, and since I was in front, I got to know the water really well. It was a beautiful day to be out in the ocean – clear, sunny, and not too many waves. We paddled around all of the checkpoints…I might also add that we were only paddling with half a rudder…. thanks again Austyn for maintaining an uncomfortable leg position for most of the kayak!

We pulled the kayak up on the beach and headed to transition through a sea of sprint racers preparing for their race. Lots of teams from the community were shouting words of encouragement. Thanks! After eating, drinking, and loading our bike and run gear, we were off to CP2.

We had a great road ride to CP2 where I learned what it meant to be on tow. I think this is just the best idea ever! We arrived at CP2 and were given a trail map. We plotted the next points – CP3, CP4, and CP5 onto the map. We also realized that we forgot to check in after the kayak…so, we would need to do this on the way to Montera. Cindi took a sneak peak at the team check in sheet; there were only 10 teams ahead of us. Even though we hadn’t seen anyone, we felt pretty good. Off to CP5 first as it was mandatory.

We made it to CP5 and ran quickly back down the hill where we crossed paths with two other teams heading out. At the bike drop, we took the opportunity to eat, drink, and calculate our time remaining. We knew timing was critical from here on out as we had three mandatory CPs still…and two were up Montera.

We road back to the TA staying as close together as possible for the headwind. Cindi and I checked in with Todd for the missing kayak portion and made a couple of jokes while Austyn checked the board for CP7, our final mandatory checkpoint.

We decided to head to CP7 first and then climb Montera, so if we were pressed for time at the end, we could just head straight down HWY 1. CP7 was at the beach near Mavericks…in the beach section where we had portaged the kayak earlier. We got stuck behind the slowest car. There was no traffic ahead of him, so who knows why he chose to go only 10 miles per hour. As soon as I saw a safe opening, we sped past him. When we got to the beach, Cindi volunteered to run down the beach to retrieve the word “mavericks.” Austyn and I used the opportunity to eat and hydrate.

As soon as Cindi came back, we headed to Montera on HWY 1 with wind, lots of wind.

Up, up, up Montera. Team Brunton passed us as we headed up the trail. I am pretty new to this sport, but did take a navigation class from Mark and took it as a good sign when he passed us. ?

Team RWG was headed down the hill as we climbed/walked our bikes to the final checkpoint. Both Austyn and Cindi were ahead of me. Austyn yells, we have it…turn around and go, go, go! Cindi made an excellent decision to go down the steep part of the trail to save some time. As we made it down the trail to HWY 1, we passed a few teams who were still heading up the hill.

Cindi lead the way, Austyn put me on tow and we peddled hard back to the finish. We saw the turn to Capistrano and had less then 5 minutes to make it…in my excitement; I forgot to release the towline…so Austyn and I both slowed down a bit on the turn.

We reached transition and quickly dropped our bikes and held hands as we ran across the finish line at 7:59:00…. we had so much momentum at the end that I nearly knocked over the nice gentleman standing there to record our time and collect our passport. Oops!

Before we relaxed to hear stories from the other teams, we loaded our kayak, bikes, and gear.

At the end, I felt like one of the luckiest girls to be able to race with my fabulous teammates Cindi and Austyn. I would like to extend my thanks to them for making my first long race amazing and unforgettable.

Whether you are doing a sprint or a long race, here are some important things to help your adventure…

• Plastic box – Bring 1 plastic Storage container – similar to this http://www.rubbermaid.com/rubbermaid/product/product.jhtml?prodId=HPProd2935118
   Most of your racing stuff should fit inside this box. Keep this box in the transition area.
• Garbage bag – Bring a garbage bag for all your dirty wet stuff after the race is over
  Change of clothing – Bring some clothing to put on after the race. Clean warm clothing is a must for HMB. It gets cold.
• Food – Your body can only absorb about 200 -250 calories an hour when you are racing or training. If you put more than that into your stomach, your body will dump it. Which means that you will have to find a port a potty instead of your checkpoint. Port-a-potty is worth 0 points in a race ?
• Fluids – Your body can only absorb 16-25 of water each hour. 16oz= small water bottle 25 oz = Large bottle. If you exceed this amount, check for closet port-a-potty location
• Race simple – Don’t over plan or over prepare. You will be faced with challenges and the adventure is figuring out the answer together.
• Feet – always keep your feet happy. Remove sand and rocks when possible. Don’t damage your feet.
  Look up – Too many people race with their head down. Look up, look around, and enjoy what you are doing.
• Money – always have $17 with you. There are no rules in AR that say that you can’t go to 7-11 to get a drink or a Moon Pie. Also, you will need the money for the famous HMB clam chowder.
• Be Found – Don’t get lost, always know where you are and where you are going. If you get lost, go back to your last good location.
• Have fun and smile!

Team Vanderkitten (Team VK) was out in Half Moon Bay this weekend training for the upcoming race.  Joined by 4 of our community members, we were in the water at 9:30am.  The surf was much bigger than expected, but we managed to stay dry and have fun doing it.  At 11:30am we rolled into Montera State park for a 2 hour mountain biking clinic and ride.  We learned some climbing and descending techniques that helped everyone go fast and stay in control.  We saved the best for last.  A 2:00pm, we were sitting n HMB harbor eating the famous clam chowder.

 These monthly skill building sessions are hosted by Team VK.  Please contact  team@teamvanderkitten.com if you are interested in racing with us and want to see what Team VK has to offer. 

Team Vanderkitten will be racing at Tahoe Big Blue on September 20th this year.

The Tahoe Big Blue Adventure Race is a celebration of the natural environment of the North Shore, and the perfect climate of “Indian Summer.” The race will have 8+ miles of kayaking on Lake Tahoe, 24+ miles of mountain biking with 5000′ elevation gain, orienteering, and 5-8 miles of trail running.

More to come after the race…