Race Report - FSC # 3 - Jacksonville

After a very low mileage riding week (76mi to be exact) I’m off to Jacksonville to battle Hanna Park and the mud from what Todd Hatfield had been posting on the forum. I made my way up to Jacksonville without much trouble. Had to give a call to Bob Mc that was already close to get direction, but when I got there I remembered the shortcut I took before.

Sporting the Twin Six "Singletrack Superstar" from one of my many sponsors, TwinSix

We went through some scattered showers, but as we approached Jacksonville Beach it was dark, windy, and wet. I dropped Mrs. P and Lance off at the Best Western, and got caught trying to sneak him in. We ended up sneaking him in anyway, and headed over to the park. As I was pulling up Eli and Tom were right behind me. Eli said, “We were just about to call you”. We all chatted a little and quickly got to the topic of the day, the COURSE. We all looked at just how awful the riders and their bikes looked as they came out, and we knew this was going to be a nasty preride. Plus, I had got the heads up at the hotel from Alex H. and Joe V.


Adam and Chris were getting ready also, and Bob had just finished his class and he was going back in also. The very first section was just awful, and I was wandering why Dave couldn’t cut us out of this one, and take us around this section like right to the single-track like in 2004? After that section it was nice for quite some time. Adam let me by and I went at my own pace trying to find the lines. There are some scattered puddles in the middle of the course, but it is the end that just knocks the life out of your MODE.

I got out and went straight to the showers to clean my bike off; already knowing I was going to do another one. I got to the car, changed gloves, loaded the iPod up, zipped locked it close and went in for another lap. I skipped the first section as I saw nothing good to come out of doing it again, and as I got to the second section MonsterCox (Martin Cox) and Drew Edsall were coming out of the first section so I jumped on their wheels. I got all my lines in the single-track and the puddles on that lap. That was exactly what I needed. Got back and washed off the bike again, packed up and went to the hotel to relube the cables and try to get out as much gunt as possible before tomorrow’s mud fest.

Back in 2004 at the Jax Race my brother came into town to see me as his family lived just across the way in GA, and we ate at this nice little homie Japanese place, and I have been eating there every since.

You gotta try this place. Take Atlantic to the Beach, turn right on 3rd St. One mile down on the left.

This would be Mrs. P’s and I second time eating here. I love the Chicken Katsu, and Mrs. P loves the Sapporo.

Plus, it’s a chance for me to show off and speak Japanese in front of her. The novelty of that has worn off now, but I still enjoy it. It’s always a shock to the waiter when I start asking questions in Japanese. We enjoy dinner, sit and talk a little longer, and we are back at the hotel before 8:30. I tinker with the bike a little longer, and then hit the sack.


The next morning I saw it was still wet on the ground, so I knew that the course was the same or worst. Plus, it was now hot, not overcast and in the mid 70’s like predicted. Man, this was going to be a nasty race of attrition. T-Wiz was having some serious problems getting motivated as was Mose H. Scott C. had deeply bruised his ribs from surfing the day before, so he was out for sure. I got all ready and went to warm up, and even riding on the road my break pads were scrubbing up against the disc. It didn’t bother me as everything was going to be scrubbing everything in about 30 minutes.

Adam was going back to Chris’s truck to get something and he said, “Hey, people are afraid that if you see something you are going to report it in your blog”. I laughed and said, “ Report”. I’m only writing about my experience, that why it is called a Race Report. I think he was referring to me writing about the “B&J Meltdown” in the Time Trial”. I didn’t fabricate anything at all, and I didn’t sensationalize anything either. To be honest I would never write exactly what was said, as that is way too negative to write about. That is not what racing is about, and last time I checked none of us are getting a check from a Corporate Sponsor, so let’s keep it FUN. To all of those who are trying to read this blog to see if there is anything scandalous, please close this window and delete my blog address out of your favorites. After that, I start joking with Adam about it. I said, “ Say anything, Do anything, and I’m gonna get to typing”, and I hold my hands up like I’m typing on a keyboard, and we both laugh.

On the line we only had 12 stupid riders, and I just laughed under my breath. I saw T-Wiz dressed in his regular clothes with Lola, and I said, “You may turn out to be one of the smarted people out here today”. Off the line I didn’t even do anything and I was in 4th place. As we approached the fireroad Ryan B asked me, “If he could get some love”, and I coast and let him pass me. Greg DeRosa passed me also. Those guys are faster than me, but I hate having to hold up just to let Ryan get by. I didn’t mind as we immediately going into the mud. It was awful as I expected and I do my best and I’m able to navigate through that entire section without putting a foot down. But that time Shawn S. Mad Maddox, and Greg D are gone. Mark G. Ryan B and I jump into the next section and we are having some problem getting around a guy on a Trek that has been dropped off that front group. They both get around him and say, “ Gonna come by if you aren’t gonna stay with them”, and he lets me by and I jump on Mark’s wheel. We ride for about 2 mins and Mark passes Ryan and he is gone. I’m not in a rush and Ryan’s wheel is a decent wheel to be on so I just relax.

We go through the single-track with no real agenda since the tough stuff is to come. We pass through the first and second mud sections and everything is ok, and we are back to the single-track. The course goes up and down a little bit here and I can here a rider coming up on my wheel, and it’s Anthony J, a local but we quickly gap him and he is back to being out of sight. We go through a nasty section downhill section that is pitted with mud and Ryan put a foot down and I know I’m going to hit him if I don’t do the same. The way I put my left foot down was a foregone conclusion as I was looking way forward, but my foot does not find the spot. The next thing I know I’m hyper extending my knee way backwards because I didn’t anticipate the mud being so deep. In the preride laps, I went through the section so fast that my momentum was enough to get me through it.

I’m off the bike and lying on the ground holding my knee. I have been hurt in the last year, so I can deal with pain. I have a 6 chainring scar on the back of my calf, a gash in my shoulder, stitches in my left elbow from falling down the steps holding my road bike in both hands and not using the handrail, only to reopen it on a mtn bike crash 8 month later, a strained calf and shin muscles from jumping off my bike at 15mph to avoid crashing on a bridge at Oleta, so I know some pain.

But this pain was different. I know that I hurt something because I could not get up for about a min. Anthony Jannik stopped and was getting off his bike when he saw me in that condition. As did Matt Foxenberger, and Todd Hatfield. To those guys, Thank you for sacrificing your result to see if a fellow rider was ok, you have earned my respect as a true sportsman’s.
I told them I was ok and I would recover and to go on. I get to my bike and I can’t get on it. I can’t put the weight on my left knee so I can put my right legs over the bike. I try it 4 or 5 times but my left knee kept buckling under the load of holding up all my weight. After another minute, I walk around to the other side of the bike and get my left leg over the bike, but my leg is shaking trying to clip in and push off. I finally get off and I have no idea what kind speed I’m going, but I am waiting for the 40+ Experts to catch me so I can get a lift out of here. I continue on and it seems like forever before they catch me. It’s Adam, Oscar and local guy I think. Honorary mention to Adam Goldfarb for the transition to pass me that was smooth and without conflict.

They pass me and I can’t stay on their wheels, but I’m going to finish out this lap no matter what. My team recognizes me as the fastest rider, and even if I don’t have the potential to get the most points, they expect a good performance out of me, as do I. After getting passed by most of the 40+ Experts, I seriously start considering quitting the race, which is something I can say that I have done 2 other times in my career. Both of those races I quit because I was out of form and really should not have been out there, or even trying to race that hard. But I’m in form this time, and I should be racing hard, but I’m hurt. Dean passed me and I can’t stay on his wheel, but I muster up enough energy to finish out the lap, and way behind. I get back to the tent, and Mrs. P asks what is wrong and I tell her I hurt my left knee and I don’t know if I can pedal. She said, “ Quit the race”. I said, “If I’m hurt I will keep on, if I’m injured I wont’ finish this lap”. I take 2 mins, drink 2 bottles and make an attempt to get back on my bike while everyone is looking at me like I should just sit down. My team needs me for points, I need to push myself to the limit to be sure that I can’t get my MODE back.

As soon as I got into the muddy section my knee is hurting every time I’m have to pedal under a heavy load or on those semi-steep climbs that are slick. All I’m thinking is if I can get through this section I’ll be able to recover on the single-track, and I partly do. But as soon as I get back to the 2 mud pits I’m afraid that if I have to put a foot down at race speed my knee is going to buckle for sure. I manage to get through those sections but this is the first time in life that I was afraid that being out there was going to make it worst, and I pull the plug about 10 minutes later.

So that was my race, about 8 miles of racing, but only 12 minutes of riding at race speed. Good Luck to all of you who finished that race, and Congrats to all of you that got on the box. I don’t think anyone that was out there will forget this race for quite some time.

Go to www.teamactivecycles.com to see video from the race, and Lance getting humped by AJ.

See you next weekend in G-ville

Pacer Out!