HongCheon Mountain Bike Race Report: 3rd Place 홍천며느리재대회후기 3등!

Last Sunday I got to race on my favorite mountain bike course in Korea.  Its my favorite because I won the first edition of the race overall in 2011.  Last year the course was made a bit longer though and its not quite as well suited to me as before.  Anyway there were 6 guys in the Top Category group racing with me and my goal was to get top 3 in my group.

The start went well and I was at the front of the group going into the first climb.  Then my old teammate Ji Haeng attacked and I decided to try to jump on his wheel.  This proved to be a bad idea though as I was only able to hang with him for about a minute before I blew up.  It took me a bit to recover and at that point I had been passed by a bunch of guys but I was still sitting 3^rd in my group.  I got on a guy from JiHaeng’s team’s wheel and drafted him over the next few miles of smooth rolling double track.  At this point the race was about half over when I noticed that Yong Su who was also in my group was right in front of me.  I bridged up to him dropping Hyuk Jin in the process and hit the next climb with YongSu. 

This same situation happened last year as well and on the last climb YongSu managed to drop me.  I was determined to put up more of a fight this time.  I couldn’t quite hold onto his wheel up the next climb though but I caught and passed him on the rocky descent into the final climb.  We hit the final climb together but unfortunately for me he had more in the tank than I thought and he attacked hard up the climb.  I fought to limit my losses but he was gone and I couldn’t catch him on the ensuing descent.  I still ended up 3^rd in my group though so I was pretty happy with the result.  This was the best I’ve ridden my mtb all year but unfortunately its going to be my last mountain bike race until September probably.  This weekend is my last race in Korea it’s the 5^th stop of the Korea Masters cycling tour and should be a good opportunity to score points toward the series ranking. 

지난주일요일 나 홍천며느리재자전거시합타고왔어요.  이코스 한국산악자전거코스중에 내가제일좋아해요 왜냐하면 2011년 여기서 전체일등했어요.  장년은 코스좀 변경했지만 좋아해요.  이번에 상급자탔어서 그냥 3등안에하고싶었어요.  출발하고 첫언덕에서 지행형 페이스 다다해봤지만 너무 힘들었어서 혁진형이랑 탔어요.  몇키로동안혁진형뒤에타고 리커버리했어요.  첫언덕내리고 용수형 봤어요 그래서 좀빨리타고 용수형이랑 2번째 언덕시작햇어요.  혀페이스 못다다했지만 다운힐에서 다시잡았어요.  마자막언덕같이시작했지만 용수형 너무 빨리탔어서 다시 못잡았어요 근데 상급자 3등했어서 기븐좋았어요 두디어이번시즌 산악자전거 좀잘탈수있었어요!  이번대회는 한국에 마지막 산악대회이였어요 9월부터 미국에 다시 산악자전거대회시작할거에요.  하지만 양양 MCT 남고있어요.  나 MCT 6차랑7차 못갈거에서 양양에서 포인트많이 받아봐야해요! 

100km MTB Race and Grand Fondo Report 박달재 100km대회 및 그란폰도 후기

2 weeks ago I participated in my second 100km mountain bike race.  The course consisted of about 70% double track and 30% road with a little bit of single track mixed in too.  Having not performed well in Gapyoung 2 weeks prior I wasn’t expecting much but I definitely wanted to use the race to get in better shape.  Lucky for me too the course is pretty easy for the first third of the race.  The gun went off and I was able to stay with the lead group for the first 40km or so.  After that the first really long climb started though and I was quickly on my own just racing to finish.  I ended up completing the course in a little under 5 hours which was about 15 minutes slower than last year.  I still had a great time overall though.  Big thanks to my friend Matt for letting me stay with him and his family in Jecheon before the race.  I think I’m starting to get into better shape though since I felt a lot better the next week at the Pinarello Gran Fondo.

Last Saturday my team and I participated in what was my first ever Gran Fondo ride.  Gran Fondos are basically big timed rides that have a podium for the top 3 overall finishers. Usually the courses are really tough and most peoples goal is just to finish.  This event was held in Muju in the south west part of Korea which has really big mountains.  The event started at 7am but my team decided that since we were there just to ride rather than race we would start about 20 minutes late.  This actually proved to be a pretty good idea because as we rode the course and caught and passed people I was able to catch up with lots of people I know and meet some new ones.  The course was a lot of fun but it was also pretty brutal.  There were about 7 climbs on the course one of which had cement sections that hit over 20%.  About half the people in the ride walked up it!  The course finished with a pretty long climb too and I was pretty worn out by the end of it. The total course was 130km and took me well over 5 hours to finish. 

I got to meet some one pretty interesting on the ride too.  As I was riding up one of the gradual climbs I saw two people with number 1 and 2 so I went up and said hi and started a conversation.  It turns out that I was talking to Fausto Pinarello the son of the founder of Pinarello and the current CEO of the company.  We rode for about 20km and talked about the bike market in Korea and other things.  That was definitely the highlight of my Gran Fondo ride. 

There are no races this weekend but my last 2 races in Korea are coming up fast.  Next weekend I’m racing a mountain bike race in HongCheon and the last weekend of June is the last race of the Masters Cycling Tour.

이주전에 저 박달재 100키로 산악자전거대회탔어요.  장년탈때 몸조그좋았지만  가평대회 잘못탔어서 이대회 그냥  훈련하로 했어요.  하지만 나 열심히해봤어요.  첫40키로 동안 나 앞그룹이랑탔어요.  하지만 첫 킨 언덕 페이스 못마췄어요.  마지막60키로 그냥혼자줄겁게탔어요.  기록 5시간 정도 나왔어요.  하지만 상급자에 2명박이안왔어서 2등했어요! 박달재타고 몸좀올로갔나봐요.

지난주토요일 무주 피나레로 그란펀도 타로갔어요.  나 첫그란폰도이얐어요 그리고 생각보다 재미있었어요.  시작은 7시이였는데 우리 팀 7시20분정도에 출발했어요.  이번에 대회아니여서 그냥 재미겟타고싶어서 늦게출발했어요.  코스타고 나 오랜만은친구랑 많이 얘기할수있었고 새친구 도마났어요.  코스 너무어려웠지만 재미있었어요.  내기록은 5시간반 넘었어요! 

하지만 제일 재미있는것는 나 혼자타고있었고 배번1,2번가지고있는사람봤어요.  외국인이야서 나 하이하고 얘기했어요.  그사람 피나레로 자전거 CEO 파우스토 피나레로 이얐어요!  20키로 동안같이타고 얘기했어요.  이것은 그란폰도 제일좋은추억.

이번주 자전거대회 없지만 다음주홍천 산악자전거대회신청했고 6월말에 양양 엠씨티 탈거예요.