New Website!

As I've been alluding to for a while now, something new has been in the works. Today I can finally unveil my new website, paysonmcelveen.com!

This Blogspot has served me well over the past 2 years, and I hope been useful and enjoyable for y'all. As I progress in the sport, all of the different components must also, from equipment to training to general professionalism. This new website is the next step in that process.

Feel free to explore the new site, and then go on over to the "Blog" tab to get some more details!

Note: Keep in mind that while nearly all the content is complete, there are a couple last bits that will be added in the coming days.

www.paysonmcelveen.com

In the Pain Business

Bike racing is inherently difficult. Pain and suffering is fundamental to the sport. Many outside it simply do not understand the draw: I heard one classmate, a basketball player, characterize what I do each day after school as no more than what he and the team do at the end of basketball practice for punishment: "Suicides"- basically intervals running up and down the basketball court until exhausted. He simply wasn't able to understand how doing "Suicides" for two hours each day instead of practice would be any fun. My classmates do occasionally like to poke fun at my pursuit, calling me "The Masochist." Sometimes to mess with me they introduce me to someone: "This is Payson... he loves pain."

Saying I love pain is not quite true. In reality, I think it may be one of the most profound "Love/Hate" relationships I know. I find few things in life as fulfilling as exploring my own physical and mental limits. It is the single thing that makes me feel the most "alive". And in this game, pain = speed.

However, the relationship between pain and success in this sport can be soul-crushing. In most cases, the person that trains the hardest usually wins. And this is why most afternoons after school or work, while others drive home to eat and watch T.V., some of us go out and inflict pain on ourselves... a lot of it. Of course, to many jokesters in my class, this obviously means I "like" pain. But in fact, at times I'm quite scared of it. Each night I review my workout for the following day, and some nights I have literally lain awake dreading the next day's ride.

Strangely, not only do I look forward to doing this sport for the rest of my life, I am trying very hard to make it become my profession. A fellow racing friend and I once commented to each other during a conversation regarding how torturous training and racing can be: "What a silly way to make a living!"

On Tuesday I had a simple yet very hard workout. Suiting up I felt unemotional, just like I was going out for another day on the job. That mood stayed pretty much the same for the following 2 hrs. as I executed the workout, putting my body on the limit. When I was done my legs were trashed. Unlike many days in the first couple of years when I started training hard, I didn't feel sorry for myself, or question what I was doing. I know what I'm doing, and I know why. Lately I haven't been afraid of the pain, and instead met it with either excitement, or little emotion at all. I hope to soon make this my profession, and I feel a need to begin approaching it as if it were. I'd like to think I'm well on my way.

Race Report: TMBRA #2 STORM Hill Country Challenge- A Hard-Earned Podium

Last weekend was the TMBRA #2 STORM Hill Country Challenge, held on the fabled and tradition-bound Flat Rock Ranch course in Comfort Texas. In it's eleventh year, "Comfort" is a classic. I have had mixed luck there with a victory or two as well as my best Pro/Cat 1 finish ever in 2nd. However, the past two years, the rocky, epic 27 mile course has gotten the better of me. At the same event last year, my race ended 100 yards from the start line, as another racer had a mechanical difficulty that sent him plowing into my front wheel, completely taco-ing it and ending my race in the first minute. Just a month or two back I experienced 4 hours of this brute of a course, at the aptly named "Miles of DisComfort Marathon."

I had high hopes for my race this past weekend, and while I did come away with a respectable result, I once again had to pay my dues to this classic hill country mountain bike racing track.

In the days leading up to the event I felt pretty good physically, but even better mentally. With three of the states' top racers away at the ProXCT event in California, I saw a great opportunity to win my first ever Pro/Cat 1 race.

Here's a synopsis of how my race played out. You can get another perspective on the weekend from my teammate and friend Mason Shea on his blog.

With the first mile of the race covering a flattish open jeep road, not many wanted to work on the front and push the pace, resulting in one of the tamest cross-country race starts I've ever experienced. Knowing what lay in store in the following hour, I decided to bide my time. Gradually the pace began to pick up as we snaked our way up "Mount Park." To finish the climb, racers had to navigate a tricky, steep ledge combo. In years past this section has been no problem, but with the extremely dry conditions and years of erosion, the area has become much more challenging. Unfortunately I had a lapse in concentration and made a mistake, forcing me to jump off and run up the rest of the way. Once back on the bike, I looked up just in time to see the three leaders (Rick Wetherald, Matt Gordon and Wiley Mosley) riding out of sight.

They had only gained a 15 seconds lead, but it would take me riding a bit into the red zone and pinning the entire rest of the 45 minute loop to finally rejoin them.

I spent 15 or 20 minutes settling back in and regaining my composure. Realizing I still felt pretty strong, I began planning my tactics for the rest of the race. First order of business: move up from last place in the group. If someone were to attack, with another rider in front of me not able to follow, I'd be stuck, possibly missing the decisive moment, not a good situation. With this in mind I pulled a cheeky little move on Wiley while he was getting a drink, to get into the third spot (sorry Wiley!).

Sure enough, not long after that, Matt Gordon surged around Rick and began rapidly opening a lead. After a minute or two we hit an open dirt road section and I was able to pass Rick. It then took a good 5 or more minutes to close the relatively small gap to Matt... I knew then that he was on a strong day; winning the race was going to be very tough.

Soon after making contact again, things settled down. Wiley had stayed on my wheel, while Rick trailed a handful of seconds in arrears... he seemed to be missing a gear that day. Not wanting him to make contact with us again, I took the lead from Matt and set a steady tempo. I have ridden the Comfort course many times and find that I can gain a considerable amount of time on a couple of the more sustained descents. With that in mind, I pinned two in particular as hard as I could, hoping to gap Wiley and Matt. They didn't budge. Unfortunately, from then on the course was mostly flat, with very little climbing. From Warda two weeks before I'd seen how much stronger Matt was than me on the flats.

As I feared, with around 10 minutes to go in the race Matt surged past me on a smooth flat stretch and put down a very hard attack. I simply could not follow. Wiley, however, seemed content with staying on my wheel.

Matt was soon out of sight, and I knew, save for a mechanical issue or crash, the race for the win was over. I could not, however, wallow in my disappointment, as the race for 2nd was very much on.

With the remaining five minutes of the race mainly downhill, I began taking some risks and descending more aggressively hoping to gap Wiley slightly, or at least keep him from being able to pass. Then, coming into a tight section between two trees just a few minutes from the finish, disaster struck: I managed to clip the end of my handlebar on a tree, and was flung at 20+ mph into a full grown Oak Tree. I lay for a second, knowing I'd broken or dislocated something. Wiley, being the gentleman he is, had stopped to make sure I was okay. This was a bigger deal than it may seem, as Rick had not given up, and was still less then 30 seconds back and chasing hard. I told Wiley to go on. Miraculously I had not broken anything. My right upper back/shoulder had taken all of the impact, guarding my collarbone, front of my shoulder (which would have surely dislocated or separated had I landed on it), and maybe most importantly my bike, from the collision. I thought I could hear Rick coming, which was enough to get me scrambling back on my bike. Seeing Wiley just a few corners ahead, I bore down in a last ditch effort to catch him. It became a drag race to the finish and I didn't make up a single second while chasing. Kudos, sir, it would have been an interesting finish between us!

Finishing on the podium was a good result, but I came away from the race disappointed. I had really, really wanted to win. While I had made a crucial mistake early in the race, truth be told, I had simply been out-ridden by Matt. He was incredibly strong. Congratulations to him!

The crash was one of the most violent ones I can remember taking. It left me with a pulled mystery muscle on my rib-cage right below my armpit, a sizable hematoma on my left quad, and some pretty good road rash, errr, bark rash, where I slammed into the tree.


The rest of the team favored quite well in the Pro/Cat 1 field:
Stew Stafford 7th
Brian Kuehl 9th
Sean Ahmadi 10th
Craig Kunz 11th

In other categories we had many victories and podiums as well, solidifying our lead in the team classification, as the strongest team in the state. Woo hoo!

Tomorrow my dad and I leave for Glen Rose, TX, for round #3 of the TMBRA series: The Cat Claw Challenge on Solavaca Ranch.

I know race reports can get old, so look for the next posts to have a new slant to them, focused more on some of the quirks and intricacies of my day to day life that are centered around becoming a better bike racer. Also, look for the unveiling of an exciting new project VERY soon... yes, the one I've been promising for some time now that will replace this blogspot!

Race Report: Lago Vista- A Breakthrough

At 7:10 AM last Sunday morning I was rudely jolted out of a deep sleep by my alarm clock. I lay in the darkness for a few moments sorting out in my head what was planned for the day. Despite spending all Saturday sleeping in and recuperating, the five day mandatory school class trip of the previous week still had me feeling sluggish and sleepy.

After a few seconds there in the dark and under my warm duvet I suddenly remembered I'd be lining up for a road race in less than 3.5 hours. I didn't feel particularly excited with the realization, and unemotionally sat up and flipped on the light. "Time to go to work," I thought.

A few minutes later I had a few eggs cooking on the stove and began filling bottles, grabbing helmet, shoes and kit.

As I sat at the table, mechanically eating my eggs and toast, doubts began whirling through my head: "What if I just stay home and get caught up on sleep? I am still so far behind. I might just dig myself into a deeper hole of fatigue and stress. Is it really worth driving the 1.5 hrs. to the race? What if I crash? Is this one training race worth risking my entire season?"

My dad walked into the room: "Almost ready to go?" He asked.

I offered a simple: "Yep." Holding back on telling him how I really felt.

Suddenly I realized I was just trying to cut deals with myself. I muttered a simple: "Let's do this," under my breath, gathered my things, threw the road bike in the van, and ran one last mental checklist.

Less than 2 hours later I was on my bike, registered, and warming up on the Lago Vista course I'd heard about for so many years. By the time I'd crested the top of the surprisingly substantial climb, I was in a whole different mindset than I'd been in at the kitchen table earlier that morning. Something about climbing solo, settling into the familiar rhythms of my pedal stroke, heart beat, and breathing cleared my mind. I rolled up to the start line ready to give it my best against the 80+ Cat 3/4 men's field.

The race was my first time in the 3/4s, and my first time in a pack even remotely so big. I knew it would be ever more critical to stay towards the front.

Our race consisted of 9 times around the 5.1ish mile circuit. The course was made up of a substantial, stair-step climb with sections over 10% in the first couple miles, then a fairly flat section on the top, followed by a fast and windy, false flat descent back to the finish. After pre-riding the climb during my warm-up I knew it was a course I could potentially make a move on, as the climb was quite a solid one.

The first 6 or 7 laps passed fairly uneventfully. I floated around in the top third of the pack, making sure to stay out of trouble and trying to conserve my energy. On the 7th time up the climb I noticed a significant difference in the attitude of the riders around me. We'd attack the bottom of the hill at the same clip that we had been, but it seemed as though the peloton was easing up slightly once we crested the top. I also paid close attention to the breathing and posture of the riders around. I could soon tell that many were getting tired.

On the second to last lap I made the decision that I would attack near the top of the climb, on the last lap. Although I knew I'd be able to build a more substantial gap initially if I attacked at the bottom, it was still a long 4 miles to the finish once you crested the top. Not knowing if I'd be able to stay away on my own, I knew attacking near the top would draw out a rider or two that were truly still strong at this point in the race, and would make a good breakaway partner.

So, near the top of the climb on the final lap I finally got a chance to do what I've dreamed of doing since I was a 7 year old boy watching the Tour de France: Stood on the pedals and launched out into the void. The feeling is indescribable.

Tactically, things could not have turned out more beautifully. After a few seconds I looked back to see what kind of gap was developing. To my delight, friend and fellow Pro/Cat 1 mountain bike racer Jorge Muñoz was bridging the gap. The situation was developing exactly the way I'd hoped. I eased off the pedals until he made contact, and then it was off to the races.

We worked well together and soon were out of site of the field. We hammered, I think taking fairly even pulls, both riding at the limit knowing that the opportunity was there to make something pretty special work.

When we were at the one kilometer to go sign, with still no sign of the bunch, we knew we'd done it. With 200 meters to go I sprinted with all I had left... and crossed the line arms raised. Finally, I'd won a road race. The emotions I felt in that moment could not have been more different than those at 7:10 AM that morning...

All in all the day was a huge boost of confidence. Not only had I raced well, but that evening after analyzing the power file it was evident that I am in a very good place with my fitness. It's going to be a good year.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Jorge for making the breakaway work. We'll get to face each other again tomorrow at the TMBRA #2 at Comfort.

Honey Stinger

I'm very excited to announce my new partnership with Honey Stinger! Based out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Honey Stinger is a nutrition company with products aimed at supporting an active, healthy lifestyle. The company was founded in 2002 by a honey industry veteran, athletic entrepreneur, a food product developer and a beekeeper. Many of their products are 100% USDA certified Organic, and all are naturally sweetened with honey.

I was first introduced to the company when a friend offered me one of their "Gold" Energy Gels during a long mountain bike ride. I knew next to nothing about the company at the time, but loved the taste of the gel and immediately did some research when I got home. I was even more intrigued by the company when I learned that the product was not only friendly to my taste buds, but extremely healthy as well. In Honey Stinger I found a company making products that will keep me fueled to go the distance, and do so healthfully.

They have an awesome line of products that give you multiple ways to stay fueled during race, ride or at any time in the day. As their packaging reads: "run, ski, wrestle, fish, bull ride, climb, lift, surf, split wood, ride, sting." During a typical 1.5- 2 hour cross-country mountain bike race, I prefer to eat one gel a few minutes before the start, and then 2 or 3 during the race. My favorite flavors include "Gold" (85% honey), strawberry and chocolate. Other flavors include Banana and "Ginsting" if you need an extra boost. After the race I begin my recovery process with a Protein Bar.

For longer distance races such as Marathons or road races, just downing Gels can get old. In order to keep energy systems high, an Energy Bar does wonders. Also critical to performance is keeping your electrolyte stores well supplied. I am pretty sure there is no tastier way to do so than these organic energy chews. The Orange Blossom flavor is to die for!

Lately the talk of the industry is the new organic Honey Stinger Waffles. Yes, waffles. The idea behind these sinfully good creations came from the man himself, Lance Armstrong.

"Our partner Lance Armstrong gave us the inspiration for the Stinger Waffle direct from his years racing and training in Europe. 'One of my favorite things to eat on the bike is the 'stroopwafel' found in northern Europe. I hope you'll like this organic Honey Stinger version. Enjoy!'"

These fit perfectly in a jersey pocket and are like heaven-on-earth during a long training ride.

Here is a very recent example of how Honey Stinger has helped me succeed: Just yesterday I participated in the Lago Vista road race. Over the 2 hour, 50 mile race I consumed 2 Gels and one Peanut Butter n' Honey Energy Bar. On the 9th and final lap, I attacked near the top of the largest climb on the course, successfully breaking away with another rider. In the finale I out sprinted him to take the win!

I'm psyched to be a part of this company I love, and hope you'll give their stuff a try! I know you won't be disappointed.

Race Report: TMBRA #1 Warda

Last Sunday, February 27th, marked the start of the 2011 racing season. While I've done some racing earlier this year, I had treated those more as "pre-season" and tune up races. After last weekend, this show is finally on the (0ff)road!

Happening in late February, the Warda race is still in the very, very early season. It can be both a blessing and a curse that the Texas racing calendar starts so early: It gives an opportunity to get in some hard fitness-building races when most other parts of the world are still snowed in. However taking too much advantage of the warm weather by racing and training a large amount too soon can leave one tired and burnt out come the important races in July and August. This year those include races like the Wisconsin ProXCT, the Mont Saint Anne and Windham World Cups, National Championships and hopefully World Championships, which all happen in late June and run through early September. As my race schedule has become more and more dependent on that of the ProXCTs and World Cups, planning the season has become increasingly tricky. I have a real desire to do well in the Texas races, as that is where I compete with my closest friends and in front of my team sponsors, but always have to remind myself of the big picture, and the races still four, five and six months away. Simply swallowing my pride and giving it my best when I'm not quite yet at my best can be challenging.

So, as the 30 of us lined up, I was distinctly less nervous than I have been in years gone by, as I know what lies ahead in the coming months. At the same time, however, I can't deny that the desire to come out on top in some of my old friendly rivalries was still there.

The race started about as expected and in the spirit of how the first race of the season should: Fast, aggressive and nervous. The field was one of the biggest (30) and most stacked (all the big players showed up) we'd seen in a while. As we made quick work of the 1 mile, flat jeep road start loop, there was enough leaning, elbowing and wheel rubbing to make any seasoned racer nervous. As we entered the singletrack, one individual who shall remain nameless, had me elbow checked, and was running me straight towards a 2 foot thick pine tree. Had I not given in and slammed on the brakes at the last second my race report may have ended right here.

The race lap was almost identical to years past: A 15ish minute very twisty, flat and tight "cornerer's delight" section at the beginning, followed by a long flat drag across the meadow, then a very fun 10ish minute hillier section that could be characterized as a "Europe Jr." To finish off the lap there was another mostly flat jeep road section to the start/finish.

As we entered the singletrack for the first time, Tristan Uhl was setting an incredibly fast tempo at the front of the race and the field was soon strung out. While I felt like I was riding completely on my limit in this twisty section, once we got into the lower hilly part, I was able to move up more easily. By the end of the first lap I'd moved up to 8th place.

The remainder of the race went fairly uneventfully. I rode lap 2 hanging onto Matt Gordon and Jorge Muños' wheel, but let them go with a lap and a half to go in the race. Again I found that while in the flat twisties I was on my limit but not over it, but simply couldn't match the power of the others on the flat, straight open sections. Once into the "Mini-Europe" part of the course, I felt much more at ease and nearly like we were soft-pedaling up some of the climbs.

On the fourth lap I managed to catch one other rider, and came within just a few seconds of re-catching Matt Gordon. That slotted me into 7th place.

I didn't cross the line smiling, as I was disappointed with the result. The year before I'd finished one place better in 6th, although it was in a much more watered down field. My goal in the Texas pro races is always to finish on the podium, so a 7th place was obviously not the result I was looking for. However, there were definitely some good signs big-picture wise: I beat my time from last year by over 30 seconds. Not only that, the 1 mile start loop was not included in the previous year's edition, meaning I finished closer to 3 minutes ahead of my time... a significant improvement.

Our team did well, with numerous victories and podiums in other categories. In the Pro/Cat 1s we placed 3 in the top 10, and 5 in the top 20. Kevin Fish put in an awesome performance to start his first year as a licensed Pro, as he rode in the lead group with Tristan Uhl and Bryan Fawley for the entire race. Unfortunately a dropped chain at a seriously inopportune moment cost him a shot at victory.

All in all it was a satisfactory start to the season. There is no hiding the fact that I have some work to do still, but then again, I've got some time...

Team Bicycle Sport Shop Kits 2011

A few weeks ago when I introduced my new race bike, I talked a little bit about the equipment and technology of the sport. Although all the gadgetry involved can make things very expensive very quickly, it's also one of the things that defines the sport and makes it so beautiful. It can also serve as an incredible source of motivation. Whether it's a new race bike or a new pair of sunglasses, "freshness" always seems to add a bit of excitement.

Yesterday, freshness came in the form of our 2011 Team Bicycle Sport Shop kits. Take a look:

A stylish variation on last years very successful design. This year with a bigger BSS logo, team sponsors, and some flashy white, red and grey highlights.

The bib shorts this year get lots more white, which I think looks sweet.

Look for these kits to be dominating podiums in locations near you throughout 2011!