Rocky Point 50 Mile MTB Race by Evan Fineman
This race was held in Rocky Point State Pine Barrens Preserve (who knew?). This was a brand new race for the promoter and the course as well.
I went in knowing two things: it was flat and it was Long Island. And I came away with a greater appreciation for what they have out there. The course was super nice- really tight flowy single-track that just ripped through windy tree lines. The pine forest was a combination of sand and hard pack, which I have never really ridden any of.
I registered for this race as a tune up, gear check, and leg check for my upcoming Vermont 50 MTB race in 2 weeks. The distance is the same but that’s where the similarities end…
The open single speed class was my pick for the day as I needed to work on my spin (and spin I did) and that it was a mass start- I love mass starts on the singlespeed because I can line up on the front and mix it up.
The race was 3 laps of 17 miles- with a prologue of 1 mile- the start was nice and fast but not over the top. I really tried to lean on the local teams as I knew the local knowledge was going to be fast. I squeezed up to about 10th and sprinted to enter the single track in about 12th- almost where I wanted to be. The group I was with began letting the front group of about 6 guys go off the front and the guy in front of me just couldn’t keep up through the turns. The (close the gap) yelling from behind started and he got even more rattled. So I made a move and blasted by him using the spare 3 inches of trail to pass.
I chased for a good mile of lumpy, twisty, moguls to make the next group and worked with them for a bit as I put in a huge effort to bridge up. As I was chasing that group had also let a group go which I never caught. We worked together for a while, I let them lead for a bit as I had never ridden the course before, and home court advantage was huge on this course. 6 of us rode the trees like nobody’s business. I sat on the back and all of us had about 3 inches between our wheels just carving the trees...any mistakes and that would have been the day for all of us. What a thrill.
I rode with them for a bit, they pulled me through the 1st lap and then I had to go; their pace had slowed and the race was going to get away. I put in a big effort and made it stick on the next little hill and gradually dropped all of them. I had great timing and hooked onto a solo rider’s wheel about 6 miles from the finish of lap 2. He was crazy- he got into a TT position and pulled me till the end of lap 2, he then blew up and I grabbed a bottle.
Unfortunately, I downed it way too quickly and I started to cramp but I pushed through the cramps and rode the 3rd lap solo. At one point I saw the 2nd place SS rider above on the climb so I knew I had to just keep digging deep. I just zipped by the mile 12 aid station and buried myself to the finish line.
I finished the race as the 1st SS racer to finish (11 minutes ahead of 2nd place) and 6th overall (results). Time to get myself some fresh legs and keep pushing forward.
Here is some footage from a ride on 11.21.17 in the New York Putnam County area.
The Vermont 50 & WEEK in ADVENTURE! It was a hot start to the fall season. Temps reached 80º + and the sun was strong. MPF athletes and the MPF RNR Team were all over the East Coast!
Many from our group took part in the Shawnagunk Ridge Trail races, as well as the Pisgah Trail Race, the Free to Run 50, the Rocky Point 50 MTB race and an epic FKT in NH! Check it out!
MPF Athlete Evan Fineman had registered for this race as a tune up, gear check, and leg check for his upcoming Vermont 50 MTB race in 2 weeks. The distance was the same but that’s where the similarities ended…
We spent the time checking out some new mountain bike trails in Sterling Forest, NY which were great, and then made our way over to Ringwood State Park, NJ where more trails were just taken shape.
Here are some photos from our day out on the trails in Harriman State Park, NY.
Evan went back to the Vermont 50 mountain bike race for the 3rd straight year, looking for a podium finish...
I was tempted to not do a write up as I felt that the disappointment that I had at my race result (and season so far) would be a big drag and all negative. But I think these write ups help me race and could be cathartic moving forward.
This was Evan's 2nd year in a row riding the VT 50 and it is quickly becoming his favorite race of the season. Evan took almost 30 minutes off his time from the previous year and did so just using 1 gear.
"The last time I raced the Bearscat 50 in Wawayanda I swore I wouldn't go back. I finished that race two years ago in about 6:55 or so. As you all know the memory of the pain you experience fades with time."
I just got my upgrade approved Monday to Cat 3. So I wasted no time in trying a 123 race. I hit up the Augusta Training Series A race tonight. And I was DFL.
So I went out to Augusta Tuesday to race the B Race for what might be my last time as I now have enough upgrade points to travel up...and this was also my first roadie race of the year.
This was day 2 of Evan's 2015 cycling training camp. We took our mountain bikes to the MPF Spring Classic Route to check on some of the road conditions.
Today, conditions were good for snowshoeing in the Harriman State Park area of New York. Some of us opted for the no snowshoe approach, but had to raise the effort quite a bit just to keep pace. Hiking poles & microspikes definitely helped but still were no match for the efficiency of proper snowshoeing.
We had a great hike in Harriman State Park (NY-NJ Trail Map 118) after a little more snow fall hit our area! We covered about 9 miles and broke trail for about 8 of those. Couldn't have asked for better working conditions! We finished the hike with a little water crossing over Stony Brook where the bridge is out (orange to white trail).
