Pre-race monkey brain

Sornson gears up for an epic, week-long MTB stage race

As I sit here I am unsure what to do. So what do I decide? Let us begin this thing.
The Trans-Sylvania Epic (TSE) is consuming much of my brain right now. Mostly with things such as "I have to remember this or that"; "I have this to do before..."; "I can't forget to do this when I get back..."; "I also agreed to blog, what was I thinking!"; "I'm never this much of wreck prior to 100s"; "Am I just freaking out due to my poor luck last weekend, duh that's only part of it...Top notch women's field to line up for Trans-Sylvania Epic is the main part".
All will be so much better once work is behind me, I'm on the road, and the race begins. It will be such an exciting week.
Of course, someone will win and the others will appear to have lost, but I don't think that will be the case at TSE. There will be no losers and only great memorable times shared.
The racing will be hard, competitive and will bring out the best in us all.
I'll let ya know how it goes.



Cheryl Sornson's bikes get some love ahead of the Trans-Sylvania Epic

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Cheryl Sornson's Trans-Sylvania Epic Blog

Cheryl Sornson (Team CF) is racing the 2012 Trans-Sylvania Epic in and around State College, Pennsylvania. Seven days of racing will change things up for her usual 100-miler and other one-day endurance events.
Stay tuned here on Cyclingnews to follow the adventures of Sornson as she takes on a top-notch elite women's endurance field through the mountains of Central Pennsylvania.
The Trans-Sylvania Epic runs from Sunday, May 27 to until Saturday, June 2.

A Family Outing

The Sornson’s made the trip to Iron Hill this past weekend.  I will tell this story in pictures.

 

Good times, Great Memories!

Drive, Cohutta, Drive, Maximus

This past weekend proved to be glorious.  I know that I have a winner’s high, but I do believe that even without a double win I’d still be singing its praises.  The weather, the long yet painless drive, the beautiful scenery in the Cherokee National Forest, the flow of buff and rocky single track trails, and all of the truly amazing people tipped the scale and put me in awe of life itself.

It was slated to be a long weekend and I knew I needed to concentrate on one moment at a time.  It was ambitious, maybe warped, but totally doable.  For the second year in a row my dear friend Roger, my husband Lee and myself would drive to TN on Thursday, Pre-ride on Friday, Race Cohutta 100 on Saturday, drive back to Pa Saturday thru Sunday, then race the Michaux Maximus on Sunday.  Fortunately, my husband was only joy riding all weekend and not racing so we could count on him for the most evil driving shifts.  He is a saint!

I was nervous about what was to come on Saturday due to the distance and climbing.  I had yet to do any such numbers this year.  Having prepared with a lot of hard work, all that was left was to let go and believe. I had to trust that my body would respond.

The start of the race was very fast and sketchy up the paved road.  There were hand bumps and tires rubbing.  Fortunately we all stayed upright.  There was a bit of a match to get into the single track, but after some elbowing I was able to place myself directly where I wanted to be.  I felt very comfortable and not at all fatigued from the effort of the sprint to the trail.  Pushing back the urge to go too fast I hung back a bit and rode conservatively until the first fire road climb.  Once on the fire road I notched up my speed and got into a good climbing rhythm.  It was enough to form a gap between myself and the other women.

I continued on and used other competitors as gauges to how I was holding up.  As long as I was passing and not being passed I was good.  Getting encouragement and giving encouragement from and to the other riders helped along the way as well.  I did my best to stay motivated by staying in the moment.  Using the course description and elevation profile, I chunked the course off by sections and as each section was complete I gave myself a pat on the back.  I knew that not one section could crush me. They were temporary and would eventually end.  Once I crossed the last bridge of the last single track and headed towards the road I looked over my shoulder and then knew it was mine.  A crushing sense of relief engulfed me.  All the bottled up emotions I did my best to squelch over the last 8.5 hours came rushing up.  Staying motivated and positive and not allowing dark gremlin thoughts to enter my mind took its toll.  But I conquered it and now I could let it go.

It was now time to consider the next moment.  Be there for awards, clean up, pack up and head back to PA.  We were able to leave TN around 6pm.  Arriving home in PA about 3:30 am, we did some quick gear shuffle and then napped for about 2 hours.  When we woke from our naps we were pleasantly greeted with sunshine, a true rarity for the Maximus.  Despite the lack of good sleep and the tired feeling in my legs my spirits could not be brighter at the start of Sundays race.  It was so good to see all the smiles on the racers faces.  We all knew deep down that this was going to be a great day and we were in for a truly special Michaux treat.  The trails were in spectacular condition and the race promoters strung together a sweet loop that included some old school routes.  It was dreamy.  I felt a little sluggish at first, but soon found a groove.  I could not believe how much fun I was having.  Once finished I was gushing with good vibe and smiling huger than ever.  I was not alone in my feelings.  People in every direction were in good spirits and loving the day.

A huge thanks goes out to all who rooted for me and sent positive things my way.  I am also extremely humbled by all the wishes of congrats.  You are all so awesome.

A congrats goes out to my two teammates Kristen and Nikki for completing their firs 100 miler and for coming in 3rd and 5th place.  Additional congrats goes to Christian for his second place ride and Cary for his 6th place finish.  Team CF rocks!

Michaux Trail Cup

camp trail near finish
photo credit:  Chris Heershap

Wow! What a weekend. I went into it with no definite plans or expectations. The weather looked good so there were many options. It was a nice slow day on Saturday. Got lots of loose ends tied and completed a run and ride according to plan. All was done with no time restrictions or with any sense of urgency. This doesn't happen often for me, so I was enjoying it immensely. Later in the day I was expecting Karen Potter who was traveling from Mass. to race in the Michaux Trail Cup near my home. I was playing host, but had yet decided if I was going to play along on race day with her. I knew it would be a good tune up for what's to come, but I was really enjoying no pre-race thoughts or pressure. Ok, I thought, I'll race, but I'm not going to get worked up over it. I will just let my body do what it does best and not force it. I never felt so calm before a race. It was strange.

powerline climb
photo credit:  Tori Sulewski

I know the area, but I had not done a Michaux race promoted by Zach Adams. Not knowing which trails or what direction he planned to torture us had my curiosity peaked. It turned out to be a good course and very different from the summer race of the Michaux Endurance Series, which is held in the same area. Zach had us riding trails I normally don't ride, trails I ride in a different direction and he also added in some fire roads that I had not ridden in a long time or probably never before. It was refreshing and fun to do something totally different in an area I ride often. Endless possibilities of mountain bike bliss, is what makes Michaux, well Michaux.

The Michaux Trail Cup offered up lots of rocky singletrack that required focus, climbs that challenged your guts, and descents that made it all worthwhile. For not expecting much out of the weekend, I ended up with more than I could have ever conjured up to expect. I felt amazing riding my bike during the race. It all clicked. I was so psyched to be pushing the pace without feeling turned inside out. After a 2 minute separation from the open men, the ladies started together. On the first descent I caught up to some men and started passing. Soon Gerry Pflug came by me and I thought to myself, “I'm gonna hang with him as long as I can”. My grit to hang continued for most of the race. What fun. Another highlight was passing by my son and husband while they were out riding. Lee exclaimed, "Your 4th overall, you’re killing it baby!" Then Levi gave me a fist bump.

creative podium
photo credit:  karen Potter

I had no idea I was that far ahead. I didn't really remember passing that many people. Eventually, I faded a little behind Gerry but he and I had managed to pass one more to come in 2nd and 3rd overall. Gerry was first SS and I was first female. A very exhilarating day for the memory bank!

I encourage everyone to come and enjoy the trails at Michaux state forest.  There are three more mountain bike events scheduled this year that, from experience, will not disappoint.  Check out Race Michaux to learn more about the Michaux Endurance Series.  It is held in the spring (northern michaux), summer (central michaux), and fall (southern michaux).  Each race is unique and is held in a different area of the forest and does not repeat any trails.  Hope to see you out there.

 Till next time.... 

A Tale of the Dragon that got crushed

Having opted out of the 4 hour mudfest the weekend prior, I was left with an edginess that needed to be calmed. Not a day later a received a text enticing me to race the Dragons Tale in NewCastle Va. I had been there before in 2010. I remembered that although not too long mileage wise the course made up for it by offering lots of steep climbing and hiking. However, what I remembered most was the awesome tight, narrow, mossy, off-camber Appalachian sidehill singletrack that run’s a tight and rocky spine like ridgeline. Perfect, I love to ride stuff like that!

And love it I did. I loved it enough to crush it a whole 26 minutes faster this time around! ”Hey Churtle”, shouted Sue, “You did it in 4:20.” That time earned me 1st place female, 15th overall, and lots of laughs. I felt amazing. Now I need to harness it all back in and prepare to unleash again at the NUE opener Cohutta 100.

A big shout out to Shenandoah Mountain Touring for putting on a great race. They are always first class. Check out their website for more race recap, pictures and video.

Southern Cross

And so it begins, as it practically ended.  Six months later I found myself in Dahlonega, GA again, but not on a moutain bike.  I was ultra cross racing!  Wasn't so sure I would embrace the vibe, but I did.  It was so refreshing to be competing in something kinda like moutainbiking, but not, kinda like 100's but not.  It was exciting.  Exactly what I needed to fuel my motivation and determination for the 2012 season.  Anybody got any water?  http://www.cyclingdirt.org/coverage/247861-Southern-X-2012/video/612786-Southern-X-Cheryl-Sornson-1st  (Fortunately my first two bottles were filled with CarboRocket which got me thru just fine, thanks Brad.)

I left for GA knowing that I felt good and I was prepared.  My preparedness had to do with the wonderful resources I have surrounding me.  This winter I began working with a new coach, Chris Newell, from Sublime Athletics.  He has been wonderful in helping me change things up and set new goals.  Along with adding intensity to my riding, he is helping me add in swimming and running to prepare me for my introduction to Exterra racing.  To add intensity to my riding, I have been working very hard a couple of nights a week at Kelly Acres Speed Shop.  The speed shop is definitely intense.  I am also thankful to my wonderful teammate, Selene, who offered up a cross bike for me to race.  Without it I don't believe I would have been as fast.  Further thanks go out to Gettysburg Bike Shop for their complete patience with all my needs.  They helped me get a great fit on the bike and set up my wheels to be tubeless.  Their work helped me race with a bike that was perfectly suited for the day. 
At the Southern Cross I placed 1st open women and 28th overall.  I believed I could do it and I did.  I will continue to believe.  As I have said before, it may seem like the same thing each year, I ride my bike.  However it is so much more. 

Spice

Spice is nice.

Letting go of competition as the leaves changed, I changed my routine by spending my days with middle school students helping them find their way as they sometimes somehow also help me find mine, spending early mornings doing master swim workouts, 5 to 7 mile runs, yoga, lifting.  I then come home and spend time with family.  Most fun of all has been riding with Lee and Levi.  Levi is growing up so fast and now loves to ride road bikes.  It has been a blast.  He is no slacker and our latest adventure was a 35 mile charity ride.  His first group ride.  He did great.  with him getting older he is also getting taller.  I was able to outfit him on my 26'r carbon full suspension era the other day to tackle Michaux.  Lee and I were a bit worried about the technical level, but did our best to find the tamest route.  We ended up riding up the blue, skipped sting, but then went down little bastard to the waterfall, around loon, up the fire road to yellow hill.  Up to the top and then down one of the best downhills in the forest.  He shredded it!!  All in all it was 10 miles and two hours.  Besides a couple of steeps down little bastard and up yellow hill, he rode a clean ride.  Well, once the laurel took him out and sent him over the bars, but it was all in fun.