The final stage of Moab Rocks was a close one for the pro women and men. In today’s stage racers do a lollipop course that hits some of the best riding in Moab – the Mag 7 trail system.
For the first half of the race, riders are climbing up road and single track for 14 miles. After a challenging climb, then the fun begins as they descend the rocky and fast Bull Run Trail. This is a rip-roaring descent that takes in some breath-taking views all the way to the La Sal Mountains. After a long descent, there is one final road climb out and then it’s a fast coast to the finish line.
Photo Credit @liketheglew
For the pro women, Katerina Nash (Clif Pro Team) won the women’s race by 3 minutes while second through sixth place all finished within 3 minutes of each other.
Lauren Cantwell (Orbea/ Velocio) and Karen Jarchow (Revel Bikes) were climbing together in 2nd & 3rd position before Jarchow sent it on the Bull Run descent; gapping Cantwell. Lauren Aggeler (Team Segment 28) caught Cantwell at the bottom of Bull Run but Cantwell fought back on the road and caught both her and Jarchow.
Aggeler put the hammer down on the final climb out of the Gemini Bridges riding area and caught a draft on the final flat, catching Cantwell just 200 yards from the finish. Cantwell and Aggeler sprinted finish for second place with Aggeler crossing the line (2:23:49) and Cantwell 2 seconds behind at 2:23:51.
For the overall, Nash dominated the 3 days finishing over 20 minutes ahead of second place.
Jennifer Gersbach finished fifth on two of the stages but her strong race on stage 2 at Klondike Bluffs placed her runner-up overall.
Karen Jarchow finished fourth on stage 3 by less than a minute and solidified third overall for the stage race. It was a strong women’s pro field with new women on the podium each stage.
Photo Credit @liketheglew
For the pro men, Stephan Davoust (Giant-Maxxis-Fox) pushed hard trying to take on the reigning Moab Rocks champion, Geoff Kabush (Yeti-Maxxis-Shimano-Fox). Davoust won today’s stage in a time of 1:56:55. His time however, was not enough to win the GC with Kabush finishing in second only 16 seconds behind him. Bradyn Lange (Cycle Progression) finished in third (1:59:01).
For the GC, Kabush remains the Moab Rocks Champion winning the overall by a mere 15 seconds. Davoust finished right behind him with Lange 2 minutes back in third place.
The 2022 Moab Rocks race featured another year of strong competition, a great race atmosphere by TransRockies and epic Moab single track that keeps racers coming back year after year.
Full Results: https://zone4.ca/event/2022/29F4F1AE/
Early this morning racers shuttled to the Klondike Bluffs trail system 20 minutes north of Moab where they battled through 25 miles of vast rocky trail system racing with a combination of slickrock trails and fast flowy single track.
Peter Stetina leads the pro men’s field onto the slickrock. Photo by: Noah Sears
Today’s course, on the Klondike Bluffs trail system, had over 2200’ of elevation gain in the most XC stage of the race. Racers mentioned their favorite parts being the incredible views on Alaska Ridge and the awesome Moab experience of climbing and descending grippy slickrock!
For the pro women, Katerina Nash (Clif Pro Team) increased her overall lead finishing 6 minutes ahead of the women’s pro field (2:12:56). Jennifer Gersbach finished a strong race today in 2nd place (2:18:06) only 13 seconds ahead of Lauren Cantwell (Orbea/Velocio) (2:18:19).
Jen Gersbach crushed stage 2 moving up 3 spots in the GC. Photo by: Noah Sears
Nash took off from the start with Cantwell in 2nd place. Cantwell was in 2nd place for most of the race but at the end of the last descent she made a technical miscue that let Gersbach flash by. She lost the group she was riding with and with a strong headwind heading to the finish, Cantwell wasn’t able to catch back on finishing 3rd.
For the GC, Nash leads by 16 minutes while Gersbach moves from 5th into 2nd place. Karen Jarchow (Revel Bikes) rounds out the top three women’s podium only 1 minute 20 seconds back from 2nd place.
Bradyn Lange looks to shake things up in stage 2. Photo by Noah Sears
For the pro men, Geoff Kabush (Yeti-Maxxis-Shimano-Fox) won today’s stage by over 40 seconds. Starting off the race Kabush was in a large lead group in the early slickrock sections. Bradyn Lange (Cycle Progression) and Carter Nieuwesteeg (Santa Cruz) were leading on Baby Steps trail followed by Kabush then GC leader Stephan Davoust (Giant-Maxxis-Fox) and Ivan Sippy (Team Durango).
In the middle sectors of the race Kabush pushed ahead taking a huge lead and finishing solo in 1st place. A multi-time Moab Rocks winner, it’s not surprising to see Kabush on the top step of the podium as he holds off his younger challengers for the GC. Lange finished close behind in 2nd place (1:54:08) with Stephan Davoust less than a minute back in third place (1:54:12).
Geoff Kabush going solo to win stage 2 and jump into the lead on GC. Photo by: Noah Sears
Kabush moves into 1st overall leading the pro men’s field by 30 seconds (3:35:01). Davoust is in 2nd (3:35:32) with Lange only 4 seconds back in 3rd place (3:35:36).
Tomorrow is the final day of Moab Rocks as racers compete on the Mag 7 trail system. With shake ups in both the men’s and women’s field, it will be exciting final race.
The legendary Moab Rocks 3-day stage race started this morning in downtown Moab, UT. It was a beautiful day with warm temperatures as racers started off to the classic Transrockies tune of “Highway to Hell”. The course began with a difficult 13 mile climb up Sand Flats Road as riders gained over 3000’ of elevation. Once at the top they turned onto Porcupine Rim where they were rewarded with an exhilarating 10-mile descent down one of the most iconic mountain bike trails in the world.
Photo Credit @mnykphotos
For the pro women, Katerina Nash (Clif Pro Team) started strong and stayed in the lead for the entire race finishing in a time of 1:58:51. Helena Plasschaert was 2nd up the Sand Flats climb but was passed by Karen Jarchow (Revel Bikes) on the descent. Jarchow finished 2nd in a time of 2:05:49. Liza Hartlaub finished in 3rd place, less then a minute back from Jarchow (2:06:28).
Photo Credit @mnykphotos
For the pro men, the lead 15 men stayed together up the Sand Flats climb until two miles from the top when Peter Stetina started to attack and the group was split up. It was reigning US marathon national champion Stephan Davoust (Giant-Maxxis-Fox), who won the stage in a time of 1:41:19.
Less then 10 seconds back, Bradyn Lange (Cycle Progression) finished 2nd place (1:41:27) followed by multi-time Moab Rocks winner and Olympian, Geoff Kabush (Yeti-Maxxis-Shimano-Fox) in 3rd place (1:41:37). With the top three men less than 20 seconds apart, it’s going to be an exciting race.
Photo Credit @mnykphotos
Stay tuned as tomorrow racers take on the Klondike Bluffs Trail System.
Healthy Holiday Recipes from our team to you plus check out these mountain bike races that keep us motivated during the winter!
As the end of the year approaches, here are a few of our favorite recipes for the health-conscious athlete:
1. Jen Hanks: Plant-based pumpkin cookies
2. Jen Toops: Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
3. Marlee Dixon: Delicious No Bake Cookies
1. As a professional mountain bike racer and 2-time breast cancer champion Jen Hanks follows a healthy diet and is a great resource for race recovery nutrition. She has worked with dieticians to formulate recovery plans to maximize recovery after the body has gone through a strenuous race effort. As an athlete, it’s common to experience cold-like symptoms or feeling run down after a big race due to the heavy exertion the body went through while racing. Jen has helped her teammates adopt race recovery nutrition and supplement plans to help with their recovery.
Below is one of Jen’s healthy homemade cookie recipes! A great treat and nutritious option.
Jen’s homemade plant-based pumpkin cookies:
– 1/2 can pureed pumpkin
-1/2 cup nut butter (your choice)
-¼ cup maple syrup or honey
-1 ½ cups flour (I use almond flour or garbanzo bean flour)
-dark chocolate chips (you decide how many chocolate chips you want; I use an embarrassingly large amount)
-handful of walnuts and/or dried fruit (optional)
– 1-2 scoops of protein powder of your choice (optional)
– ¼ teaspoon baking soda
-1 tsp vanilla (optional)
– 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or add to your preference)
– ½ tsp ginger spice (or add to your preference)
– ½ tsp cinnamon spice (or add to your preference)
Preheat oven to 350degrees. Mix. Place cookie dough ball of your preferred size on parchment paper covered cookie sheet and cook for 20 minutes. As you can see there are many optional ingredients. These cookies are easy to customize to your taste and nutritional preference.
2. One of Jen Toop’s favorite recipes combines cake with breakfast, The perfect way for any athlete to start their day! 😊 Check out the link below for this healthy and enjoyable breakfast option to give you optimal fuel for training and racing!
3. Marlee Dixon is a sweet-tooth fanatic and loves to make and eat sweets all year. This recipe can be adjusted for the holidays by adding some red and green sprinkles. It’s a healthier alternative to the usual no bake cookies and combines two of her favorite ingredients- chocolate and peanut butter! It contains healthy fats from coconut and peanut butter, protein, and anti-oxidant rich cacao. These cookies also taste great as a trail treat!
Healthy no bake chocolate peanut butter cookies:
Ingredients:
– 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I use no sugar added peanut butter)
– ½ cup honey or maple syrup
– ½ cup coconut oil
– ½ tsp salt
– 4 TBSP Cocoa powder or Cacao
– 2 tsp vanilla
– 2 cups old fashioned oats (you can also use quick cooking oats)
– ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions:
– Grease a baking sheet with oil
– In a medium saucepan, combine and heat: peanut butter, honey salt and coconut oil stirring continuously, until melted and well-combined.
– Stir in vanilla and cocoa powder.
– Remove from heat then add oats and coconut and mix well.
– Drop 1 TBS portions of mixture onto your prepared baking sheet. Continue until you’ve used all your cookie mixture.
– Add some holiday sprinkles on top if desired
– Let cool in the refrigerator or freezer until hardened.
– Serve cold
– Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator
For anyone living in cold, dark, grey, snowy, dreary areas, there is a lot to look forward to in 2022. Here are the races that keep us motivated and excited for the new year! Hope to see you there!
Jen Hanks: Epic Rides and Dakota 5-0 Races:
For 2022 Jen is really looking forward to participating in the Arizona Epic Rides races including Whiskey 50 (April 30) and Tour of the White Mountains (October 1). Todd Sadow and his team put on great events where every participant is valued and has a great experience. 4–6-hour races (aka 50 milers) are also her favorite distance for racing. For Jen, this distance is challenging enough that it feels worthwhile to travel to the event, but not so challenging that she can’t function for a few days after the race!
A new race that she has added to her calendar this year is the Dakota5-0 (September 4). This event has a great reputation for being super fun and it falls into her sweet spot distance for racing. Jen has never traveled to South Dakota and is looking forward to exploring a new state and trails.
Jen Toops: Pisgah Stage Race, Secreto race in Costa Rica and setting new course records for Marji Gesick:
Jen is most excited about the Pisgah stage race coming up in April. Pisgah has some really old school trails in the hills of NC. She is looking forward to racing this race co-ed with the hubby- it’s special when you get to race with someone else and work together all week. It’s extra special when you can share that with your spouse!
Jen is also excited for the Secreto race in Costa Rica at the end of the season in November. It’s a new stage race put on by GRO races. She is looking forward to ending the 2022 season with a little fun racing bikes and relaxing on the beach in CR. https://gropromotions.com/secreto-cr/
This year Jen will also be very focused on trying to buckle at the Marji Gesick next year. She has one Marji hundred under her belt and now she can go back with a plan! No woman has buckled yet (Under 12 hours) and she is really hoping to make that happen!
Marlee Dixon: True Grit Epic, Moab Rocks and La Ruta stage races:
With her toddling toddler coming along with her to races, Marlee’s focus has shifted to finding races that are more local to where she lives as well as focusing on a few big travel races where she will have a babysitter. In March she is excited to be back at True Grit! This is a fantastic course and she’s pumped that it includes a gravel race and a mountain bike race. Fingers crossed for no snow.
Next Marlee will be doing Moab Rocks for the 4th time. This race is one of her favorites with fun courses each day, camping with friends in the warm desert, and a great race vibe.
New this year, she is doing La Ruta in Costa Rica. Marlee has only raced in the US and Canada and traveling internationally to race has been high on her bucket list. Costa Rica is a beautiful country and Jen Toops has said this was one of her overall favorite races!
The question of coaching and being coached often comes up with women mountain bikers when they set their sites on training for a race or event. Below ALP Cycles founder and coach Alison Powers and Mtbracenews.com professional mountain bike racers Jen Hanks and Marlee Dixon share their experience regarding coaching female mountain bikers.
Alison Powers: Head coach and founder of ALP Cycles Coaching with 10+ years of coaching experience. Alison is also the only person in history to win the road race, time trial, and criterium National Championship titles in one year (2014). Her certifications include- USA Cycling Level 2 coach, BICP Level 2 Skills Coach, TrainingPeaks Level 1, Road and Cyclocross racing coach from USA Cycling, Wilderness First Aid, BICP Ride Leader, and NICA Level 2 coach.
Please tell a little about yourself and your coaching business. I am the owner and head coach of ALP Cycles Coaching, and have been coaching cyclists for more than 10 years. After 7 years on the US Ski Team as a downhill ski racer, I raced bikes professionally for 8 years both nationally and internationally. I have two female coaches who work for ALP Cycles as well. We make a great team of coaches, and training and racing knowledge base.
Is there a specific level of racing, commitment or timeframe that you recommend women to get a coach? No. I recommend anyone wanting to get better on their bike to get a coach. Coaches can help with fitness, racing goals and tactics, skill building, nutrition for training and racing, etc. A coach will help you fast track your way to reaching your goals on the bike.
What are the biggest benefits to getting a coach? See above. Same answer.
Are there any drawbacks to getting a coach? A good coach will hold you accountable for your training and your learning. The athlete has to make time to communicate with their coach. The more communication, the better. Sometimes a coach will take out some of the things that an athlete likes to do. Reaching goals and getting better takes work and sacrifice and that can mean getting rid of a ride or a workout or a food that doesn’t help the overall goals for the athlete.
I know you’ve done research based on women’s bodies and training differences from men. In what ways do women’s training structures differ from men? The biggest difference are our hormones and menstrual cycle. Our hormones can really affect our training, our sleep, and our recovery. If we can first recognize our cycle and be ok with how it affects our bodies and our training, then we start to work with it and make great gains.
We are coming into off-season for many racers, do you have any recommendations for exercises or strength work to focus on? The off season is the best time to become a better cyclist. Most of our gains, as an athlete, are made out of race season. For mountain bike racers, it is a great time to work on bike handling skills. Riding flat pedals, working on wheel lifts, balance on the bike, etc. I am also a big supporter of strength training and becoming a really well rounded and strong athlete– get rid of muscle imbalances and build power.
Are there any specific certifications or trainings that are beneficial for coaches who are working with female athletes? Stacy Sims has published really great work on training as a female athlete throughout life. All coaches should be familiar with that work.
Any additional advice for female racers? Don’t be afraid to accomplish your goals. If you have always dreamt of doing something or being something, then go do it. When given tips on how to get better, do those tips. Become your dream. :)
Jen Hanks: Mtbracenews.com professional mountain bike racer. Jen Hanks is a USA Cycling Pro mountain bike racer (since 2007) and certified coach. She enjoys racing a variety of disciplines including XC, Marathon, MTB Stage racing, and cyclocross. She has competed in mountain bike stage races around the world including TransAlp, TransRockies, Breck Epic (3rd Pro/Open women), Moab Rocks (1st Open Women), TransAndes (3rd Co-ed duo), Titan Tropic (1st Co-ed duo), and 4-Islands (3rd Co-ed duo). Over the years, Jen has worked with a small handful of excellent coaches.
Jen Hanks enjoys some airtime on her way to a win in the 2-person female event at 12-Hours of Mesa Verde. Photo by: Barak Naggan High Desert Photography
Do you have a coach? Over the course of my (very long) cycling career, I have worked with a small handful of excellent coaches. I have learned a lot about effective training and how my body responds to training. Over the past year, I have continued my personal growth and became a certified USA Cycling coach. That, along with my lack of solid goals in part due to the pandemic, has resulted in me currently being self-coached.
If so: do you work with them year-round? In the past, when I worked with coaches, I would typically work with them year-round. Good coaches will build in some off-time throughout the year.
What do you feel are the biggest benefits to working with a coach? I can think of an entire laundry list of benefits of working with a coach. Personally, I never thought I struggled with accountability, however I am finding that as a self-coached athlete my workouts are becoming less and less structured. If my goal is to race to the best of my ability, this is probably not a good thing! Coaches are great for accountability. Having a coach also takes out the guess work and mental bandwidth required to create an effective personal training plan. With limited time between commitments, I would prefer leaving that to someone else and being able to give myself 100% to my workouts. When you have a good coach, you trust that they will have you prepared to the best of your ability for key events which increases confidence.
What do you look for in a coach? There are a few key things I look for in a coach such as being certified and invested in their careers through consistent continuing education. I also want a coach who believes in my goals but will be honest when perhaps they are not realistic. It is important to find a coach who works well with your personality whether that be to push you out of your comfort zone, encourage more rest, be a cheerleader, be tough, or just be kind. I look for a coach who will be flexible with their training program. Athletes don’t live in a bubble and training plans need to take into account other aspects of our lives.
What advice would you give to women racers who aren’t sure whether to invest in a coach? Women are predisposed (more than men) to overtraining and burn-out due to their unique physiologic make-up. Hiring a coach to create an effective, efficient training program is a great way to reach your personal goals.
If you don’t have a coach, what are the benefits/drawbacks to not working with a coach? I think it can be a good learning experience to be responsible for putting together your own training plan. It is fun to experiment with different workouts and your body’s response. However, if you are serious about improving and performing to the best of your potential, self-coaching may just be a good way to help you appreciate the services of a good coach!
Marlee Dixon: Mtbracenews.com professional mountain bike racer. Marlee has been racing for 10 years and has had many successful race results including 3x Firecracker 50 winner, previous 1st place finishes at 12 Hours of Mesa Verde, 12 hours of the Wild West, Aspen Power of 4, The Grand Traverse and True Grit 50.
2020 True Grit 50
Have you worked with a coach? If so, how do you feel it’s benefited your racing? I have worked with a coach for most of my racing career. At first, I didn’t want to work with a coach because I was nervous to trust anyone else with my training schedule and I wasn’t ready to make the monetary investment. I often talked to other female racers and questioned if I needed a coach, how much it would cost, was it worth it, could I be a better racer if I had a coach? And who would I choose?
As other female racers have done before me, I first tried to schedule my training similar to the male racers that I knew. I tried to follow their workload and often listened to their advice. It didn’t take long to figure out that this did not work for me. I was exhausted and I burned out fast. I was over-training and not taking important rest days. I was also not consistent with my training. It was after I started finally working with a coach that I began to train consistently, my workouts were structured around my races and I had a training regimen that was met for me; a female athlete.
I feel the biggest benefit for me is accountability and the team aspect of working with a coach! I often like to keep my schedule full and therefore I would miss workouts because I was busy with work, social life, etc. Having a coach, especially one who kept me accountable, kept me on a consistent schedule every day. I went into races having done the work and feeling confident in my fitness levels. I also loved the dialogue with my coaches. I felt like I always had someone on my side; cheering for me when I was doing awesome and also there to listen and offer advice when races didn’t go well. When things didn’t go well, I was able to journal to my coach on training peaks and I learned more quickly from my mistakes because I was able to use their expertise and knowledge.
What advice would you give to women racers who aren’t sure whether to invest in a coach? I’ve worked with a coach for 7 years and I feel it has been the best investment in my racing career. It freed up my time so I didn’t have to think about my training instead I had a plan every day to follow and I didn’t have to prepare workout plans. Coaches know more about training, statistics, workload, food, etc. than I do, so hiring a professional helped me to achieve my goals in ways that I wouldn’t have been able to do alone. Working with a coach also gave me confidence at races because I knew I had the fitness to race well.
What do you look for in a coach? I look for someone who has either personally been an athlete at the top of their sport or has successfully trained athletes at the top of their sport. This shows me that they understand how to get an athlete to perform their best and also that they have the experience and expertise to work with top athletes. For the beginning of my racing career, I was lucky to work with Alison Powers. She was my first mountain bike coach and she opened my eyes to the difference between men and women racers, she helped me feel empowered in my race training, she kept me accountable and always improving. One of my favorite words of advice from her was, “you don’t make the same mistake twice!”. These words among many other words of advice in our back-and-forth pages of notes on Training Peaks, helped me to dial in my training and race day goals.
I think in general, finding a coach that you feel comfortable with and are able to easily talk to is very important. There are many coaches out there so do research, interview different coaches and feel out who will help you most obtain your goals!
