On Sunday, I took a quick ride in Delaney to get used to disc brakes and 29" wheels. Amazing what difference that 3" wheel diameter boost has on your ability to roll over stuff. Without much effort, I was able to PR a segment there. Even though it seemed like I was able to get back much more easily for descents, this bike is a touch small for me - a rear set seatpost and slightly longer stem would have dialed it. Took it home and washed/lubed it then stayed up way too late for a night before a race.
Woke up yesterday groggy and not well rested. Put my hopes into coffee, packed up the car & headed down to Wrentham/Foxboro. Took a few runs down and back up the uphill gravel road that constituted the start chute and figured that was enough. Plan: don't do anything stupid, keep pedaling.
Lined up, Colin calls "15 sec to go!" and my Garmin turns itself off. Crap, and no mercy from Colin. I punch the power button and he blasts the horn - so I lost 15 sec off that ride file.
Didn't drill it too hard up the hill and entered the woods 4th wheel. Felt very FAST for the first mile or so then the guy in front of me stuffed the first big rock we had to get over, I ran into his back wheel and flopped over, lost one pace right there as well as contact with those in front of me. KEPT flubbing and falling for the next half a lap in my panic to catch back up. By the time I was halfway into lap 1, I finally settled down and things flowed more smoothly for me.
Caught up to a guy who I rode with quite a lot of the rest of the way through lap 1, I could out descend him (no fear/brains) but he'd lose me on the climbs. He flatted a little before the finish and I was once again, alone.
Just as I re-entered the woods at the start of lap 2, I heard a racer come up behind me with a very distinctive breathing patthen/sound: lots of snorty nose exhalations meant it could only be Jeremy Durrin. A quick glance over my shoulder saw the orange helmet, confirming my suspicion. I'd heard he was coming out to race and he was pre-riding a bit during the sport race. Despite my offer to let him by, he said he would stay behind me so he could see what lines I was taking. HA! I wasn't taking any "lines" at this point but pretty much letting Chip's bike get me through on autopilot.
Still, having Jeremy's company for that 1/3 of a lap did my spirits a lot of good and I felt re-energized even after he peeled off to scout the expert section. Not long after that, a couple of riders BLASTED by me and I had to call out to them to confirm that they were one-lap, novice racers. Phew. I knew I was going slower this time around, but didn't think it was THAT slow.
Somewhere around mile 4, I took my one big digger: descending a short section and came over one rock and drove the front wheel directly into another - my weight was too far forward and I supermanned over most of the bike, clanging my right shin on a pedal or the bars on the way. Made it to the ground without adding any more injury, got up, remounted, grabbed the bars and was about to pedal off when I realized a) the handlebars were backwards and b) my Garmin was 30 feet up the trail.
After sorting that all out and pocketing my Garmin, I limped along for a few minutes as my shin REALLY HURT (that poor shin has taken so much abuse the last few years). Eventually, the pain subsided and I picked up the pace again. Between miles 5 and 6, I heard someone come up behind me fairly quick and as I thought I was somewhere in 6th or 7th place at this point, I didn't challenge him and moved aside to let this fat-bike riding guy by. I noted his bib number and confirmed he was in my group. He was fresh faced, happy and quickly pedaled out of sight ahead of me...
The rest of the lap was uneventful, I got my 3rd or 4th wind and ground my way up the 200+ meter gravel road climb to the finish with no one in sight in front or behind me to finish...
I am super happy with this result, even though I let that guy by me for the podium spot. Even if I was able to hold him off in the woods, he surely would have easily passed me on the gravel climb at the end.
Riding Chip's bike was a real eye-opener, I desperately need to get a new MTB.
