Team,
As most of you know I've dedicated myself to the road this year forgoing many mountain bike races and rides, surely angering the mountain biking gods. The anger of the gods probably explains why I've had some miserable road races...yea, that's it ;-)
Any who, 'cross season is on the horizon, so these days I've been more focused on 'cross training. However, racing Downieville left me with an appetite for mountain biking. So I go my butt back in gear and hit up the Weds nite Skeggs ride. Since my dualie was down in the nether regions of the Southbay I had no functioning mtb. So I figured it was time to rebuild the singlespeed. I reasoned that it would also be good training for 'cross ;-)
At the time HMC was still a couple weeks out and I was about 90-95% sure I wanted to race. After riding my singlespeed last Weds nite the deal was sealed, I was racing HMC for sure. I felt good and had such a blast riding my ss that I decided, against my own better judgement, to race the ss.
I've not raced HMC in 3 years. Gosh, what a mistake. The course is awesome. Great buff single track, albeit a bit dusty in sections (but com'on it's august), a couple climbing sections (or walking sections on a ss), and the super fun\sketchy whoopty-doos (god I never now how the hell to spell that). The temps were warm and on the 3rd lap I was feeling a bit under-watered as I only raced with two water bottles.
Any who, as this is only my 3rd mtb race of the season the butterflies start rolling around in my stomach as we line up for the start. I take a couple deep breaths and remind myself that this is just for fun. I positioned myself in the front row of our start wave. The sport ss and expert ss groups were started together.
And they're off!! I have some trouble clipping in, but keep pedaling. I see my buddy Nick(Fusion) leading the group with about 3 others in tow. I fell back to about 8th, but as we neared the top of the pavement-dirt junction I made up a few spots as people tired out. I'm breathing pretty hard as we hit the singletrack. I keep my spin going as we cross the field before the hike a bike. As we start climbing the fireroad I force myself to push harder and catch some people before the hike a bike. I catch Paule(Roaring Mouse) and we both grunt and move on and catch a couple more guys.
I dismount at the foot of the hike a bike and run, rather jog, past one guy as I trudge up the hill with my bike. I can see a pack of 4 guys in the distance. I get my spin on and keep them in sight. I'm 4th or 5th by now and am trying to make sure I spin enough to keep Allan and the rest of the sports class SSers of my tail.
We hit the airport and I 'm spinning like a motherf*cker to make up some time. I find and pass Julie(RM) before the 1st descent and just as she starts turning down a fireroad, which is the wrong way. I yell, Julie no that's the wrong way....foreshadowing of my own future I suppose ;-)
Any who, my HR is frick'n near maxed out so I focused on spinning fast but being smooth. We hit the first singletrack and I start catching the women. I see a SSer making his way thru the womens field and now I'm super motivated to catch him. I'm spinning like a mad man and politely but quickly making my way through the women's field. Eventually catching some of the experts.
As I make my way thru the rock garden section(creek bed) I can see an SSer up the road. I floor it and see him crest the top of another small climb. Eventually I catch up to him and just kinda sit on his wheel waiting to see what he's got in the tank while at the same time recovering a bit. Finally, on the fireroad grind before the descent to the whoopty-doos I decided to pass him so I can be first in the singletrack. This was a good move as I almost never saw him again.
The rest of the race was pretty much spent by myself. At some point I started catching some more sport and expert folks. This one time I came up on a geared guy and I said hey can't I get by you I don't have any gears and he says to me....you have one gear. I fricken LOL and he lets me buy. I catch another gearie and ride his wheel for a while. Then I realize I was settling in and the fear of being caught by the women creeped into my mind. So I asked the guy if I could get around him on the descent and that I'd let him back in front on the climb. He totally let me buy and then I never saw him again!
I guess we're in the 3rd lap somewhere and I'm wondering if the other singlespeeders are walking as much of the climb as I am when I spot my buddy Nick walking! Hah! I guess I'm not the only one fighting cramps I thought. I finally catch up to him on a singletrack and we start motoring. Just then we come up on Meredith and I'm like hey watch out cutie were going to sandwhich you! To which see responds I like the sound of that !! Gotta give it to my gurl, even when she's hurt' she's still got a sense of humor or is that a sense of fantasy...hmmm.
Anyway, I'm intent on getting around Nick and sure enough we hit probably about the steepest climb in the race and he says go ahead I'm cramping. So I hop off my bike and hobble up the hill ahead of him as I'm fighting cramps as well. On one of the hills I was so gassed pushing my bike up the hill that I just put my head down and pushed my bike without looking. I got all swervy and went into the leaves and Nick is frick'n heckling me....hey are drunk or something. Man, with that much lactic acid in my legs and that little oxygen there's no doubt I was drunk on pain!
I hop back on my bike, try to pedal, I can't I hop back off and push, then back on pedal, pedal. I can hear Nick in back of me, but he's not gaining ground. I hit the whoopty doos one last time. No sign of Nick....dooh....until the last one. I and I can hear him say something. As we starting descending to the last flat section before the turn off to the finish my right hamstring is about to cramp and lock out....so I wave Nick on. I try and hop on his wheel, but it's hard to keep up with him on a 29er.
I grab one last cup of water and continue to trudge toward the junction where you turn to either do one lap or multiple laps. Well, in all of my fatigue I choose to make a right and I'm trucking down the road and I'm like....wait where the hell is Nick? He couldn't have gotten that far in front of me? Then I remember, well if the beginners do one lap, then that's probably the direction of the finish....doooooh! I 'm going the wrong god damn way! I was almost at the point of entering the trees again! I must have lost a good 4-5 minutes out and back.!
At this point I'm cursing my own stupidity and frantically spinning like a mofo to make my way back before any ssers make ground on me. Just as I reach the junction I see Pat and I exclaim oh shit and spin faster than I've ever spun on my SS. I'll be damned if I'm going to let him pass me at this point. Well, I successfully intimidated him with my crazy spinning that he didn't even bother chasing.
I hit the airport, the final hike a bike( in the down direction this time) and hit the fireroad spinning like a bat out of hell. I hit the final stretch of open field into the final singletrack. I poop out sprint across the grass and quicly hit the track. I spin up my gear as fast as I can and sprint into the finish. Whew! I'm done and my legs and lungs are searing!
Congrats to my buddy Nick! He edged me off the podium and took 3rd. I got
4th outta 6 and none of the sport class single speeders ever caught me, so all in all I wasn't too disappointed with my finish. Definitely way better than I expected.
Good fun! Allan "le sandbagger" took first in the sport SS class by like 3 minutes. Meredith took 3rd in sport women. Tim took 1st in sport and Julie took 2nd in expert. We saw Mike Urbina at the start of the race, but never caught up with him afterwards. Was good to see everybody: Eryn!, Mike U, Allan, Tim "le sandbagger duo", Julie, Paule, John G, Dave Watt, Teisha and a few other familiar faces.
Can't wait for 'cross season and this was good training! Looking forward to more battles with my buddy Nick! Anybody get pictures?
any hours and on those kind of trails. She was a trooper and stayed strong throughout the ride. She also became familiar with the arm\hand numbing, triceps aching descents with a rigid fork. I think she's already realized how fun 'cross season will be ;-)
Holy crap! I seriously feel like I haven't had my heart rate pegged like that for a long time. The little bits of running really peaked my HR. However, I was able to recover and stay close to Funke, Nick and a couple other fast 'cross dudes. We took a break and did another 3 hot laps. Again it was utter pain, but at the same time bliss. My legs held up, I was able to go hard and some how recover, and maintain position at the front of the pack.
