Sorry, this would have been posted a while back but I have been waiting on the other pictures to be posted. I'm sure as soon as I post, they will show up.
This year has been an odd one. Lots of things getting moved and/or cancelled. I had signed up for this race a while back since it typically sells out in the same day that it opens. I had a lot of fun last year and wanted to go back. Most of my schedule has been a mess and when they said they were still having the race, I had a cabin reserved and someone to share the trip with I figured why not. I was unsure how comfortable I would be with a lot of people racing this event and one big draw is the after party is normally off the hook. Those are all things I have been avoiding for several months now. But, I knew that there was plenty of opportunity for me to race the event and still be able to slide off to the side and find a situation that I felt comfortable with.
I came in to this race not up to the level that I wanted to be in or that I would normally be in. I signed up in the 40-49 class and brought several more gears than last year and a lot more suspension travel. Not only have I not touched my road bike since February but for some reason I have lost my loving feeling for my SS. I still love the whole idea of it and the bikes are beautiful, but I just don't really have the desire to ride one. I haven not really been training or worried about going fast and the full suspension has been a blast to ride. I also figured that being out of shape the gears would be a welcomed addition. I have been thinking that I need a post to cover some of the thinks that have changed in my cycling world, but no one really needs to know what all goes on inside there.
The trip out with E2 was nice. Thankfully when we got there we were able to check in to the cabin. We got unloaded and then headed out to ride the last section of trail. Lots of leaves and super dry corners that were slick. It was a good ride, but I was a little worried about how the legs were feeling. I didn't over think it since my whole plan was to just have a good day in the woods. As we finished the loop we headed over to registration. The line was long, but overall they were doing a good job of keeping it moving. People were staying spaced out and everyone was wearing a mask.
After registration we rode back to the cabin and tried out the trail that we figured we would use to travel back and forth. Well this trail was not horrible, but after a couple tricky spots we notice another trail heading over to the parking lot that was a lot easier to travel. This path would not be good if it was dark and after I had a few beers. We cleaned up and headed in to town to pick up some food. The rest of the night was just relaxing and getting things ready for race day.
I actually slept pretty well and was up before my alarm went off. I got up and started my Christopher Bean coffee going and then started breakfast. It seemed like I had a lot of time before I needed to be somewhere, but it never fails I am making changes last minute. I had a plan and got ready to head out to warm up and as soon as I was ready to walk out the door......... yep, one more bathroom trip. That is the worst part of wearing bibs. At least most of my jerseys and jackets are full zip. So, lets try this again and head out the door. Here is where I probably made a little mistake, but overall it was not that big of deal. I headed up the road like we will at the start, but it drops down to the creek and it was very cold down there. I ended up heading back and putting my knee warmers on and deciding to wear my warmer gloves and put the other pair in my pocket.
I road around a little bit more and found E2 near the start. Turns out he did the exact opposite that I did, he took off his knee warmers. There was a little bit of time before the start so I too the chance to get rid of some more coffee and water. I did see a lot of people wearing masks. I'm sure that colder weather helped with that. I know I wore my buff for the first several miles before I finally warmed up enough to pull it down. Apparently I hydrated well since right before the race started I could have gone again, but not enough time now. E2 and myself rolled out near the mid to back half of the second group. I headed up the road at a pace I felt good with and moved forward thru the pack looking for my area to be. I got boxed out at one point and I saw E2 continue to move forward.
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| Photo credit: Janzow Photography |
I made my way around and picked up my pace so I could hop on his wheel. It was just a little faster than I would have gone on my own, but not so hard I didn't want to stay there. Eventually we made it to the woods and in my happy place. I don't remember exactly where, but someplace I ended up in front of E2. The trail was flowing a lot better than last year. There was a couple groups that were harder to get around and I did make one pass that was not as smooth as I would have liked. I apologized and kept moving forward the best I could. I was riding pretty well and having a good time so far. I kept seeing E2 getting closer, but then he would be gone. I thought for sure he would have been on my wheel by then. At one point I could not wait any longer and had to stop at get rid of some of my hydration. When I got back on the bike E2 was not too far behind. I figured we were together again, but when I looked back he was gone again.
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| Photo credit: Janzow Photography |
As I rolled up to whiskey hill I saw the guy holding an individual bottle of Fireball and I could not help myself. It was a quick stop, but man that tasted good. I had some extra boost after that and was riding well again. Eventually I rolled up to the campground and knew there was a rest stop there. I saw a lot of people running pits for their racers. I headed over to the shelter house and topped off my water bottle. I then saw a snickers I could not pass up. While I was eating I saw E2 roll past and looked like he was not stopping. I finished up, got on my bike and felt like a new person as I rolled out. I pushed the pedals a little harder for several miles just hoping to catch back up to E2. It felt like I was moving good and thought I would have caught him by then realized that either he was riding really hard or he ended up stopping at the rest stop and I didn't see him.
Everything was rolling pretty well. It seemed like it took longer than I expected to reach the gravel road section. The gears were a welcome change and I was moving pretty well down the road. I dropped in to the trail again and still felt ok and was moving fairly good. The legs were starting to get heavy in the 3 sisters section. I was climbing slower, but thanks to eagle I was still riding and not pushing. I was starting to think that maybe I was pushing too hard early in the day, but thankfully I was not cramping just yet. I was very happy when I hit the open field. I knew I was down to 10 miles or less, but still some climbing. The road climb hurt but I was moving better than I thought I would. The legs felt better once I hit the gravel road at the top and could spin the legs out for a little bit and they felt better. The trail was moving along good as long as I was not climbing.
I ended up moving past a few people that were in my class and I didn't get passed. I would have bet money that E2 was either already way in front of me or would be catching me at any moment. I was very happy when I rolled out to the parking lot entrance and headed across the field to the finish. I have no idea how, but my instincts kicked in when I saw the guy holding the camera and I had to pull up for a wheelie. I rolled past the finish line, found a place to park my bike and got a beer.
Right as I got back to my bike E2 rolled over the finish line. I found a place off to the side to sit for a minute and enjoy my well earned beer. My finish time was 5:17 and I was 38th in 40-49 and 127th overall. I can not complain about my finishing placings or my time. I was 12 minutes slower than last year but somehow still had 10 PRs. For my lack of racing and training, I am very happy with how my day went. I would not have an issue going back again next year. The trail is hard but fun and the whole event has a good vibe.
After my beer we headed back to the cabin to clean up and change. We headed back to the start finish area to get some food and more beer. The rest of the night was just hanging out in this area. I will say that although there was a lot of people hanging out in this area, there was a lot of space to spread out and being outside really helped. Not everyone was doing things that I would be comfortable doing, but I was able to stay in my comfort zone and not feel crowded. I was not lucky enough to win anything in the raffle, but that was not why I was here. It was a great time and hope to be able to head back next year. Thanks to all the volunteers and vendors who help make this event a success. Thanks to all of the people who have helped me out all year and makes days like this a lot less stressful than it could be. I can not say a big enough THANK YOU!!
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