@The Heckler and I head up to Putnam, CT to stay with his friend Andrew Friday night. It was late, my race was early, stoke levels were high, I didn't get much sleep, as I was thinking about the race.
DAY 2 KMC Fest
We get there I get in a couple of laps to preview the course. Head to starting line, my call up is 6th row. And we are off, I get pinched, twice. So I'm back around 25th ish from what I can gather from Matt. I fight into top 20 with 3 to go. I'm trying to bridge up to the next group, but I'm pulling others. I hear rattling from year wheel, F'ing skewer isn't fully tight. I hop off and tighten it, lose 2 spots. Shortly after, I burp the rear tire and I'm bouncing rim on the paved straight. I scrap the race and get off course. Too many things going wrong today. I'll save it for tomorrow. I'm the only DNF of the day?! Weird, but somebody had to do it!
After 10 hours at KMC fest and a few hours at Andrew's shop we head back to shower and sleep. I'm legs are BEAT! I spent the whole day riding back and forth watching races, cheering, and hanging with some new friends.
DAY 3 KMC I sign in, head to the course. They have the Elite chute as a run up this morning (turns out only CAT 4/5 and the Elites got this pleasure). I find that the right side of the chute is a little more compact and sturdy. This will be my line for the race.
I line up on the left side today and take the first sweeping right on the outside and duck inside for the left. Made it through clean today. I'm sitting somewhere between 15-20th. Heading down the long pavement stretch towards Team Tents, I'm last in a group of three moving at a good clip, over 20mph. Dude in 2 slot can't hold the line and snags the orange construction fencing and hits a post OTB! Flipping bike, I steer clear. But dude rolls right in front of me, I pull up bump front wheel off his back and catch some sick air while getting wrapped up in some tape but I stay upright. We are passed by 5 or 6 people, I tell him sorry, and sprint off!
Again, my cornering seems better than most in this race, but my engine isn't as big on the straights. I make my passes through the turns and up the CHUTE. This is where a lot of my passes happen, I found solid ground and capitalize on everyone else playing in the sand. On the long straights, I just go to the drops, put my head down and think about the pain of the sprints
@The Heckler has put me through. I CAN DIG DEEPER! Is what I tell myself.
Through the peanut butter mud section, I developed a group of fans because I was able to pass a few people through this section. They tell me I am Top 10 with 2 to go. This gives me more determination to push. I make 2 more passes up the chute. Sprint for my life on the straight just after. Up the run up into the stadium and I look back. I see two guys on my wheel, but this next section is turns and barriers. I just have to be clean. Kid in front of me loses his derailleur with 1/4 mile left. I hammer through the turns, rip the barriers and make the 180 degree turn to line up for the sprint to the finish. I slip into the drops, go through the gears, head down, and I get 7th.
Super stoked to redeem myself for the mistakes I had made the previous day! Now I just keep watching racing until 6:30pm, when Matt decides to mix it up with the Elites! Overall great weekend, met lots of new people, rode some wheelies, raced, but most importantly had FUN!
NO PICS, Matt posted the pictures