So how'd it go for everyone who did it this year?
I felt like I was painting by numbers this year. I came into it pretty tired and after pre-riding Friday afternoon, I knew the course would be tough for me. I hate loamy trails, and the freeze/thaw cycle that seemed to exist out there had turned what have usually been hardpacked singletrack into soft and loamy dirt. That's nice if you intend to fall down (which I did once) but it sucks otherwise because you really don't get to relax at all without losing speed. The ground just pulls your tires in. More than half the course was like that, including all three of the back-to-back power climbs. (That, more than anything, SUUUUUCKED on the SS. I think the EMT guy at the top of the third one was ready to give me oxygen on my last lap when I crawled over it for the last time.)
At any rate, I finished fourth this year, but still had my second fastest 8 laps ever. I was like 2 minutes out of third. I probably could have made up that time on my last lap if I knew about it, but I was just going through the motions at that point. I was tired, I had lost my Garmin on the second lap when I slipped on a root and fell into a comfortable pillow of soft dirt, and I think I had only drank three bottles all day. So, yeah, chasing for the last step on the podium wasn't happening.
A few quick observations: first, Cadre is awesome and they put on a killer race every year. Seems like they know every rider and give each one a shout out as they come through the start/finish. It's just cool to hear your name shouted when you're pushing yourself. Second,
@Mitch should be bound and gagged before the start from now on. Holy shit, did he ever create a complete clusterfuck on the start line this year. He should tell the story himself, but what was shaping up to be the first civil start I've ever experienced at CP quickly turned into the biggest shit show ever with just a few words from Mitch. I thought it was funny because guys who were pretty relaxed just a moment before were suddenly wide eyed and nervous as hell as Jeff started the countdown. Finally, this was the first time I realized this after looking at the posted results, but ... holy crap, I'm the old guy now. I think I averaged something like 18 years older than the three guys ahead of me. I could legally drink before the guy who finished in third was even born. When the hell did that happen???