So it begins, the start of another race season. These days I ease into racing, using the early races as spring training. We lost the Short Track series earlier this month due to weather for the 2nd year in a row, we'll get one in on Sunday but it's not the early season tune up that it once was and I'm ok with that. Honestly I prefer xc skiing for half of March over mtbing, especially when the weather is still cold and snowy.
The weather is now shifting toward warmer temps, making the focus to mtbing more of a reality. The Mayhem race on Saturday was a good start to the season, the weather was perfect and the course was a solid punch in the nutz. I've never raced this course, no one should drive 90 minutes to ride flat, twisty, sandy trails but racing on them against 23 other dudes was worth the drive. Disclaimer, I didn't win but this post is filled with anecdotal Ignitorisms and visuals and visuals which may offend some people.
On the line I chat with Victor S making and checking out whose here. I see Dave Kahl and talk with him, I notice Edwin Sanchez in our race, which surprises me because he usually does endurance and wins. Frank O is missing, but that's fine, we don't need another sandbagger in this class. Sharpshooter was supposed to race with the younger guys in front of us but I didn't see him, it's probably better he didn't show up, racing Cat 1 15+ for 26 miles as a first race ever...lol.
At some point I asked Victor
@Superfly100guy where Roger
A is and he responds with, he's standing right next to you dummy. I have to admit, despite lining up with Roger at races frequently, I never recognize him. As I turn to the right, he's standing there in his Fincraft jersey and I strike up a conversation about xc skiing, as I know he is a fellow advocate. The race in front of us goes off and with less then a minute to go, I look right and see Roger whipped off the Fincraft kit and is wearing his xc national jersey, stars and stripes and all...i was just like
The horn goes and we go, running 2:1(32/16) on my rigid SS is a bit of a grind from a dead stop but I spin it up and go into the single track 10th out of 23rd. The next 10 minutes of ST slows down, someone up front shouldn't be up front but I see Kahl is caught in the traffic as well, Roger and Edwin are gone but they're out of my league at this point. I use this slow down to rest and be ready for the jump when we get out to fire road. Boom, fire road, Dave jumps, I follow and we go around 4ish guys?
Me, Kahl and Victor chasing Roger and Edwin.
Kahl keeps the hammer down as we enter ST and I can't hold his wheel, some guys bridge up behind me and keep me working hard to stay ahead of them. We battle back and forth for the remainder of the lap and come around the start finish and the clock says 36 minutes. At the time, I forgot that this is a running clock which starts when the pro class goes, then women pro's followed by 15+ then us. I'm like 36 MINUTES, I SUCK.
Going into lap 2 leaves me feeling disheartened at my time and the fact that I have to do 4 laps. I shake it off and race, trying not to think. One observation so far is how hard it is to pass some women on this course. The ST is tight, when I ask for a pass there was some awkward situations with the pro women class. I come up and say calmly, can i get around you?...and I get no response. So, I'm like did they not here me? are they ignoring me? Probably a little of both, since all of the 15+ guys passed them and now the 45+guys are coming through and there getting annoyed by the traffic. Some women responded when I asked to pass with ok, hold on, there is a fire road 3 minutes ahead or a women would say ok go, without moving over an inch...lol. I want to pass but I don't want to make contact. This is a difficult situation but a part of racing. If someone in front of you doesn't move and displays poor racing etiquette, don't be an asshole and force a pass. We're not racing for paychecks, if you get on the podium, all you get are some likes on FB and IG.
Finishing out lap 2 spectors cheered us on and I heard people rooting for Carl, a 45+ guy I couldn't shake. The start of lap 3 is uneventful, Carl and I slog along silently in our pain cave. Things perked up when we came upon Victor, which surprised me. Apparently someone T-boned him when he took a wide line in the ST and knocked him off his bike, he was ok but lost some time.
Me with Carl chasing.
It was mentally refreshing to ride with Victor and talk, it distracted me enough and I felt encouraged when he said we're sitting 4th and 5th, I literally had no idea where I was, Vic reminded me I was in south Jersey at a mtb race and Kahl, Roger and Edwin where ahead of us...ok got it, race bikes.
Victor, myself, Justin(teammate racing younger class, kicking ass in 1st cat 1 race) and Carl finished out the 3rd lap and headed into the 4th together. I liked the first half of the course the best, it was more flowee ST, so I lead for most of this section. When we came to the fire road Justin clicked gears with Victor and threw down some power. There is a distinct whirling sound from centripetal force that carbon bikes/wheels make when this much torque is applied, I heard this noise and desperately hung onto there wheels, spinning my 32×16.
Jumping back into ST I didn't realize how exhausted that effort made me until I clipped a tree with my bars. The aftermath was me trying not to kill myself as inertia threw me in directions I didn't want to go in. Luckily I was able to land on my feet without killing myself but I lost sight of Victor and Justin, and as I was standing there collecting myself Carl rolled by me. At this point the exhaustion of the race set in, my quads where screaming while I felt delirious but I remounted in the hopes of latching back onto my group.
When I caught sight of Carl, it motivated me to bridge up and pass him. Surprisingly he was happy to see me and let me pass him. What was strange was the fact that I could catch him but not lose him, he told me later he was gassed. Carl hung on my wheel to close out the lap, while Victor and Justin where out of sight. In the final yards to the finish I thought Carl would whip around me with his gears and take me at the line but alas he did not contest a sprint.
Me and Carl finishing up the race. Does anyone know if he posts here, username?
Iggy 5th place finish, 2:09:57
Carl 6th place finish, 2:09: 58
Thank you for pushing me Carl.