After 10+ years of mtbing, I did my first Enduro on Sunday. This came onto my radar a year ago after Kris, Utah, Bill and Kirt did the Glen Park Enduro. Like jumping into cx races or paddling my kayak on a journey, I've been trying different things lately, just kinda busting into it and I like it. I read something a few days ago that says do one thing that scares you everyday. After looking this up I learned that its often a misattributed quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, she actually said "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Doing my first Enduro was not a horror, unless you look at my results, but it is unfamiliar ground to me, which is always a bit scary. Also, I must say Eleanor R was very progressive for her time, totally punk rock at a time when the Glenn Miller Orchestra reigned. If you ever get a chance to check out the FDR mansion in Hyde Park, it's worth a visit.
This adventure was also a chance for me to get together and bond with teammates, at a time when I feel a greater need to do so. There is something about the change in seasons which slows me down and makes me think, think about what's important to me and what I need to be happy. Like a Goldfinch that molts in September and about 8 weeks later goes from bright yellow to drab colors, I too feel like I go into a molt and change my feathers. I still fly, just with different colors.
Summer Iggy Winter Iggy
I texted Ryan, Bill, Kris, and Utah, we met up early to carpool to Glen Park together. It's nice to be with these guys/Kris, I wouldn't go to an Enduro if I didn't know anyone, for me being with friends is part of the event. If I went downhill in the woods alone, wood anyone care?
Ryan told me I looked like his wood shop teacher 2x on Sunday, when I broke out my work safety goggles and post race when I dressed in my autumn sweater.
Bill drove 80 out 80, we got there quick, picked up our reg chips then changed into our play clothes to get a warm up run in. The previous rains left the course slick, in some locations water was running down trails like a stream, the mud wasn't as thick as the HPCX race but when going downhill a thin patch of greasy mud can be really hazardous. We finished our run, listened to the pre-race meeting, then chilled before they called out groups to head up. While waiting I saw Nelson, he's someone I usually run into once a year, the last time I saw him was at Killington, September 2017, he was pre riding Enduro stages for the finals with his son. Today he wasn't riding, but providing support for his 14 yr. old son who was racing. We chatted, as I pedaled off to ride up to the first stage, he told me to stop back if I needed anything, " I have a big box of tools".
Utah, Kris and Ryan headed up with the open class, me and Bill pedaled up with the 45+, when we got to the top we waited our turn. Riders where being sent every 30 seconds, we wore a chip around our wrist, which is used to clock in and out with at all 5 stages. Before long I was up, I clocked in and raced up the slight incline to start stage one.
Despite pre-riding here Thursday with the crew, the trails still seemed foreign to me, unlike local places you know every twist and turn. I was amped up at the start, like how I attack a xc or cx race, my starts are usually full guns and I settle in, my start today was full guns, without the settling in. Going downhill requires a rhythm in order to flow and flow is how you go fast. Before the race we talked about riding conservatively, since it's muddy, just stay on your bike and you will have good results.
Instead of riding conservatively, I was trying too hard to go fast, which resulted in loosing control of my front tire and sliding out in the mud 2x, not in technical sections, just overcooking turns on greasy areas. Looking back I was nervous, I had more energy then brains and this racing downhill was new to me.
After stage 1, I shook off the nerves and headed up to stage 2 with Bill. There where only a few people in front of us at the start of 2, which eliminated a long wait. Bill went, then I went 30 seconds behind him. This stage was muddier, with a rock garden I had floated through in the pre ride but now with added speed, mud and nerves I was a god damn mess, I haven't ridden this sloppy since the days of my Cdale hardtail. After the rock garden there was a slight downhill that I geared up for and hammered on my cranks, BANG, out of no where came a pedal strike on my non drive side, which was violent enough to drop my chain and send it into my spokes followed by some nasty crunching, clanking and grinding noise. I pulled over, off the trail, not wanting to get killed by racer 30 seconds behind me. My chain was broken, with one end wedged in between my cassette and spokes, while the other end was tangled in derailleur and seat stay. The chain was binding so tightly that I could not push bike out, I had to remove wheel and extract chain, replace wheel, then push bike out, while looking back for fear of getting run over by a cannonball enduro.
The Ugly
After my chain fiasco I clocked out and looked closely at my chain which I had in my hand. I had a quick link but the chain was bent and mangled in several locations. My seat stay was hack sawed by my chain, ripping off the paint and exposing bare carbon, it wasn't broken but damn was it ugly. As bad as things where going I seriously thought about quitting. Passerby's asked if they could help, I said yeah if they had a chain. There was no surprise from me when no one had a spare chain in there back pocket, I began pushing my bike back to the parking area, in hopes that I would see Nelson (I have a box of tools guy).
I knew things would get better when I saw Nelson walking towards me on the transfer trail. When I asked him if he could help me with my chain he said sure, we walked back to his car and he removed 4 bent links, straightened a few more and threw on my master link, he fixed it for me in 15 minutes. He saved my race, not that I would be competitive in the overall finish, but today was more about the experience and not quitting when things are not going as planned.
As I pedaled up to stage 3 I had no issues with my chain, I was grateful to Nelson to be able to keep rolling. Stages 3, 4 and 5 where a lot smoother for me, I relaxed and enjoyed the ride, even got some air on some runs. On stage 5 I did go off course on an intersection and had to dismount and run bike back but other then that things went well. I should mention that it took me a few stages to get the clock out thing down, you really had to press your tag right up against reader and hold it there. There was also a bonus stage if you did all 5 stages, they where awarding cash for top finishers, not that I had a chance at the $$ but rather it would be good training to climb to the top a 7th time (5x for stages, 1x for warm up, 1x for bonus stage), I am racing Cathedral Pines in two weeks.
Not really sending it, ripping it?
The bonus round was just another fast fun downhill that was not available for the pre ride. I rolled back to the lot having felt like I got my monies worth, I may have sucked but I had fun and didn't hurt myself, but I am pissed that my seat stay got scratched on stage 2 with my chain. The crew had already changed and where heading to the after party, I was about 20 minutes behind them with my mechanical earlier, with a quick clean up I joined them for pizza, beer and laughs at the main lot. This was one of the better after parties this year post race, everyone hung out after racing and added to the fun vibe, it kinda reminded me of the Dark Horse days.
So, this event was definetly out of my comfort zone, not that xc mtb racing is ever comfortable but I more or less know what to expect. Overall I did ok, if I cancel stage 2, where i lost a ton of time with chain and then walking out I place about 7ish out of 21 verses 17/21. But this is Enduro racing, one screw up and you're at the bottom of the list. Honestly I was just happy to finish, not get hurt, gain some knowledge, hang with friends and ride some tasty waves...and ironically this was my shortest race but longest blog. Thanks for reading.