What a race.....I mean really what a race! Only in the sense that these were the toughest conditions I have ever endured racing my mountain bike. Read on.
I arrived in Arizona on Wednesday, got my bike assembled and had a great dinner. Thursday, Jim and I drove out to Tucson which is about a 2 hour drive so we could get a prime camping spot. The venue was supposed to open at Noon Thursday...we arrived at 12:20pm and there were a ton of people there already. We ended up getting a decent site about 75 yards from the course and set up camp. Just the tent and some chairs and then roped off the rest of the area we would need. Rain was in the forcast so we decided we would head back home and come back Saturday morning.
After listening to the pouring rain Friday night, we headed out about 6:30am Saturday morning and arrived at the course about 8:30am. It has also rained at the venue Friday night but the sun was breaking out and things were drying up very fast. I thought maybe things would be okay after all. We got the awning set up along with the rest of our stuff just in time for the rain to start. We had the usual Captains meeting at 10am and there was a special ceremony to honour Keith Bontrager which was cool. Meanwhile, it was raining throughout and the temperature was about 55 d F.
The course was about 25km long and had a mix of jeep road and single track. There was about 1300 feet of climbing per lap which consisted of one long arduous climb (about 8km total which was in the middle of the course) and one long ride down.
The race started at Noon....in the rain. We ran for about 1/2 mile, hopped on our bikes and started riding down an access road for about 10 mins. I was soaked within the 1st mile. Conditions were a little bit slick but it was kind of fun and wild. I felt pretty good and finished the first lap around 20th (out of about 80+ soloists) so I was quite happy. I had decided to pull a double lap at the start so instead of heading back to my pit I immediately left for another lap. I was already soaked anyways, but not too cold so it was a good idea. Conditions on the course had deteriorated quite a bit. With about 1500 riders these things can happen.
As the race progressed the weather worsened. The rain became heavier and the course was muddier. Like many other people, the biggest problem I had was with my bike. I had severe chain suck.....in general my drivetrain was shot. Mud was in every nook and cranny, shifting was horrible after the first lap....there is nothing more disheartening than the sound of mud grinding away at everything. Plus, my bottom bracket seized. Not what I was hoping for and that took a long time to repair. I’m sure every bike shop in the state of Arizona has a grin from ear to ear knowing how much business they are going to get from people ruining their bikes at this race. Some people even resorted to washing their bikes in what we called E Coli Pond. Keep in mind the race is on a cattle ranch and there were cow pies everywhere. A pond had formed in one area from all the rain....people were wading into the pond with their bikes to wash them off. Who knows what kind of bacteria was lurking in there. Needless to say I stayed far away from it.
The nightime hours brought even worse rain. I had parked my bike and lay in the tent listening to the torrential rain....and I am not exaggerating about how hard the rain was. At one point a runoff area on the course had 18 inches of water flowing through it. There was hail. There was fog. And there were heavy winds. The promoter of the race said he had never seen worse weather in the 10 years he has been organizing events. I personally have never raced for such a prolonged period of time in such weather. It was fun and awful at the same time.
When morning hit the weather finally began to clear. The mud thickened on the dirt roads a little bit which drained some energy, but the singletrack was like concrete and was awesome. I think I had the most fun on my final two laps. I put on the MP3 player to keep my mind off the conditions and thinking about how I was feeling. I was tired and some of the uphills were a grind but the flats and downhills were a blast. I had a little dual going with an Ellsworth rider for most of the lap. I passed them on the 7 bitches (7 steep up and downs one after another at the beginning of the course) and they hovered about 50-100 yards back for much of the lap. At the final 2km of climbing I only had about 10 yards to I dug deep and hammered the rest of the way. Once the climb was done the best downhill of the course was upon us....I put it in the big ring and flew down the last 3km of the course. I never saw that rider again. It was my 2nd fastest lap of the race.
I finished exactly at Noon and my final result was 29th place (out of about 80+). I would say I am pleased with my finish given that most of the riders were locals and in peak shape whereas I am in winter shape. However, I do feel my fitness is better than usual at this time of year. I could tell because I never had to walk my bike on the hills and never used the granny ring or the 34T Cog (w/ middle ring) the entire race. I was still even passing many people on my final lap which is always a good sign.
Many thanks go out to my sponsors: Gearsracing.com, Rudy Project, Carb Boom, Turner Bicycles, FSA, and Kenda. Their support is greatly appreciated!!
Oh ya, US Air lost all of my baggage, including my bike. Quite a bummer....I just hope I see them again sometime! I think it is all in Philly, but I'll have to wait and see.
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