I'm happy to say that race season is underway. I felt very unprepared for my first race because I had ridden on trails exactly once this year before the race. I was in excellent shape because I had been riding on the road a ton. But I was SO out of practice with my skills on trails. I knew I wouldn't be at my best.
This race was a 6 hour race in Rhode Island. We had a beautiful weekend, 60's and sunny. The race was a 15 mile lap. I had no idea what the course would be like. The answer was muddy and technical! There were some smooth and fast sections, but lots of super technical stuff. And I was right, my skills handling that stuff were rusty. It was great practice!
I was doing surprisingly well until my third lap. About half way through I knew something was wrong with my bike. I stopped and felt my tires. The back one was about half way flat. 7.5 miles to go. Ugh!! I rode a bit further and then it was completely flat. I had a very long way to go, pushing my bike. Gradually my front tire went flat too. Who gets two flat tires at the same time? Oh, that would be me. People went passed me and the distance seemed to go by so slowly. I thought I would never reach the finish. I finally did. I ended up near the back of the pack for obvious reasons.
It's very frustrating finish poorly because of a technical failure. But, I got in some good practice. Trails are dry now and I've been out on them like crazy. I feel very good about my next race, which is in 6 weeks! Here are a couple pictures of some nice portions of the course.
This race was a 6 hour race in Rhode Island. We had a beautiful weekend, 60's and sunny. The race was a 15 mile lap. I had no idea what the course would be like. The answer was muddy and technical! There were some smooth and fast sections, but lots of super technical stuff. And I was right, my skills handling that stuff were rusty. It was great practice!
I was doing surprisingly well until my third lap. About half way through I knew something was wrong with my bike. I stopped and felt my tires. The back one was about half way flat. 7.5 miles to go. Ugh!! I rode a bit further and then it was completely flat. I had a very long way to go, pushing my bike. Gradually my front tire went flat too. Who gets two flat tires at the same time? Oh, that would be me. People went passed me and the distance seemed to go by so slowly. I thought I would never reach the finish. I finally did. I ended up near the back of the pack for obvious reasons.
It's very frustrating finish poorly because of a technical failure. But, I got in some good practice. Trails are dry now and I've been out on them like crazy. I feel very good about my next race, which is in 6 weeks! Here are a couple pictures of some nice portions of the course.