RR: What does not kill us...

So I've been off-road exactly once since my ill-fated outing with
Fagerlin & Co. on South Mountain in January, and that was a quick romp
at Branford Supply Ponds in Connecticut, which is not much of a
challenge. This is mostly due to weeks of continuously cold, rainy
weather. I've been putting good miles in on the fix, though, and I feel
pretty strong. The wife and I have decided we want to enter the XC race
at the Raccoon Rally in Allegany State Park next month:

http://www.wnymba.org/portal.php?h=xc

I haven't raced in five years. I would really like to run in Sport
class, just because Beginner is generally too short to require much
strategy. If you don't get the hole shot, you lose. Yawn. I think of
these things, feeling pretty cocky, as I quaff a Foster's at the
trailhead and prep my gear. The Fisher needs work. The drivetrain is
for ****, the cables are worn the nubs on the tires are rounded. But
I've got parts on order from Speedgoat, and I figure I'll just run the
Sport loop and see how I like it. I've been skiing these trails all
winter, so it's going to be fun to explore the same terrain on a bike.

The ride starts with an easy spin onto Patterson, and settles into a
nice middle-ring climb. I'm breathing a little hard, but everything is
cool. A mile or so in is the intersection where the Sport loop turns
onto Snowsnake, and I start the real climbing at a good clip.

Not for long.

Snowsnake is a quagmire. There really isn't a trail per se, just a
doubletrack-wide swath of soft, loamy grass that sucks at my rear
wheel, slowing me mercilessly as the trail steepens. I evidently should
have gone a little lighter on those Sierra Nevadas last night. My head
starts to hurt, and I am breaking out in a clammy sweat. The leaves
aren't out on the trees yet, and the sun feels insanely hot for a
65-degree day. I am breathing way too hard, my heart is beating madly.
I roll to a humiliating stop and bend over the handlebars, heart
racing. I straighten, clip in, and force the pedals to turn. Five turns
of the crank and I'm stopped again.

I push the bike. I am glad I am by myself. I look up and see my
brothers the crows in the bare trees overhead, and I begin to sense
that they are somewhat indiscreetly discussing who gets the good parts
once I collapse and die. Traitors.

I push the bike some more. The trail flattens out and I pedal for a
bit, but then it turns up again and I am off, trudging, earthbound.
This sucks. I look at my odometer. I've come two miles. The Sport
course is 25. I am so ****ed. The simple five mile, thousand-foot climb
takes me more than an hour, a substantial fraction of that on foot. I
suffer the whole way. I think about what it is going to be like riding
in Santa Fe and Aspen this summer. This is puppy chow. I am old and
slow and corrupt. I have no self-discipline. I am soft.

At the summit, I spin onto the twisty side loops: Swee****er, Christian
Hollow, Leonard Run. Nothing technical, but swoopy and fun. I notice
that the headset on the Fisher is loose, but I figure it's better just
to live with it and fix it at home rather than try a field repair. At
the end of Leonard Run, I stop and eat two litte packs of peanut M&Ms
we have left over from Halloween. I have rarely tasted anything better
in my life. Then it's on to Ridge run, downhill fast to the car. A 17
mile loop.

I bag the second lap. Next time.

Sigh.

CC

Corvus Corvax wrote:


I bag the second lap. Next time.

Sigh.

CC

The second lap is easier. It concentrates on the inner loop.

Mike - two time vet of the Racoon Rally.

I did the Cheddar challenge in the UK, feeling pretty confident i
entered the sport catagory instead of the beginners. Bad move lol. The
uphill was 4 inches of wet clay, though the downhill was well suited to
my 5 inches of bounce and i sailed past the elites with ease, but the
uphills were soul destroying. And elite rider was kind enough to slow
down and encourage me up the hill as i refused to get off until almost
the top. Ended up 84/200 but only because they ended the race a lap
early due to the mud and injuries that were occuring, if it had
continued I'd have been lost out nearer 200. Started too fast, blew it
all on the first lap and went downhill from there That day put me
off racing for good lol.

J

Might maim us horribly for life?






Shaun aRe

Corvus Corvax wrote:
So I've been off-road exactly once since my ill-fated outing with
Fagerlin & Co. on South Mountain in January, and that was a quick
romp
at Branford Supply Ponds in Connecticut, which is not much of a
challenge. This is mostly due to weeks of continuously cold, rainy
weather. I've been putting good miles in on the fix, though, and I
feel
pretty strong. The wife and I have decided we want to enter the XC
race
at the Raccoon Rally in Allegany State Park next month:

http://www.wnymba.org/portal.php?h=xc

I haven't raced in five years. I would really like to run in Sport
class, just because Beginner is generally too short to require much
strategy. If you don't get the hole shot, you lose. Yawn. I think of
these things, feeling pretty cocky, as I quaff a Foster's at the
trailhead and prep my gear. The Fisher needs work. The drivetrain is
for ****, the cables are worn the nubs on the tires are rounded. But
I've got parts on order from Speedgoat, and I figure I'll just run
the
Sport loop and see how I like it. I've been skiing these trails all
winter, so it's going to be fun to explore the same terrain on a
bike.

snip trail of tears

I bag the second lap. Next time.

Sigh.

CC

HA HA (cough cough) HA!

/s

Corvus says...
I evidently should
have gone a little lighter on those Sierra Nevadas last night.
snip
slow and corrupt. I have no self-discipline. I am soft.
snip
I bag the second lap. Next time.


Sigh.


Sinner



Jimbo(san)

Corvus says...
I evidently should
have gone a little lighter on those Sierra Nevadas last night.
snip
slow and corrupt. I have no self-discipline. I am soft.
snip
I bag the second lap. Next time.


Sigh.


Sinner



Jimbo(san)

Shaun aRe wrote:
Might maim us horribly for life?






Shaun aRe



.... postpones the inevitable?

--
Craig Brossman, Durango Colorado
remove "mydebt" to reply

"Anyone who isn't confused really doesn't understand the situation."
Edward R. Murrow

Corvus Corvax wrote:
snip

I push the bike some more. The trail flattens out and I pedal for a
bit, but then it turns up again and I am off, trudging, earthbound.
This sucks. I look at my odometer. I've come two miles. The Sport
course is 25. I am so ****ed.

Haha. I've felt that so many times. Since my battery died in my bike
computer a couple of years ago I haven't replaced it for that reason
(and sheer laziness of course).
I try to do at least a couple of races every year to "keep it real" and
remember that there's a lot of people in much better shape than I am out
there.

So you've got a month. If there's some good base conditioning under
there you can bring it back. If not, you are right (you are ****ed).

Have fun! (or pretend you did afterwards)

Matt

"Craig Brossman" wrote in message
...
Shaun aRe wrote:
Might maim us horribly for life?






Shaun aRe



... postpones the inevitable?

Must be... candy?


Shaun aRe