This past Wednesday kicked off the Charlotte area mountain
bike series. This 16 race series runs on Wednesday nights from April through September with races in 5 different parks in the area with every 5th Wednesday off.
The first race of the series was a test of memory. Here's my list of idiot moves :
- Hadn't ridden a mountain bike in a month
- Rebuilt my singlespeed 29er 2 days prior
- Only rode this bike once before the race
- Hadn't ridden this particular trail in a year
- Was sandbagging thanks to riding a single speed. I didn't renew my yearly USA Cycling license so I was able to race beginner. I don't feel so bad due to the lack of riding and gears.
The
Trek Bicycle Store had a great showing of folks to the line. 1 guy in super sport, 3 guys in sport, and me in
singlespeed beginner women. Also, one girl manning the grill at the tent and another guy in an arm sling manning the camera. We milled around the start line for a few minutes, talking to various classes and trying to get a grasp of what this season would be bringing. Talked to the two girls I would be racing against, Crystal and Bobby. Bobby is a local Dirt Diva so I know her and know she's a strong rider. She also was refusing to move up to Sport based on her age and that girls don't have a masters category. Crystal seemed to know her stuff, mentioned she is coming from a bmx background and started downhilling lately.
We line up on the end of a gravel road, the idea of the road is to separate folks before the entrance of singletrack. Well it worked, Crystal left Bobby and I in her dust. I did my best to keep up but spinning 32x20 I must of looked like a wind up toy with my legs spinning so fast. I would keep seeing glimpses of Crystal for the next 15 minutes until we hit the "double black diamond."
This is where I had
fail#1 on the bike. I told Bobby to go around me as she was on a geared bike and that I would sit on her wheel until we got out of the "black diamond section." She agreed and said she was happy to sit on my wheel the rest of the race. We get through most of the section and come upon a kid on his side in a rock garden. Bobby stops to help the kid up, he is working on clipping in and she passes him. He gets in and sits on her wheel. Now there is a kid between Bobby and I,
fail#2. I'm asking to pass the kid and he runs right into a tree. As he starts to scream I jump off my bike running to his aid. Manually having to clip him out of the pedals and trying to calm him down. Well... the kid jumps back on his bike and takes off. Now I'm off my bike, Bobby is done with the section and gone and the kid is now again between me and 2nd place. I get on and do my best for damage control. The kid won't let me pass him when I catch up with him. His father hands him a bottle on a small road section and helps block my pass as well.
Finally we get to where there is some climbing. I figure at the top switch back there's a clearing and I'll pass the kid. He doesn't exactly have standing/climbing/clip in down and went down again. Again, screaming.. I hop off once more to unclip him and see if he's okay. He took a chainring into the calf and is pretty upset but again..he hops on his bike before I can get my bike and takes off. Frustrated I call out my pass at the top of the climb and leave him. Feeling guilty that I'm frustrated with an 8 year old and more frustrated with the 8 year olds parents who put him on clipless when he doesn't have the handling or mindset to deal with those things.
I do my best for damage control but by now I've been off the bike twice trying to help which added up to at least 5-8 minutes. I figured to ride it out and finish the race as strong as I could. Ending up in 3rd out of 3, 3 minutes back from 2nd and 6 minutes back from 1st I was very very disappointed but knew I did the right thing stopping to help. I learned from this week that unless there's blood or someone knocked out, I'm not stopping.
The best part of the race was hanging out, eating burgers and enjoying a lot of good people. Check out our custom burger flippers (yes I forgot the flipper.) Thanks to Melissa for being a great trooper and cooking!
Our team ended well. Mike Sciame winning Super Sport, Darcy Letourneau coming in 3rd in Sport 19-34, Bruce Stauffer at 5th in Sport 35-44 and Jamie Haessley flatted within 3 miles of his first lap.
Tonight is the Renaissance race, it's been pouring here for two days straight so the chances are high that the race will be canceled.
