Rain was in the forecast all week. But we'd managed to miss it last weekend so I ignored it. Nothing I could do about it anyway. I'd never raced this race before and was anxious about riding in the mountains during what was supposed to be severe weather. Once again I worked at shutting that noise out and enjoying the trip.
That worked (mostly). On Saturday I pre rode a trail other than the one we would race on, due to horses being on it. I am really cautious on the shelf type single track. Especially the fast downhills. My fingers squeeze the brakes almost without me thinking about it. Dr. Sworks says it's just self preservation.
After the ride we had a great dinner at a small cafe downtown. Then took a walk around town. It was like a mini vacation. My relaxed mood could have been due to the two Dirty Girls I had before dinner. Either way I was looking forward to the race.
Patter Patter
On the hotel room window Sunday morning, rain. It got heavier as the morning went on, finally stopping just as my class rolled to the line.
The race started with a 1.6 mile graded road climb. I figured if I could get ahead before we went into the single track I could put it onto survival mode till I figured out how slick it was. There were only three of us in the 60+, not a big turnout in any of the classes for that matter. Dave blew the whistle and we were off.
By the time I crested the hill going onto the trail I couldn't see anybody behind me. This trail was wet by not overly slick. I could still race the uphills and take the downs conservatively. Then we merged onto the section the morning classes had used and the picture changed, at least in my mind it did.
The mud ruts along the side of the mountain got my attention. Due to my past history with slick trails I may be more cautious than others.
Oh let's face it, I am a scardy cat when it gets slick. That's not to say I can't race it, it's just that I go very slow. I would pass people on the climbs and they'd go right by me on the downhills. Still, I was working and racing, I was even enjoying it (a little). Though I will admit to looking at my Garmin occasionally to see how far I had to go.
I finished first in my class, didn't crash, and felt good about my ride. Yeah, my race time was slow. but I lived to race another day.
We both took Monday off which made the 8 hour drive home more tolerable. I really turned out to be a great weekend. I am glad I went!
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