Let me start from the top. I got the holeshot at MNSCS#4 held in Mankato today. I was going hard, but not out of my comfort zone. After the first lap I had about a minute on SamO and Cam Kirkpatrick. Near the end of the second lap, I had held the gap and was riding at a maintainable pace. On one of the technical rooty downhills call "Quick Release" I hit an off-camber root sending my front wheel sideways and me OTB. I was fine, but the air was rushing out of my tire. I flipped the bike over and tried to get the sealant to work but to no avail. I inspected further and found a bunch of mud trapped between the tire bead and rim. I pulled it out as Sam and Cam went by. I let the CO2 fly and the tire seemed to hold so I hopped back on for the chase. I knew it would be hard having lost several minutes, but I was just happy that I didn't have to DNF. I spent laps 3 and 4 catching Cam and getting to w/in 15 seconds of SamO. Unfortunately, the hard effort was too much for me, and I couldn't hold on (cramping again!)....with all the chasing, I hadn't been hydrating appropriately. I rolled home in 3rd very disappointed but accepting the fact that mountain bike racing on technical courses can get you sometimes...my face says it all.
The next few weeks are going to be focused on family vacation (near Two Harbors WI), mid season recovery, and rebuilding for National Championships in Vermont. After 12 races in less than 8 weeks so far this season, I am feeling a bit shagged.
1 comment:
hey man-
your a top midwest rider. keep the positive perspective within reach. you will have some peaks and valleys.
Post a Comment