Raccoon Rally MTB 2008

Rest and recovery from the road race was the program for Sunday. Since it had rained pretty much through the road race... the sun came out almost as we cross the finish line. I still knew the cross country course would be pretty muddy. Then the skies really opened up at about 8:00 on Saturday... and it poured for the next two hours.

As we were driving back from dinner, the discussion was indicating that I probably would not see Dave at the start line in the morning. I got back to the tent, found I had set it up in the most perfect spot for a dry night.. did a little cleanup and was asleep by about 9:00... woke at 7 for a good rest... then proceeded to screw up my race day prep.

The bike was fine, but I ate to much at breakfast, and on the line was contemplating what it would feel like to puke while hitting the single track. No worries though, I was off the back within the first 500m, and watched the group ride away as we got to the woods.... so my race last exactly 5 minutes. I didn't stop, but I was caught by the first sport riders at 14 minutes. Let's not say sandbaggers, since it did take them 12 minutes to make up the 2 minute head start I had.

I figure I was about in last place in the expert field by the time I hit the first climbs on Snow Snake. My head or my heart were not really in the race, so I was just screwing around. chatting up the sport riders I was with. The course was pretty muddy, and my tires were not really hooking up on the steepest stuff, so there was a bit of hike a bike, but no worse than some of my earliest attempts. I could have stopped to let some air out... but I figured might as well shoot for last place and still try to be respectable.

I don't remember last years times, but I exited Snow Snake at about 50 minutes. I had estimated a 3 hour ride, with the wet, so this wasn't terrible. I trade places with a couple of sport guys noticing they would catch me on the climbs, but I would roll the flats and drops better than them. So I started to try to race them to keep my concentration.

Near the last climbing section before descending to start lap two, I was caught by a single speed and a female sport rider. The woman easily got by me on the climb, but I closed to her pretty quick on the descents that followed. I didn't find a good place to get around her until another guy caught us, and we both passed right before the gnarly switchbacks down the ski slope. I followed the other guy down, carefully picking my way through it and started lap two at about 1:50. I had started to worry about getting lapped if I didn't get through by 1:30, but I had made it safely through despite my first estimates. I was also feeling much better, even without puking.

The second lap is the long steady grind back to the top of the mountain. It's pretty much a constant grade, made all the more fun this year by the stream of water that flowed down the incline mostly on the trail. Reminded me a lot of some of the Wild 100 trails on the second year we did that one. I was often thinking of the tea creek like mud we encountered on the day.

A short way up the climb, the woman passed me again... and I thought "I can go that fast", so I jumped on her wheel and let her do the pace making. I stayed within 50m or so, until we got about 3/4 of the way up when it seemed she slowed down. No one else responded to her, so she effectively paced me back up at least 3 places. I was extremely gracious when I came around her, and hoped to return the favor by pacing her the remainder of the climb, but she continued at her own pace.

I decided now that I was in front of some expert guys, I should probably race my bike now. So big ring the flats and descents.... and just get over the climbs. Mud had turned my triple ring into a double, and though I would have liked one or two more gears, I made do. No one passed me, though I caught no one until I was back on the sport loop. One guy was a short way behind me... I pulled away from him pretty easily. I also caught one more on the switchbacks right before the finish.

I rolled in at 3:05... which was pretty close to my estimate... but 50minutes behind the winners. Ross Clark from Solon, finished second in 2:15... almost no different from his time last year. Very interesting.

Not what I wanted, though I guess a biological is better than a mechanical. Maybe I'll get everything right for this set of races someday. There are so many ways I can screw this weekend up, I'm sure I can find a new set next year.