I missed the first W@W race and almost missed the second one. I’ve been on my mountain bike one time since I crashed, that was Monday a week and a half ago with my boy Gary. He can tell you how bad I was hurting… Bad enough to not want, but need to stop 3 times on one lap of a 3 lap race course. A couple of times I just laid down on the trail and thought about how much ass I suck.
So this past Wednesday we had the return of the race series to Wakefield. I ended up working a little late in MD and struggeled to get home, get my stuff together, and throw a tube/tire combo on the new front wheel I’m borrowing from our team stash of sponsored gear. I made it to the registration desk literally as the race was supposed to start, 6:50 PM. They had me do a quick fake registration, took my cash and I hauled ass down the hill to the start, just barely cutting in front of the experts about to leave and getting in with the sport cats.
A minute later and we were off and up the gravel hill. I stayed on the outside, missed a pile up wreck and got to the singletrack in the middle of the pack. Hung pretty tough on first lap giving it everything I had. Even managed to make a pass on the big log…it’s either a make it or don’t situation and well I made it and it felt damn good! I launched good enough to get a nice smack of the tires as I touched back down on the dirt, completely clearing the log. At the end of the lap I started to fade a bit. At this point I hadn’t stopped, but that would all change as I hit the timing tent. I had to stop and grab some Old Dominion Lager from Stoner before I was on my way back into the woods.
The second lap turned out to be pain lap. I tried not to walk, but at the pace I was moving I might as well have been hiking out there. My second lap was a full 5 minutes longer than my first or third. Nothing exciting this lap, just amazing the range of emotions you go through in the thick of a race. Nervous, excited, stressed…it can all be summed up this head conversation - “Damn these pump trackesque curves are bomber! I think I’m going to puke.”
So while I didn’t finish on the podium, I did manage to get DFL with some style points…clearing log in first lap, beer at start of second lap, and getting some air on the rollers on my third lap.
Damn it felt good to feel the burn and push myself hard again. The dirt tasted great and the sleep came soon after..
Oh yea, check out Gary’s photos here. Check me out here and here.
DT
Good to hear you’re back! Still running it fixed, or did you gamble with the single brake/SS combo again?
Have to get in a ride with you sometime soon. Maybe Wednesday if the weather holds.
it was hot that night….
how did things go last night?
was the log easier or harder to clear with the reverse loop
that air stuff
not sure if it is for me
I try to keep my tires on the ground