Michaux Mash

I really wasn't coming into this race expecting much. Sure, I knew I would ride well and probably have a decent time, but I wasn't racing it at all. It was more of a ride in Michaux with a lot of other people there.

So my Rush had been in the shop getting a new derrailleur and chain after it came in contact with a stick. Driving in to pick it up, my dad let me hear the bad news: I also tore my fork boot and that needed replaced, meaning that the bike I planned on riding in the Mash was still going to be at the shop for awhile. My Taurine is getting sold, and I picked up a Scalpel, which I plan on racing a lot this year. On Friday and Saturday, I was able to ride the Scalpel enough to get used to it and to wear the break pads in.

The morning of the race was really cool. It was the closest it's ever been to the weather of my first race (2006 Michaux Maximus), which was foggy, cold, and a big storm the night before. I was a little rushed to get my water bottles and everything set up and get to the line, but whatever. The beginning of the race was tight, Gunnar and I were trying to pass a lot of people in singletrack that wasn't very good for passing. And then we made a wrong turn. Actually our whole group made a wrong turn, and we bombed down a doubletrack to where it deadended. Then we had to turn around and climb back out, and pass all the people we had just passed. Some really nice singletrack to a road, and then a tough climb. Gunnar started to make a move on the climb, and I really didn't feel like chasing him since I was just out riding and I didn't have the motivation to punish myself that much. I already knew I was going to hate that climb later in the day...

The rest of the laps went well. 2nd lap was faster than the first by a minute or two, 3rd was just a bit slower. Then I came to that climb on my 4th lap. It killed me mentally more than physically, because I was feeling great up until then and I got a lot of my energy back after I crested the top. But on this climb, my dad passed me. It was a bit of a shock, and it didn't make me feel too good about how I was riding, but I realized that he is a very strong rider who is much better at a constant endurance pace than any kind of racing. So anyway, I got to the top and immediatly turned on the gas. I knew I didn't have too far to go and I was pretty happy since I liked the trail a lot. Came into the finish with a sprint that felt like I was racing XC, and after a little while to think over the day, I was pretty happy with how I had done. It was the longest ride of the year - only the 3rd one over 3 hours. First hard ride. I'm looking forward to the year, especially because I know that I'll be able to catch up on my training. I got sick 2 times this year when I could've been training, which set me back a lot. But I'm ready for the real races to start.