The course at Rosaryville is so fun. It is an 11 mile course, fast, flowy, with some short climbs and logs piles in sections. It is not technical at all, which I love. I stayed on my bike for the entire race, which is saying something because I am usually the first one to dismount and run over obstacles cx style. The weather was also perfect for an endurance race. It was a bit chilly and overcast at the start, but the day warmed up throughout the race and by the end, we were hanging out in shorts and tee shirts, enjoying pizza and Chad's rum.
Here is my race report:
I was very lucky to even be racing yesterday. 2 weeks ago, I found out that the top tube of my new carbon Foundry hardtail frame had a giant crack in it. I haven't been riding my MTB recently because the trails have been either been too snowy or muddy for the past month, so I'm not exactly sure how it cracked. I was pretty devastated though because I spent a lot of money on that bike and hadn't even had a chance to race it yet. But Joe's Bike Shop is unbelievably amazing. Within 2 weeks, Joe called Foundry and was able to get a new frame under warranty (I still don't know how many strings he had to pull to get that). My new frame arrived in Baltimore on Thrus. And then Ethan built up my bike so that I could race it on Sat. I can't thank the shop enough for helping me out with all of that!
Needless to say, I was super excited to finally be racing my new bike, and my goal from the start of the race was to win, since I wanted to get Joe's name on the top step of the podium as a way to thank them for everything. I started out strong and got to the front of the women's pack. Midway through the 1st lap, I was having so much fun, it didn't seem like a race anymore. I was really happy to be riding fast single track on my new bike and psyched that I could get over all of the obstacles without any difficulties. I held really consistent lap times throughout the race and felt strong at the end. The difference between my fastest and slowest lap time was 72 seconds. Unfortunately, I missed the cut off time for the 6th lap by less than 2 mins, but I accomplished my goal of getting Joe's name on the podium. It turned out to be a great race for Joe's team all around. Kathleen came in 5th in the solo women's category, Chris got 4th in the solo men's category, Jeff got 2nd in the solo 35+ category, and Ethan and Pat got 2nd in the duo category. Way to go Joe's! And thanks to the shop again for getting my new bike all set up.
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| Joe's Bike Shop Racing Team all over the podium! |
Like Carla mentioned, fun week in Florida, JHU Match Day, sale of my house... then an equally awesome part: actually being able to ride/race mountain bikes. The weather has been terrible for so long. We caught a break for monster cross a few weeks ago, and we caught another break for the 6-hour Cranky Monkey Race at Rosaryville.
At registration, we all received leg markings: a number on our left calf indicating what category we are in. I was given the number 8, for solo-male-6 hour-35+.
Even though all my competitors had the number "8" on their leg, I really did not know many of them nor their capabilities... except for 2 of them: Chris McGill and Racer-x. Chris McGill: I know his name because he crushed the 12-hour CM race last June and I was very jealous, and wish I could perform that well. Racer-x I only recognized from last year at Rosaryville... I think he was 2nd or 3rd last year. In either case, McGill took off at the start and I did not see him all day. Racer-x I saw slide out in the first grassy section of the prologue.
I felt great for the first lap. I like being behind people I trust, so I cozied up behind Shawn Downing. He had a great pace going. Racer-x came by us around mile 2 or 3, in sort of a sketchy area. I was thinking I should simply let him go and race within myself. So I stayed with Shawn for another couple of miles. Then another "8" came by us. I wanted to chase. So I did. After a mile or so I was in front of him and feeling great.
On lap 2, around mile 3 I was sitting on Racer-x's wheel. And it was not tough. I was thinking, "did he blow himself up on the first lap?" I did not know what to do. I just stayed with him for a while, until the aid station on the road, he asked me pass him. I said I liked the pace and needed something to chase. He insisted I pass, so I took off. From there until the end of lap 3 I was pushing it.
Laps 4 and 5 were torture. I definitely did not do the nutrition thing right and I should have paced myself better. I think I added 10 mins to those laps. I made the cut off time for the 6th lap with about 10 mins to spare. I had no idea how many "8"s were in front of me. I had no idea how far back Racer-x was. I could have waited those 10-mins to see if any others came through before the cut off. But, if that happened, I would have needed to "race" them on that last lap. So I decided I needed to go.
I felt so much better on the final lap. There were a few riders coming up from behind and that would get me moving faster, thinking they could be in my class.
Coming into the finish area I saw Carla and Chad. I could hear them cheering and that is always the best feeling. A smile can't be held back, regardless of how tired you are. They told me I had 2nd place. Then Carla said she had first and I think we might have high-5'ed four or five times.
Carla says I have been typing too long, so I guess that is the end of this... Final thoughts: bikes rule, racing rules, having fun with your friends on a great, sunny day is epic.
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| Charlie says it is time to wrap this up too! |
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