Mud Fest 2008

Today I raced in the GA Cross series in Conyers, GA.

When it was raining yesterday, I thought that maybe not many people would show up. I was wrong. Today's race was well attended. I thought that since it rained all day and all night Saturday and this was a make up race, that people would bag this one.

The course was totally sloppy. The mud was deep and sticky. The only other times I have raced on a muddy course I hurt myself. I am still paying off the hospital bill from March of this year when I separated my shoulder and broke a rib. I had to get them to send me an itemized bill. I noticed that they charged me nine times for sterile urine specimin containers. I peed in the cup once. I digress. So, I was worried about hurting myself in a crash.

I was so worked up about riding in the mud, that when I looked at my watch, I saw 12:30, not 11:30. I rushed to the starting line thinking I was about to miss my start. I saw the men ride off. A girl that I did mtb races with held up the tape for me as I rushed to get a spot at the line. I thought it was strange that all of the junior boys were lined up with us, but I didn't say anything about it. A few seconds later we were off with a shot.

I rode as quickly as I could, but I was reserved, because I was sliding all over the place. My rear wheel would spin on hills, in sloppy places, and whenever I applied much pressure to the pedals. It seemed like as soon as I got on my bike, I was getting back off to run again. It was wearing me out. There was a creek crossing that was deep and muddy, of course. It was very difficult to get a foot hold on the bank of the creek. I slid down several times before I got out. When I came through the starting line after the first lap, John, the official, asked me if I was racing or pre-riding. After I rode by, things started to make sense. There was a reason the girl's numbers started with a 6 and mine started with a 2. I had jumped in the B race by accident. I couldn't believe it. I rode back and told John what I had done. He said at least I was warmed up. I was thinking that I had just burned myself out, and I was getting cold. I got just sweaty enough that it made me cold while waiting around for my race to start. All I could think was, "man, what a bonehead".

I lined up for my race. I was painfully slow. I rode more of the course this time, but when I got to the creek crossing, I couldn't get up the bank. I saw the girls ride away, and I was bummed. I didn't ride as hard once the other girls were out of site. I wanted to follow Trish, because I knew she would take the best lines. She has fantastic technical skills. I had a lot of trouble getting clipped back in to my pedals. I just got them back from Crank Brothers. They tightened the springs. Once I was pretty sure that I had no chance of catching up with the girls, I just rode the course. About half way through my second lap, I was lapped by the men. After only a few men passed me, the BMW Bianchi girl rode right by. She had lapped most of the men. Wow. The mud was tough, but it was fun. This was the hardest but the most fun race I have done.

The course would have been an easy one if it had not rained. I think I could have ridden all of the hills. Most of the course was in the woods and seemed like a smooth but rolling mountain bike course. I should have brought my mountain bike. If I do another muddy race, I am going to bring my mountain bike. I also didn't make a good tire selection. The 35 mm Kenda Small Block Eight is a great tire for the dusty hard pack conditions that we normally have, but it cloggs up and spins in the mud. I could have put on my Kenda Kwickers, but the are only 32 mm, and I thought it would be better to have on a larger tire, so I could run a lower pressure. Live and learn.

Unfortunately, I made several mistakes that kept me from being competetive. I have some things to work on, but any time I am on my bike is a good time, and I think that is the most important thing. : )