Sunday, March 26, 2006
Got my new bike built, and what better way to test it out than to enter a race with almost no preparations ! Bu
t it was the 20th edition of the Mudslinger, and that only happens once and a while. So I rode around the block a few times to get the brakes ready, threw some fenders on and drove out to Blodgett. The weather was great. The race got off practically on time, and we were off. The race starts going up almost immediately, and everyone goes 100%. The traction from the big wheels allowed me to push big gears and stand at will. I passed lots of people by riding through (above: BEFORE
) some rough lines while they stayed in the more smooth track. The mud was messy, but the tires did a good job of shedding the sticky (below: AFTER) goo. I paid the price for my fast start, leg cramps made it hard to pedal, but I was able to keep going (albeit much slower). Last year, one downhill section of trail gave me (and everyone else) quite a bit of trouble. Tires would slide on the surface as if on ice. Trees and roots became bumpers in a giant game of human pinball. This year the mud was a bit softer, allowing tires to sink in more, also the bigger wheels put more knobs down, so that helps. I passed many riders as if they were standing still (some actually were). But when the trail dumped onto the gravel road to the finish, I was spent. One rider I had passed on the descent came up on me fast just a few hundred yards from the end, and I congratulated him for finishing so strong. His first words were "You're a phenomenal descender, one second you were there, the next you were completely out of sight !" I replied "going down is easy: a serving of recklessness mixed with a dash of stupidity topped with an un-healthy lack of f
ear. Pedaling up is hard." Its amazing how fast the sensation and memory of pain subsides. Just minutes later I was in clean clothes slurping down hot soup and wholfing down some delicious Great Harvest bread. A great day was had by everyone I Thanks to fenders, I'm clean ! talked to, and many were talking about coming back to Blodgett June 11th for the Test of Endurance (a 50 mile mountain bike race put on by the same promoter). I think I'll be there too.
t it was the 20th edition of the Mudslinger, and that only happens once and a while. So I rode around the block a few times to get the brakes ready, threw some fenders on and drove out to Blodgett. The weather was great. The race got off practically on time, and we were off. The race starts going up almost immediately, and everyone goes 100%. The traction from the big wheels allowed me to push big gears and stand at will. I passed lots of people by riding through (above: BEFORE
) some rough lines while they stayed in the more smooth track. The mud was messy, but the tires did a good job of shedding the sticky (below: AFTER) goo. I paid the price for my fast start, leg cramps made it hard to pedal, but I was able to keep going (albeit much slower). Last year, one downhill section of trail gave me (and everyone else) quite a bit of trouble. Tires would slide on the surface as if on ice. Trees and roots became bumpers in a giant game of human pinball. This year the mud was a bit softer, allowing tires to sink in more, also the bigger wheels put more knobs down, so that helps. I passed many riders as if they were standing still (some actually were). But when the trail dumped onto the gravel road to the finish, I was spent. One rider I had passed on the descent came up on me fast just a few hundred yards from the end, and I congratulated him for finishing so strong. His first words were "You're a phenomenal descender, one second you were there, the next you were completely out of sight !" I replied "going down is easy: a serving of recklessness mixed with a dash of stupidity topped with an un-healthy lack of f
ear. Pedaling up is hard." Its amazing how fast the sensation and memory of pain subsides. Just minutes later I was in clean clothes slurping down hot soup and wholfing down some delicious Great Harvest bread. A great day was had by everyone I Thanks to fenders, I'm clean ! talked to, and many were talking about coming back to Blodgett June 11th for the Test of Endurance (a 50 mile mountain bike race put on by the same promoter). I think I'll be there too.# posted by Gregg Rouse @ 5:13 PM 
