Double Header Weekend: Fall Color Festival and Bear Paw Rock ‘n’ Roll

Fall Color Festival Recap

Casual start, we even delayed the start for Carlos and Ministor who forgot their timing chips.  But then again…I have a race tomorrow, so end it early is what I was thinking. 

Ronsta had a gear in anticipation of Emma Carlin Trails, so he led until open double track in lead-out field.  I took over and set a high tempo pace.  Gap was instant and I thought just go and then ride a chill pace once I get away.  Well this worked until the cut-off to the connector loop.

Rear tire was flat and it did not happen fast, so I figured slow leak, and  I could seal with a co2 and the stans in there.  1st stop use 1/2 a c02 and off again.  Seal did not happen so…2nd stop half way into connector and 1 c02 gone.  3rd stop half-way through Emma before the new uphill rock garden, as running on rim through their would be very very bad!  4th stop crossing bluff road, but no co2 left!!!  Ride rim to Blue Loop where I meet up with team mate Jerry and he gives me a co2.  Ride in really hard with tire full of air for first time since I left the blue loop.  I still won but it was all intervals anytime I was on the bike…needless to say I was cooked!

 

Lindsay raced too, and we both took the overall Win in the 30 mile event, it was a great Date Day for the two of us!

 

Team mate to the rescue!  Jerry was the man, not sure I would have held Ronsta off on the fastest part of the blue loop with no air in the rear.  Glad he was out for fun and waiting to see me at the intersection of the blue trail and the connector trail.

Bear Paw Recap

Lined up next to Darrin and he told me he did not feel any pain when he touched my legs, since I was commenting on how starting a WORS race with legs sore to the “touch” is probably gonna hurt really really bad!

 So he made sure it did!

I knew some form of me being amongst a lot of white, red, and orange was in store for me as I warmed up,, and they did not fail to deliver.  After the lead out climb I found myself near the front as the entire 212 team created a train and I felt like I was being boxed in, so I jumped out front on the long downhill before the first single-track, but a bit prematurely and Darrin was able to glide by for the hole-shot.  After a few sections of Single-track the selection was made and it was Chris and Darrin vs. me. 

They played a little team tactics and would send one off on attack while the other sat on with no chase.  I didn’t know how much intensity I had in me after Fall Color, so I would reel it in tempo style.  I was hoping to get into the single-track first at least once, but without a pre-ride I did not know when to go, and they were controlling the front as much as possible.  We gapped Chris going into lap three, so I knew he was hurting, but he came back, they let me lead on the downhill and then Darrin came with a strong attack into the single-track, I was done, completely cracked with nothing to respond with.  I thought for sure Chris would come around me too, but I think he had given everything he had to Darrin’s launch.  I saw Darrin for a bit around corners, or at the top of hills, but gap kept growing and  was continually trying to recover rather than reel him in.

I suffered pretty bad the rest of the race.  This face with the head cocked like that…that is my tell.  Every muscle I worked the day before…FELT 10 times worse the last lap at Bear Paw.  It was a different kind of cramps, felt more like tears in the muscle getting filled with concrete then the usual leg spasm cramps.  Spun as much as I could to hold on for second.

Darrin has been waiting on a win and I am really happy for him.  After this weekend I was thinking about the first time I met Darrin.  It was a Wednesday night race at crystal ridge and going into the last lap I saw this guy dressed in casual rider clothes on a single speed that looked 5 years old chasing me down up the start/lap climb???  I had a moment of disbelief and then a “uh-oh” I better go moment.  After the race I secretly grilled this guy for info on who the heck he was??? “wait, you have never raced seriously?”  “”So,uh, you gonna race WORS?”  “what ya do for training, nothing organized?” 

I and thought…if he gets motivated and trained, he is gonna dominate…

Well sure enough, THERE IT IS!

Pics Credit: Niki Frazier, Todd Herbst, Kelli Piotrowski, Gary Frost, Danny Marchewka