Secondary goal: Ride the Houfallizer climb on each lap
After looking at the ABA schedule I thought for my first year I would do a race every other week. This one just happened to fall 2 weeks after Lethbridge...but to be honest...I probably would have done it either way. I was really looking forward to this race. Everyone I talked to said it was one of the best courses and it was a lot of fun. Also you get handed strips of bacon during the race...that is just awesome.
I was going to go the night before and get a hotel...but then I talked to a teammate and thought it might be better to just carpool early Saturday morning. Darcy came along to drive back home and we went up with another DG, Tori, as well. We got there in pretty good time to do a pre-ride thanks to a shortcut from Tori and this time I felt really good after doing a pre-race lap.
There was a really steep grassy hill climb (Houfallizer) back into the feed zone which I heard tales about but I really wanted to see if I could climb it everytime. The course itself was like a lot like Fish Creek Park...very twisty and rooty single-track. Not many places to pass and not a ton of elevation gain.
My bike of choice this time was my Vertex. I had just recently replaced all the shifting cables and more importantly installed hydraulic disc brakes so I figured it was good to race this time.
After hearing final call for the start line I ran up th hill just in time to get my name called and get into the pack. This time I was much more relaxed and I felt pretty good. The whistle went off and everyone sprinted hard out of the gate. Midway through the first lap I started to settle into my own pace...which I held for the rest of the race...I was picking guys off during the power climbs and catching up on the hill climbs and straight away sprints.
On teh second lap, there was a log technical that was pretty high up and on a descent that I worried about during the pre-ride...I had ridden it on my first lap so thought I could do it again. I didn't have my weight far enough back and ended up going over the handlebars. First crash of the day. I picked up my bike, got back on and just started riding without checking myself...my knee was killing me but I figured I would ride through it and maybe forget about it. Then near the end of the lap when I was about to climb the big hill...my chain came off...forcing me to get off and get it back on again.
When I was on my way to completing my second lap someone yelled that if I ate 5 strips of bacon I would have 10 minutes taken off my total time...no one was in front of me and no one was behind me...so I figured I had 3o seconds to eat 5 strips of bacon. I grabbed a handful and just shoved all the bacon into my mouth , grabbed a new bottle of water from Darcy and rode off to complete my second lap. Trying to chew bacon, swallow and drink water to get it down meanwhile pinning your heart is not a good idea....in fact that was downright stupid. After I managed to force the bacon down my throat I continued on, just wanting to finish the race.
My third lap I rode cleanly. No dabs, bails and I managed to clean the log technical section. No mechnical issues and I managed to climb the steep hill for a third time. As always I use up everything I have on the final sprint for the finish.
Result: 11/29
I never did claim the 10 minute deduction from my time for being the only person that day to consume 5 pieces of bacon at one time...it would have put me in 4th place...but I'd rather see what I can do on my own.
I really enjoyed this race. The atmosphere was awesome. I felt way more relaxed and my teammates mentioned I looked a lot stronger on this race than in Lethbridge. I met a bunch of other riders and had a fun time all around. This is what mountain biking is all about...I love the community. I've noticed that mountain bikers are by far the coolest atheletes to hang around, it's like a big family. I didn't know if I could hold on for 3 laps a the start of the race but I managed to finish and still feel good.
After hearing stories the next week about the TransStonies challenge, I felt that I probably should have stayed for that 6 hour Enduro the next day but still not sure what my endurance limits are. Next race....Deadgoat Giver-8-er.
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