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| Picture by Jamie Clifton Images |
So this year round training thing turns out to be really, really effective.
Wednesday was the first local MTB race of the season, MVMBA‘s FastLaps Race 1 at MoMBA. I went in with somewhat humble expectations for myself. I had only had three practice sessions leading up to the event, and had registered in the Sport class instead of Beginner. And thanks to some good PR leading up to the event, the turnout was very, very strong. Also my legs were still a little sore and tired from squats on Monday.
So I figured I’d go out conservatively and see how I felt, allowing the race to come to me and focusing on riding well, instead of riding fast. I had yet to really clear Hawk’s Lair, the hardest trail on the course, in any of my practice laps in the weeks prior. I told myself that, so long as I didn’t crash hard, I didn’t even need to clear it in the race. Just get through.
Then something funny happened. My class left the line in a mass start, and I didn’t get dropped in the field loop. My legs felt good as they warmed up, and I spun through the grass and sweeping corners with surprising ease. Once we hit the singletrack, I found myself all over the back wheel of a three rider train in front of me, who were parking a bit in the corners and losing momentum up the easy rises on Twisted. For about a half mile, I thought I’d just hang behind them, using them as pacers. I figured maybe they were making the same conservative start I had planned, and so passing them now would only mean they’d have to pass me back later on, which is a pain in the ass for everybody in a race solely on singletrack.
After that half mile though, I couldn’t take it any more. I let them know I wanted past and blasted through, standing up and charging to gap the riders behind me who were attempting similar passes. I expected the guys who had been stuck behind me in the freight train to come past me later on… But they never did. In fact, nobody in my class passed me for the rest of the race. When I got to Hawk’s, I picked my way through the rocks and roots, spun easily up the hills, and cleared it like I’d done it a hundred times. When I got to the longer climbs on Upper Stealth and Creekside, I kept my momentum up and kept a gear higher than usual.
It all just felt easy. All this time I hadn’t looked down at the clock on my speedo, because I was too busy trying to make a good clean lap, so when I came out of the woods and saw the clock at the finish line I was ecstatic! My goals for the race had been to cross the line in under an hour and not finish last, but instead I finished 6th of 12 in my class, and in a time of 52:17! To say I was surprised is a drastic understatement. All of my training, the hours in the gym, the cutting weight, all came together to make this the best lap I’ve ever turned at MoMBA. And best yet, I feel like I’ve got more in the bag! I can’t wait for next week! I’m going to try for under 50 minutes.