Dirt, Sweat and Gears

Dirt, Sweat and Gears Race Report by Rebecca

May, 8 2008

It should have been called Mud, Sweat and No Gears.  The riding conditions at the 12 hr. race in Tennessee on May 3rd were some of the worst I have ever encountered.  This includes the famous mud in Costa Rica and the torrential rains in Scotland.  The race overall was a blast, but trying to ride and push a mud laden bicycle wasn’t a ton of fun.

The weekend started with a really fun event called Single Speed USA.  It was a single speed race with stupid human tricks thrown in.  My crew guy, Charles, brought his bike out and we traded roles for the day.  As he was getting ready to race, we were filling his water bottles and ushering him to the start line.  Fellow pro racers, Nat Ross, Yuri Hauswald and I were asked to be the official commentators for the event.  Yuri and the race directors had organized leisure suits, wigs and an Elvis costume for us to wear.  It was a great break from the usual pre-race stress and kept me from needlessly tinkering with my race gear.  As you would expect, the single speed event included costumes, adult beverages and a couple of surprise elements.  As the cross country part of the event came to a close, top riders were advanced to a 2 minute hill climb.  The top 8 riders from round 2 advanced to the wrestling finals.  Race directors Clay and Grant had rented a giant inflatable platform and weapons.  The photos really show what went down.  Queen and King of SSUSA were awarded gigantic leather wrestling belts and engraved flasks.

The laid back atmosphere evaporated back in the hotel Friday night.  We watched the weather channel and internet as tornado warnings and severe rain storms whirled around our area.  My mechanic from a local shop, Biker’s Choice, had three different Specialized tire selections mounted up for me.  It was definitely going to be a muddy race.  I woke a couple of times during the night to heavy rain and thunder.  By 8am, the rain had stopped and the skies were clearing, but the course was really wet.  The first lap was a circus. The race directors had built most of the single track trails themselves and you could tell a lot of love was put into this area.

The mud was sticky though.  In the first 5 minutes, I witnessed multiple sliding crashes and was dodging bodies and bikes in the trail.  About 10 minutes into the course, the trail turned up and that’s where the pushing began.  I don’t really mind pushing my bike if needed.  However, it got to a point where the wheels wouldn’t even turn because there was SO MUCH mud stuck tot the tires, frame, chain and derailleur.  Racers were breaking chains and parts all over the place.  When you could roll, it was like mud surfing with sharp turns at the bottom of the hills and very little control. The single track was a bit like bumper cars using your shoulders and the tight trees to stay upright.  I made a conscious decision to slow down and just take care of my bicycle as much as possible.  Lap times for this first lap were 30 minutes slower than the same course last year.

The slow laps called for a change in the nutrition plan I had laid out and frequent bike changes.  The weather was cooperating beautifully and the condition of the course continued to improve.  By the third lap, a good line was ridden into the mud and most of the hills were rideable.  It was still incredibly slippery over the rocks and roots and I found that the technical sections really required extreme focus.  The conditions were a good lesson for me and I found I rode progressively smoother as the race went on.  My lap times were consistently improving and my fastest lap was actually my last lap.  Since this was a 12 hour race, only the final lap was in the dark.  There was prize money for the fastest night lap, so after I strapped on the Light and Motion, I took off sprinting.  I was only about 15 minutes back from first place and kept thinking that all it would take was one flat tire and I could potentially move up in the ranks.  I did not catch first place, but did secure the fastest female night lap, which was also the fastest lap overall.  It felt good to be able to cut a few minutes off my lap time that late in the race.  I ended up 2nd place and feel like I had a strong performance.

I am home now for a couple of weeks and the weather back in Idaho is finally turning warm.

Rebecca