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Napa Valley Mud Classic
I entered the race with trepidation since I still had not purged the memory of the
Batjan Death March two years ago. I still think I can find mud on my bike from that
race -if not on the bike at least in my alveoli. Jim stated the conditions were quite good. I think Jim and I rode the same course, but I found it very muddy. I think liquefaction
occurs from the masses, so Jim doesn't get the full experience of the mud. When I arrived
he looked perfectly clean, although he mentioned he likes to finish first so he can take a shower before they get muddy. Congratulations Jim on being the first one to take a shower.
At the starting line the six or seven Cat I 55+ racers all knew each other and I introduced myself. They were extremely cordial and friendly. One had a cyclocross bike and relatively thin tires. I thought I could at least beat him. Of course he won the race and beat me by 14 mins and is the national cyclocross champion for his age. I came in 4th with a time of 2hrs 4mins. I faded at the end and fell at the steep, rocky, muddy section. At that stage I was in denial about gravity, friction,momentum,and vector of forces. It knocked the snot out of me which Jim pointed out upon my finish, but I was not hurt.
I enjoy my teammates who are quite supportive and psychologically stable. The last two years, I have been hanging out with the rock climbers who are edgy, need 'safety breaks', and start at 3 am in the morning, so this group is a welcome change. I look forward to being in more races with them. Mike
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California Mountain Bike Race Series- Hoot Trail
I left early from San Rafael to arrive in time to do a practice lap of the Hoot Trail. My start time was 10:00 AM for the over 60 category but I needed to be there by 8:00 to squeeze in a practice lap. As I have gotten older I prefer a practice lap to gain confidence in the course. The course was in great condition due to the recent rains, but regardless I managed to wash out on one of the berms and slam to the ground. Nothing serious in terms of injuries, but I felt embarrassed since the…
ContinuePosted on May 22, 2018 at 7:56pm
Round Mountain
The Round Mountain race is part of the California Mountain Bike Series. This was my first chance to race here so I did not know what to expect. I arrived late and I did not pre-ride the course, but I did practice the start which was a gnarly and steep climb. The purpose of the climb was to separate out the riders for the single track loop. I entered the over 60 CAT 2 division. Prior to the race I saw fellow teammates Jim and Simon. Simon was getting ready to start. He was competing in the…
ContinuePosted on May 7, 2018 at 9:57am
Sea Otter 2018
For the whole week I felt like I was on the clock and needed to manage every minute. I worked a full day Saturday and woke up at 3:50 AM to make the trip down to Sea Otter. I could finally relax as I warmed up on the raceway track. The temperature was perfect. As I arrived I saw fellow teammates Greg, Paul, and Dave finishing their warm-ups. Sea Otter combines the last 3 groups ( 60-64,65-69,and 70+) which made a group of about 25 riders.(old, older, and oldest) Within my group was Jon…
ContinuePosted on April 23, 2018 at 10:14am
Annadel XC
This is the first time that I have attended this race. I decided to enter since so many of my teammates would be there and I wanted to experience Annadel. I was unsure which category to enter but I wanted to do the long course, so I decided to enter Masters 50+. I thought about racing in the Expert over 40, but that sounded even faster, even though they depart 2mins behind Masters 50+. At the start line I realized I was in a fast group when I saw it included teammates Greg and Dave. When…
ContinuePosted on August 15, 2017 at 9:28pm
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