Cool 2012

[Carl Sanders]

Opening day for the XC race season. Cool usually delivers a fast and often muddy course. 

Light rain in the forecast. Three months of putting in the volume and month of starting to work the high end. A good place to gauge my fitness. 

Out of the gate, I got bunched up with a group of bumbling riders. Immediately, I was back 20 plus places. My typical less-than-stellar start.

As expected, the legs had the go but the heart rate lagged and my breathing was labored. Just can't seem to get that fast start thing down.

Locomotive style, I slowly built up a head of steam, chugging my way back up through the pack over the first moderate grade. Despite gasping for breath and rather low heart rate, I was confident I had the stamina to pull through.

After the first lap, it seemed I had moved somewhere into the top ten riders.  On the second lap, I continued to work my way forward, guessing I might still have 5 - 6 riders still out in front. 

Then, nearly through the second lap, on a ripping fast straight descent, I clipped my wheel on one of maybe two rocks on the entire trail. The tire hissed, the wheel wobbled as I rolled off into the meadow.

I had dented the rim and a small tear in the sidewall next to the bead bubbled white latex.  My first attempt to re-inflate with Big Air didn't take. Each rider rolling by, shouted out their condolences, asking if I needed anything. Very kind. The Stan's just wasn't able to seal a puncture so close to the rim. More riders tore by. Shiloh gave a 'what up' and Paul another as they blew by my garage sale in the meadow.  

I just about rolled off the course. Still determined, I threw in a tube and hand pumped it back to a reasonable pressure. Checking the Garmin, I had let about 5 - 6 minutes go by dinking with my wheel.

Back on the course, out of rhythm I went for broke none-the-less. Nothing to loose. Only one lap to go with single objective in mind: catch as many riders as I had strength and speed left in me.

Lapped a few stragglers in other categories, politely passed some kids still working on their first lap and finally started chasing riders in my own group. Systematically, I again worked my way through the ranks, finishing second in the Expert 40 - 99 field, just a minute behind the guy on the top podium postion.

Fitness appears good. Handling skills improving. Bike mishaps a given.

As expected, Cool delivered.