Lake Sonoma

[Danny Kelly McNaughton]

The Lake Sonoma XC course is super fun and difficult. The Bike Monkey guys have been using the same loop for a number of years now. Despite that, it hasn't grown old and boring for me and I've done it almost 10 times in the last 5 years. In 18 miles, one gets worked pretty good. 3,400ft of climbing? A great taste of what SoNoMas will be like.

The course had some muddy spots this time, so that shook some things up and made times slower.

On a mini pre-ride, I got pretty muddy and found out my XTR m980 pedals don't clear the mud very well. The xc90 Shimano shoes that I thought were fantastic in every way, felt super slippery, like a road shoe, trying to clip back in. Maybe it's the last 3-4 super dry years in NorCal that have made me lose my mud race prowess, but I really felt like the previous generation XTR pedals and any decently stiff MTB shoe w/ some tread would've done a lot better for me.

Ok, so on that note, when the race started, I slipped clipping in. Dammit!  By the time I was pedaling I was in like 25 place and the folks I lined up in front w/ (Flynn, Astell, Smallman, Crawford, and Benjamin) were well ahead. Now I had to sprint around a lot of folks I had not hoped to be mixing it up with, on the grass on the side. 

But enough excuses (I'm sure with the mud, almost everyone had some bobbles and issues, though Stephen Flynn seemed to fly around the course smoothly and didn't even look that muddy by the end), the rest of the race was super fun and I had some great competition.

I believe Carson B. had a crash near the start and so he and I were playing catch up and eventually got into a rhythm half way through the 1st lap and caught up to and passed Smallman and Mig. They were moving at a good pace and they hung pretty close for another whole lap, but by laps 3 and 4, it was me chasing Carson. He would get away for a bit, but I'd always reconnect at the muddy climb and then at the drainage crossings where it seemed he would bobble, just because I was right behind him putting the pressure on.

The last mile and a half Carson turned it on and I just couldn't stay on his wheel. I resigned to get fourth and was OK w/that, but was excited to see that in our battle back and forth, I was almost able to catch Astell, and Carson did for 2nd place. I'm excited to see the results and how many secs I was off those two guys. Flynn won and I'm guessing the gap was 2 mins? I really don't know..

The Acme team was out there strong and it was fun to be cheered on in the kit. Greg got second, David podiumed (2nd too?), one of the Mark's was second also and another teammate podiumed (I'm so sorry, I can't remember names until I've been told 4 times..)

Otis placed 2nd too I believe and it was nice to say whats up to him.

I hope I can get outta work for SoNoMas..

see ya