Fail Boat

The first race of the 2011 MBAA race @ McDowell Mtn was a big deal for me.  I have been training for the State Championship event in Flagstaff this summer and this was to kick off that campaign.  Competing in the SingleSpeed class I was looking to finally conquer my nemesis, McDowell Mtn.  I’ve raced there 4 times previous and always on the podium, but never on the top step.  So the plan was to hang with the leaders if I could and then burn ‘em with 4miles to go.

The start of the race was an absolute disaster due to getting launched right after the CAT 3 guys.  This made for quite an entertaining first half of the race, I certainly didn’t make any friends along the way, I always knew my sharp elbows would come in handy someday….  I settled into 3rd place behind 2 DNA cycle riders, but quickly grew tired of our passing struggles.  So I let it be known and put the hammer down to get some clean track.  Moving up to 2nd place and enjoying some clean track I worked on keeping my cardio in check, unfortunately this put me back into 3rd behind a rider who also made it known he didn’t care for my previous action.  Now back in 3rd I just focused on surviving the cardio sections and not using the brakes on the fast twisty sections.  This strategy put me right on the leaders rear wheels heading into the final lap.

Again hitting some nasty traffic on the tech loop climb, I shouted, used elbows and was called a not so nice name.  However, I was still in 3rd and within reach of the leaders when we completed the final big climb.  This lead right onto a fast rocky section and I was up for the challenge.  As we made our decent I was in position to have a shot at the win.  I rode the leaders rear wheel for 1 more mile and with the final 4 in front of me, I went for it.  Shooting into the lead and pulling a gap was a beautiful thing.  The personal training and dieting efforts of Kim Saari of Strong for Life had paid off and I was going prove it.  However, with half a mile to go the karma police sprung into action and my rear wheel quick release had come undone.  As I frantically fixed my rear wheel and waved to 2nd and 3rd as they reclaimed their spot.  I finally got it fixed and rode on to 3rd place.

Now I realize this is a respectable finish, I get that.  I also, understand that people race to have fun as do I.  However, I race to win, that’s the fun part for me.  Although, I am a bit dejected right now, I will stay the course and am more motivated than ever to continue this effort.  The next event I return to the track I’ve won twice, Estrella Mtn.  This event is going to be a crucial part in a monumental weekend effort, win 4 events in 2 days!  I’ll have more info on this upcoming adventure soon.