Well, as I predicted the rain overnight turned what was an already muddy course into a complete gooey mess! There was a clear indication that this course was in bad shape when the Cat 2 start had to be pushed back because the Pros were still racing.
The start went well as I hopped the curb and went into the woods in 2nd or 3rd; the perfect spot to start the worst section of racecourse I have seen! The beginning climb is a difficult hike, let alone ride, because of the many mud pits and rock ledges strewn about. I almost saw Anthony go over the bars into a mud puddle, but was not so lucky! I lost some spots there and wasted lots of energy trying to keep moving forward. After that section, we got thrown into a tight single-track that looked firm, but just sucked all the speed from your bike. Then it was on to the deadly fire road downhill where in past years riders have been seriously injured. All this leads to the pinnacle of the course; the mile-long climb. Most of it was ride able, but keeping momentum was tough.
My first lap was very difficult as it was very apparent that I have been sick for a week. Breathing was difficult and more than once I had to wipe the snot off my face from my constantly running nose! Once I settled into a pace I felt better and since nobody was catching me too quickly I decided to maintain that pace. I knew the racer ahead of me was in his first Cat 2 race and it would only be a matter of time before he ran out of steam. The mid-portion of the race really was about getting the miles ticked off and just hanging in there. I developed a slight stomach cramp mid-lap on lap 2, but was able to ward it off by continuing to spin. At the start of the third and final lap I saw the rider that I knew would be slowing down with the longer race. I passed him without a fight and that is the position that we stayed for the remainder of the race. My teammate Jon Tarbox passed me at the top of the big climb by riding the entire thing! He had a great race and ended up 3rd in Cat 2 40-49!
After all of the pain and suffering that I had to endure to make it through the wooded path that they call a race course, I wound up 6th of 12. This season being my first in Cat 2, which is exactly where I expected to be. When my health is back to 100% I know my finishes will improve greatly. When the series returns to Winsted next year, I will think long and hard if I am going to compete because I did not feel as though the course was worthy of holding a race on. Some will say that it was a true mountain bike course, but I feel that there should be some sections that flow into one another and the course as a whole should be ridden at sometime other than the one week before race day.
This upcoming week will be pretty crazy as I will be riding on Monday night, stopping by to watch and possibly racing in the training criterium in East Hartford on Tuesday, most likely riding with Granby bike on Wednesday, easy spin on Thursday, bike maintenance day/rest day on Friday, and races on both Saturday and Sunday. The weather looks great all week, so hopefully most of these plans will be possible!
