This is a "weather be damned" rain, sleet, the nastier the better kinda race.
The trails are ready and the snow is holding off until just the right time – Friday night!! Should be another perfectly frozen snowy race!!
The second annual Snotcycle was held on the beautiful Rockland Farm just on the Virginia side of Whites Ferry. Both years now have been snowfests. This year it looked like we were going to get a dusting, or the bigger snow would come after the race ended. The ferry was closed due to river flooding, so i headed out to go the long way. The weather was clear and i left my summer tires on the bike. During the course of the 35 minute drive, the weather turned from clear, to slight flurries, to downright nasty snow. I arrived at 10:30, one hour before the race began. I was not too worried about the snow, thinking there wouldn't be enough time for it to stick too bad and effect traction. Man was I wrong!
Last year I raced singlespeed. It's better for training because its a bit more effort to turn the pedals. This year I was looking for a victory. Some sort of internal ego boost to help me believe that the training that I do is worthwhile and leading somewhere. So that's why I brought the Superfly and raced Cat 2. I wasn't expecting to win. A podium would have been real nice, and a top 5 would have satisfied me. I was also looking forward to seeing Brooks and Jody, and very excited to see Larry and Norm coming out for their first XC race.
The snow was really coming down hard, and it became apparent real fast the conditions were going to be bad. I normally ride slowly in the snow and don't take chances. But in a race, all of this self-preservation and injury prevention nonsense is thrown out the window. I know that after the race start I will literally be chanting over and over again in my head, "this is totally insane." But I'll do nothing about it.
So the lineup begins and I nudge my way up close to the front. Everybody seems to be feeling uneasy, either with the snow conditions or their own fitness, or both, because nobody really is taking the initiative to place themselves in the front row.
The race starts in the field on a snow covered dirt road. The start is much tamer than a typical cat 2 race. I settle into second place and we continue in a line as we enter the singletrack in the woods. I'm content for the moment riding in second because the snow covers a lot of the natural markings, so it is much easier to follow a wheel in front of me than scan for trail markings. I also did not bring glasses, so the heavy snow getting into my eyes is making it difficult to see.
The pace seems much slower than a typical cat 2 race. I'm definitely working hard, but am kind of happy that i'm not having to suffer. After a couple of minutes I notice that there is still a steady line of riders as far back as I can see, and I realize that in short order people are going to get antsy and start to pass, so I need to take the initiative and push the pace to the next level. I signal to pass. The rider gives a congratulatory, 'way to push it', and i'm in the lead. I look back and notice we're now a pack of three. Two other riders had broken off to join me.
It was a nice feeling being in the lead of an XC race. Usually it's stressful having the chasing dogs nipping at my heels. Actually, it feels more like being chased by a swarm of bees. However, I didn't have the usual level of anxiety. I maintained a pace that I felt was right on the threshold of what I could technically withstand given the conditions. I pushed the cardio hard on the straightaways, but took the turns gingerly. I kept a pace that I was comfortable with, without worry of what was behind me. If someone wants to pass, let him, and as long as I can keep him in sight, I'm probably better off. Nobody attempted to attack for the lead though.
About half to 3/4 of the way through the first 8 mile lap I noticed the third guy fell of the pace and there were only two of us. The guy behind me stuck to me like glue. With the trail getting slippier and slippier, the trail was becoming a real technical abilities test. My wheels were skating across logs and rocks, and sometimes I felt I was using skiing skills more than biking skills. The problem is I'm not a very good skiier. One particular hill was a killer. I just sort of 'luged' through and around trees, left in wonderment how I ever stayed on my bike. I tried to pick up short bursts of speed through some of the slower technical rocky areas. I figured if my fitness was not as good as the racer behind me, maybe I can best him with my technical skill. I had a feeling he was just resting comfortably letting me lead, and his plan was to attack at the finish. So I needed to prevent that.
I passed through the start/finish area to complete the first of two laps, in about a 20 second lead. At one point I realized my challenger was nowhere to be seen. Assuming he finally crashed (most people crashed like 8 times during this race), I picked up the pace to add some distance. Within a couple minutes he was back on. It was going to be a battle to the finish.
About an hour into the race the course conditions were getting really horrible. I was starting to skid out around nearly every corner, and every little rock or root seemed to push my rear wheel in the wrong direction. I had to really consider slowing the pace to avoid crashing. My hope was that that the guy behind me was having the same difficulty. So I slowed it down a little more around the turns. My tires were starting to give now even on straightaways. On turns, I can brace for a skid, as I can sort of predict how I would skid. But now my wheels were randomly skidding out from under me, and I was magically able to stay on the bike, but seriously questioning for how long. It wasn't long. On a slight downhill straightaway, my bike slid out from under me. I crashed down hard and slid down the hill on my back dragging my bike. My competition was about 15 seconds behind me, and while still on my back I croaked, "im ok." After passing me, he pushed really hard to create a gap. Mentally I was not ready to give up, but my tires were not digging into this snow. I knew that if I increased my speed I would just keep crashing and likely hurt myself, putting my entire race in jeapardy. I kept the strongest pace I thought I could safely keep, and finished a little over a minute behind in second place.
Overall i'm stoked. Second is a good place to be at this time in the season. But it's still early and people will be training hard, so I still have a lot of work to do.
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