Yesterday was the first MNSCS race of the year…Erik’s Spring Cup at Salem Hills park. This race has never been my best because it is flat and non technical. But, it was fun to be racing again! There was a HUGE turnout and all the organizers and volunteers did a tremendous job at this event. I love having the concessions, and suppliers tents set up. It really makes it feel like an event rather than just something going on that day to racers, spectators and people wandering or driving by.
This is the first year I’ve raced this in Comp, and they ran the course backward from previous years which made it better for me as it leveled out the field a bit. I had a somewhat problematic mechanical that I discovered just after registering – no middle ring. It wouldn’t hold the chain - just kept skipping on the cogs. I guess from two seasons worth of training/racing and this springs singelspeed/1x9 combinations it finally decided to give up the ghost…on opening race day…very nice.So I’m stuck with the big ring only and a road cassette gearing 11-26. The race was four laps long. The first two reminded me in every way that I had not done much over the winter – I managed to stay about mid pack or so trying to find a sustainable, but fast, rhythm. Lap 3 – water bottle hand off went perfect, I slam a GU and very slowly leading into the first singletrack sections of the lap I get passed by Bruce Klehr. I remember how smooth he was last year so decided to latch on to his rear wheel and try to keep up as best I could. This strategy worked perfect. We held a really good pace passing riders that were blowing up their legs or riding like I was the first two laps. I was feeling great going into lap 4 – still on his wheel.
Half a lap before the end he started to fall off the pace a bit and a group behind us had managed to pull within 100 yards of us. He told me to let him know when I wanted to pass and a few turns up heading into a sweeping right hand turn I yell "on your right" - he went slightly left to let me by and I tried to make it real clean by heading into the grass on the right, since I was the passing rider, except there were lots of loose rocks and a cupped inside corner. I should have waited for the straightway after the turn, but I was overzealous, and crashed…hard. I don’t know…must have been about 11 or 12 guys that passed me before I got going with my rhythm again. The chain had fallen off and gotten tangled the shifter and brake lever were pushed up and the handlebars twisted around. My right shin and forearm was bleeding, I still can’t move my left thumb today real well and I’ve got a raspberry the size of a grapefruit on my right thigh. Oh well. First big wreck of the year - racing or not, it had to happen sometime…and nothing is "broken". So smooth is fast…and patience is fast, well can be fast. That move was neither.
All in all though the day was really great! Its an awesome feeling to be racing again. One kind of cool thing...the Cannondale hauler was purchased from Transwest GMC in Commerce City Colorado...my Dad's dealership! Ha! He sent me pics of that rig just after they bought it - a few months back I believe.
Afton in two weeks and week 2 and 3 of the Buck Hill series the next two Thursdays.
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