Racin in the Rain

Yesterday was the Boyne Mountain XC and it was pouring for most of the race. The course is hard when dry and really hard when muddy and wet. Somehow it gets more fun the worse it gets, maybe thats a Northern thing. I do know as the mud to dry skin ratio goes up the flavor of beer and post-race food does too. That might explain why racing in the rain is fun.

To the race... I ride a singlespeed and one of the beauties is they don't break down. Mine did, and pretty violently. Starting with the Pro/Elite group I hold on for dear life through the flat, fast start. Made it through, sitting in great postion for most of the lap. I drilled it into the bottom of a climb I can clear 50% of the time when it's dry so I knew I really had to give 'er this time. I did and my chain exploded with my efforts. Damn that really hurt and I got to know my stem/bars very well. So well that they are actually imprinted across both my thighs for the next couple weeks. I had some parts in my pack and set to work fixing my chain and watching the entire Pro/Elite field pass me. Got it fixed, got back on and started to hit it. I ended up having to drop out after I realized a couple other things exploded with my chain. Ahh well. I had a nice downhill to the finish, pulled off, and hung out with my Mom who was standing in the pouring rain waiting for me to come through. She is awesome. Ended up hanging out in a downpour with Meg (she and my Mom are the best fans ever) and Moriah cheering for Uli (t-stone) and Steve who held strong and raced hard.

After the race we got lunch, beers, and hung out. I treated the rest of the day like I'd just raced 100 miles hard instead of the 10 I really did. Didn't finish but had a damn good day. Next up is Peak to Peak and ICEMAN. Gotta keep training so I don't start crying the first 100 yards of Iceman...
WB

Riding out the door

Growing up in the woods of Northern Michigan has let me ride out my front door as long as I can remember. When we were little the chase to catch my Dad was on as soon as we left the deck. It didn't stop until we got back to the same deck, muddy, out of breath, and Dad already cleaning off his bike. I think this is the main reason I love to ride so much and can't imagine ever having to load up my bike to ride. There is a rack on my car but it is normally used to get to the shop or a race, not for daily rides. Riders who live in more urban areas and have to drive to the trailhead have a lot of dedication in my book. Living right between to ski areas full of singletrack and all the road climbing you could want is the greatest training tool ever. A lot of people probably think the Mitt is not the mecca of riding and that is just fine. Out the front door I can ride singletrack for 3 hours, do 5 different century rides, and see 15 cars the entire time. Not too bad. If you are ever up this way look me up and I'll share some of it with you. When we roll back in the driveway the grill will fire up and we'll talk about how sweet we are. It's not the mountains or along the Pacific Coast but it's pretty damn fun. It doesn't matter where you ride, just how fun you make it. Tear it up. WB