Raced in the 21st annual Rage in the Sage yesterday at Hartman Rocks.
It's the local NORBA stop and was once a big event in the Mountain States
Cup series that drew up to 1000 racers. These days it's a pretty small grass
roots affair with a hundred or so riders. Not being a part of any major
points series and lack of fresh ideas seems to have taken a heavy toll on
the event. This year there was an attempt to breathe some new life into the
event by adding a longer "Marathon" XC race, doing mass starts, moving the
date up a couple of weeks to avoid conflicts with other regional races, and
running the course backwards from what it's always been. The marathon caught
my eye when I first heard about it. It was going to add in a bunch of "way
out" singletrack that would make it pretty fun and interesting.
Unfortunately the event director didn't apply for a BLM permit far
enough in advance to get a new course approved so the marathon wound up just
being two laps of the 24 Mile, 3000 Ft course. I hate doing multiple laps of
the same thing so I decided I'd just do the single lap, but I'd ride the SS
to make it different this year.
The marathon started first, at 9:00. As soon as they crossed he start,
Brian Smith (local Pro/crazy guy who rides for Trek) just started
accelerating away from the pack. Pretty impressive to see this guy just
powering away from a mostly fast, elite racer pack like they were standing
still.
Then the rest of us lined up and waited for our start. Playing over the
PA is some of the cheesiest 80's overproduced "jazz fusion" (what they
called smooth jazz before the term existed). That's just not right. We need
something to energize us, not make me feel like I'm in a spa. So I yelled
"Play some metal!" and gave the metal salute to the guy on the podium and
received a confused look in return.
I looked around and they were all riding geared bikes. Was I the only SS
in this race? All the hardcore SSers I know were doing the marathon (OK,
since I don't want to race these guys), but I figured some others would show
up for the single lap. Once we started, we all charge up Kill Hill and I
spot the telltale labored standing cadence of another SS rider rising above
the seated geared riders between us. Good. At least we'll have someone to
race. He had started a little ahead of me and was now maybe 150 Yards ahead.
We peeled on to the first singletrack with several riders between us and I
see him glance back and notice me. I think "This will be fun!" as I try to
reel him in a bit. I'm not a big racer, but I've found the slow picking away
at someone's lead always works better for me than charging out at the start.
I loose track of the guy I'm trying to catch when some riders ahead of
me can't make a move and stall, forming a cluster that saps my momentum
forcing me to dismount as well. I pass several riders here by just running
by them as they walked and then quickly mount up and keep on going. We drop
down Josho's and I spot my competition again. I keep on trying to accelerate
through every turn and milk every bit of momentum I can find. We loose sight
of each other in some trees and then I see him again, walking. He sees me
and jumps on his bike and charges up the next hill. I feel like such a
predator!
After spinning some road and keeping about an equal distance between us
we hit more singletrack. I pass a pair of riders who were starting to loose
their steam and have clear trail ahead to try and make up some time. I hit a
rhythm here, timing some doubles well, airing the choppy, rocky parts and
railing the dirt. Then, I totally mis-timed one and came down hard on my
rear wheel on a very pointy rock. I instantly thought about a pinch flat,
but then congratulated myself for the decision to run on the firm side when
I didn't hear any air escaping. But as I was having this thought it was
interrupted by the sound of air very quickly leaving my tube.
I'm cursing, but still pumped and ready to make a quick change. Some
people I know ride by in a with the peleton and ask if I have everything. I
say I do and they all continue on. I get the wheel off, pop the bead and
pull the tube in no time. Then I grabbed the cartridge and my fill valve and
start to assemble it. I'm trying to pop the cartridge but I keep on screwing
in the valve and there's no pop. I unscrew, blow in, shake, look at, and
eventually curse my fill valve and cartridge. The valve I have and this
particular cartridge are not compatible. [censored]! I pictured my pump as I saw
my son walking away with it that morning. I though "Oh, well, I'll just
travel light and use a cartridge if I flat".
So now there are not many riders coming through and my friend are all
long gone. After a few attempts, I get a woman to lend me her pump. She
figured I'd see her later on the trail and I could just return it. I get
tire pumped up and head out again, 25 Minutes after getting that flat.
So back on the trail I ride as fast as I'm capable. I'm at the very back
of the field and have a long way to go to be anywhere near where I was
before. I'm passing people where I can and pretty quickly see the woman who
lent me her pump. I returned it and thanked her for the 50th time and
continued on. I rode on the edge, twice thinking I was about to crash, but
somehow pulling it out. I wondered if the other SS guy might have also had a
mechanical maybe it would be a good race for us again. But unfortunately for
me I never saw him again until after the race. I finished with a time of
about 2:25, thanking the gods I wasn't just halfway done at that point. When
the results were posted I see the other guy was right at 2:00. So it would
have been close if I hadn't flatted, but that's how it goes. I saw the guy
and introduced myself. He also lives here and we laughed about spotting each
other and how he got nervous when he saw mw riding while he was walking.
Not long after I was done, the first rider, Brian Smith was approaching
the finish unchallenged. He had finished his first lap with a six minute
lead and then put about another six on the next rider during the second. He
finished in just over 3 hours. Pretty incredible. He was talking and smiling
at the end too, and posed for a photo with one of the developmentally
disabled people he helps at his other job. A while later the second and
third riders came through. Second was and another Brian and third was this
year's Fruita FFTF SS champion John Brown. So second and third overall were
on singlespeeds - amazing.
In the end, for me the good news is I was second. The bad news is I was
last. I did get some prizes (grips, lube, and a Surly t-shirt), so that's
pretty cool. It was fun, but also frustrating. I learned to make sure my
equipment is all tested before a race, and to watch those landings. I have
hope for a better race, in many ways in the future. Hopefully this event can
pull out of it's slump, and I can have a good race with someone. I think I
could have beaten that guy. Maybe we'll meet again out there at another
local race and find out.
Matt