Fellow Zoomers...
Mt. Snow in Vermont hosted Mt. Bike National this past weekend...and it was EPIC. The course was a 5-mile loop that climbed climbed traversed and climbed the ski slope for about 3.5 miles and then bombed down some killer rooty and rocky singletrack. The women's sport race was at noon on Friday and although it was not "South Philly hot", it was still quite balmy and unlike the Pro's, Nikki and I didn't have anybody to stand over us an hold an umbrella until the whistle blew...(there is a tone of sarcasm in that statement...sarcasm can be tough to express via e-mail).
So, the whistle blows and we are hot out of the blocks. Nikki had a great start and I worked to stick to her wheel. The first 1/2 mile was a short loop with a tight steep climb and then a bomber downhill before the real climbing began. Another girl, Nikki, and I had bridged a gap from the group by the bottom of the descent and just as we started climbing again, I let out a few words my mother definately didn't teach me...as my front tire was flat. %$#^@!!!!!!!!!! Nikki used the manors her mother had taught her and offered to help me change it...I looked at her and told her, "NO...GO GO GO!"
Then, I played a game I like to call "flip the tire level in a rage of panic" for about a minute before I talked myself down, changed the flat with too small of a CO2 cartridge and carefully remounted to try and catch the pack. The climbs were hot and long....but the drummers at the top of the mountain boosted everyone's spirits. I started to pick off some riders, but never managed to catch the leaders...Nikki in second and the speedy Vermonter in first.
We rode two hard laps...Nikki took second, I took third...and we both walked away with lessons learned about changing a flat in a race, why to ride tubeless, and how to manage long hard climbs in the heat of the day as well as many small victories over roots and rocks. With joyous smiles we treated ourselves to hot dogs and fries...then realized what a mistake that was...
Cheers....
Kristin
Mt. Snow in Vermont hosted Mt. Bike National this past weekend...and it was EPIC. The course was a 5-mile loop that climbed climbed traversed and climbed the ski slope for about 3.5 miles and then bombed down some killer rooty and rocky singletrack. The women's sport race was at noon on Friday and although it was not "South Philly hot", it was still quite balmy and unlike the Pro's, Nikki and I didn't have anybody to stand over us an hold an umbrella until the whistle blew...(there is a tone of sarcasm in that statement...sarcasm can be tough to express via e-mail).
So, the whistle blows and we are hot out of the blocks. Nikki had a great start and I worked to stick to her wheel. The first 1/2 mile was a short loop with a tight steep climb and then a bomber downhill before the real climbing began. Another girl, Nikki, and I had bridged a gap from the group by the bottom of the descent and just as we started climbing again, I let out a few words my mother definately didn't teach me...as my front tire was flat. %$#^@!!!!!!!!!! Nikki used the manors her mother had taught her and offered to help me change it...I looked at her and told her, "NO...GO GO GO!"
Then, I played a game I like to call "flip the tire level in a rage of panic" for about a minute before I talked myself down, changed the flat with too small of a CO2 cartridge and carefully remounted to try and catch the pack. The climbs were hot and long....but the drummers at the top of the mountain boosted everyone's spirits. I started to pick off some riders, but never managed to catch the leaders...Nikki in second and the speedy Vermonter in first.
We rode two hard laps...Nikki took second, I took third...and we both walked away with lessons learned about changing a flat in a race, why to ride tubeless, and how to manage long hard climbs in the heat of the day as well as many small victories over roots and rocks. With joyous smiles we treated ourselves to hot dogs and fries...then realized what a mistake that was...
Cheers....
Kristin
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