Still In The Game

I did it!  My first mountain bike race ever and my second race in the Leadman series.  5:52:35 was my time and coincidentally, that was my A goal I realized last night when I consulted my predicted times for specific races once I got home.  The original window was 5:52 - 6:15.  Pretty cool.

Just three more races to go and less then four weeks and it is all over. 

But the mountain bike race.  It went very well.  I didn't die, wreck or have anything go wrong with the bike and I rode the damned thing like I stole it as much as I could.  Often I would remind myself that I was in a 50 mile race, not a 50 mile ride and to get busy pedaling.  My climbing was strong and better than that, my technical skills were there (they sort of showed up that day I think) and I didn't have any issues on the two nasty downhill sections that I was worried about.

One of the biggest tricks that I employed on Saturday was that if I was riding something that was making me tense up or giving me concern, smile.  If I made myself smile during a fast descent while bouncing around all over the place by body would naturally relax and made the riding more smooth. 

Three weeks to go until the 100 MTB now.  Because of my time in the 50 mile MTB I will move up a lot closer to the front and be in a different starting corral.  Hopefully that will save me some time as I might not be so far back on the first big climb up St. Kevins and end up in a hike a bike traffic jam.

The gamble paid off and and I am very happy about that.  After running that 50 mile course two times now and riding it this time, I can say that I am glad that I didn't have to run it again. Very, very glad.

It looks as if Lucho is  handing me an umbrella but it is my bottle as I am heading back out of Stumptown on my way back.

Going through Printer Boy on the outbound.  1:42 was my split and I was thrilled to no end when they told me that.

At the finish.  Damn I was tired.  The last two miles were tough as I just wanted to be done.

* All photos taken by Michelle Vallejo