During the day leading up to the race, the skies opened up, and it just POURED for about 4 hours straight. After receiving a number of emails and phone calls from concerned racers, VRD announced the race would take place "rain or shine". Ummm...okaaaay...? The tires I have on my bike are really hardpack...only...tires. They pack up with mud in about three revolutions, can't clear it, and have no traction on wet roots.
Well, the rain stopped around 3:45pm, and the clouds broke to give way to bright sunshine. Four hours of rain kept the roots nice and slick, but the dirt turned absolutely perfect. Tacky all the way around the course.
Here's how my race started: I "Andy Schlecked" it 15 yards into the race. Started going up the hill out of the gate, too big of a gear, shifted, dropped the chain. Gave 30 seconds to everyone in the group. Fought back hard that lap, ended up climbing as high as 4th in the race, but ended up conceding a spot on the second lap, and another right at the very top of the climb on the third, and finished in a sprint to keep 6th. Had some back pain I could fight through, and other than that, had another absolutely stellar effort on the bike.
Vail Grind jungle action. Little bridge amongst the roots.
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