Vail Rec District XC #1, at my 'home course' in Eagle Ranch. Warmup wasn't going so well...pretty tired still from Sunday's Palisade Classic (more on that later). 'Pizza Legs' as my coach calls them...
VRD races are possibly the hardest hour of racing in Colorado. Heavy hitters - some of the best riders in the state - ramp the pace up to unbelievable speeds on short courses, creating a "hold on or get left" tempo.
This first local race of the season proved no different. The race course sets up as a good early season test of where a racer's riding is at: checks the power with some steep but short climbing, checks the handling with fast darting singletrack, and checks the overall fitness by offering no place for recovery.
Race started with Pros and Experts in one big group. Hot right off the start, and I couldn't muster the legs to go with. Did what I could for the first two laps, just hanging onto give myself a chance.
Someone in front of me stacked it up (i.e. crashed) on the first lap, and the leaders of my race were long gone. Sucks.
Second lap had me falling further off the pace, with no juice in the legs, falling back to 11th or so. The climb up and over Bailey's reaches grades that force you up over your front wheel to keep from flipping over backward. This one REALLY hurt. Good thing it's only a couple minutes long.
Legs opened up a little for the last lap, and was able to catch up to fellow Bach'er Tim Mt. Pleasant, put a good move on him, and work my way back up for a 7th place finish, with Tim following up closely thereafter in 8th.
Next up is Teva Mountain Games race next Saturday (we all hope?), with VRD #2 the following Wednesday at 4Eagle Ranch.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone4...what!
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