It was very evident early on that most folks in my category, 40+ Experts, have already been racing for a while this season. Tight, twisty singletrack has never been my strength but today the disparity in my skillz compared to my fellow racers seemed to be magnified. By the third of three laps I was riding the switchbacks better and carrying more speed but by then it was too late.
Random thought bubble #1: Do most successful cross country racers pay attention to pacing or do they simply "pin it" at all costs?
My goals for this race were to get some "race pace" riding on singletrack, work on the bike handling, and pin it 'til my eyes went crosseyed. Check. Check. Check. For a two hour race, that hurt.
Park City is getting lots moisture like much of the Mountain West but the trails here are simply amazing. There was some mud, and a few corners were greasy, but for the most part the conditions were amazing.
After the first lap I settled into a mid-pack no-man's land and just focused on the trail and my downhill cornering technique...which still needs lots of work. I haven't seen the results but I am pretty sure I was out of the top ten but rode steady and the whole time and managed to pick off a couple on the last lap. Overall, I was expecting to produce a better performance but this might have been the wake-up call I needed to make a few changes.
Random thought bubble #2: I am seriously questioning where I live due to the shortness of the dirt riding season and the lack of quality non-motorized trails. There, I said it.
The Intermountain Cup organizers put on a great race and the turnout seemed great to me even though it was my first Intermountain Cup race and I have nothing to compare it to. Visiting with some friends I only see a couple of times per summer was an added bonus. Adam had a solid race and we enjoyed a post-race spin on Solomere (sp?) before he headed home.
More singletrack tomorrow before driving home and back to June-uary.
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2 comments:
it was a great day to race, despite the weather threatening.
I try to pace my self in XC races, but err on the side of too hard, pinning on that start climb is not a good idea, you pay for it later. Our group is super strong, 2nd fastest expert time of the day by our winner.
You should come do more ICUPs, the jackson Hole one is a fun course.
Great seeing you again Dave. That course is a tough one to pace because Little Stick is such a game changer. Glad you made it down, The ICUP is a great series, Ed does a solid job keeping everyone happy. The competition is top notch too. That 40+ group has some of the fastest guys around.
I should know, they all pass me every week, even though they start 2 mins behind ;)
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