2008 Mtb. Nationals

Perhaps it was an omen of things to come as race day started with a disagreeable stomach. It could have been nerves, but was most likely the result of a poor meal choice the night before. I had spaghetti and meatballs with a tomato sauce which was probably too acidic and too high in protein for easy digestion. My typical pre-race meal is a simple plate of angel-hair pasta boiled in chicken bullion. Travel can wreak havoc on the stomach, I suppose. In all honesty, I didn’t have much of an appetite in the days before my race. I just didn’t seem to have room in my stomach for food, no matter how much I wanted to eat. It was as if my stomach missed the flight to Albany and was aimlessly wandering around the Memphis airport looking for me like a lost child. I did start to feel better after Betsy gave me something to settle my stomach. As the morning ticked away and start time drew near; I felt much better.

Staging was a nightmare for me as riders crowed into the start area like salmon trying to get upstream to spawn. It was literally a river of colorful kits and expensive bikes swirling around each other in a chaotic current to find the right group and best position for the start. I could only manage to reach the very back of my group, so I didn’t start in the best position. A good start is critical for a large field. To make matters worse, I didn’t feel properly warmed up, but that is entirely my fault. Time management and organization are usually my strong points. Once the whistle blew and the race got going, I managed to work my way up the line on a service road leading to the first real climb of the race. Settling into my pace, I passed several riders on the first climb. My plan for the race was to open a gap on the climbs and hang on during the technical sections, being careful not to go into oxygen debt. I didn’t have a chance to do much as someone literally falls over right in front of me just as we turn onto the second climb of the race. My best guess has the climb around 12+ percent, so getting back on and pedaling up was almost impossible during the race. I had to quickly hike-a bike to the top, which is close to 500 feet. Once I reach the top, I was almost at max heart rate, and I felt like I just finished a hard sprint rather than pacing myself up a climb. I tried to recover during a brief single-track section, but only lost the positions I gained earlier. On the next climb, another person spins out and unclips in front of me, so I have to unclip and run up. By this point, I was toast and know a top ten position is virtually out of reach. I spend most of the first lap trying to get my heart rate under control to minimize the damage done early in the race. Betsy said I had an unhappy look on my face when I came through the start area for my second lap. I’m sure it was more a determined look than unhappy. I was trying to close the gap with the main group while the trail flattened out.

I catch the tail end of my group but push my heart rate dangerously close maximum in the process. A high heart rate going into steep climbs is a recipe for disappointment, and I cooked up a good portion. I get into a pitch battle with a one rider on the second lap. I would pass him on the climbs, but lose ground on the flatter single-track sections while I tried to recover. I decided to take a chance and keep him just in front of me going into the final lap for a sprint finish. My gamble didn’t pay off as he opened a gap on the final run down a technical section that I couldn’t close.

I finished with a disappointing 23rd. I'll be back next year.