I was told by Coach to put the governor on for this one. So instead of being a sporty 6 cylinder, I was an efficient little 4 cylinder. The course was 10.5 miles, with 3 sections of pavement, the longest being just under a mile. I was happy to be on gears for this one, making sure that "Indy" was ready for the BTE.
The start was a super dusty bottleneck for about 1/2 lap. Once I got through the masses, which included some carnage on the techy rocky sections, I was able to settle and just ride. The first two laps were still a bit faster than I was told to ride, but I wanted to open a comfortable gap.
The next 5 laps were more consistent and "coach-approved." I focused on maintaining a steady cadence and without too many power surges. I was told not to race the guys, which was hard for me to do, especially when I could see "carrots" ahead. But I just kept telling myself, "Just two more weeks and you can suffer your little heart out."
With a win secure as I completed my 7th lap, I was able to finish an hour early. I felt a bit guilty, like I had not completed my homework assignment, but I was also tired of breathing dust and smoke (there was a forest fire on the other side of the river).
Thanks to Brad Cobb (Village Volkswagon) and Greenlife Grocery, I walked away with $500 and a nice clock from reCYCLE Jewelry. And true to my word, I made a donation to the Raccoon Mountain trail fund.
I have always enjoyed Gone Riding's races. They are kind of where I cut my teeth on MTB racing. I look forward to racing the SERC series again in 2011.
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