I got all my stuff ready the night before. It included lots of extra water and a hydra pack because it was gonna be hot. I was up on time and ready to go out the door. When I opened the door the humidity took a swing right at my face. It was 5:45 am and it was already 80 degrees and high humidity. It was alright though.....I borrowed a 2up bike rack from Dan and was taking my car...that blows stupid cold air.
Off I went towards Grand Rapids where I stopped and picked up Matt. Originally Nate was going, but work got in the way. So Matt and I loaded up for the 2 hour drive north to Harrison and the site of Mid-Michigan Community college. Thankfully the trip was uneventful. Last time I was here was the trip when Jay, Lisa, and I got attacked by a deer...taking a huge toll on us before we ever arrived. Not going to lie, I had high heart rate as I passed that area three years after the event. Moving on.
We got there plenty early and got our numbers. Then we just kind of stood there and looked at each other because we had over an hour before the start. Eventually we got ready and met up with Easton. He is one of my younger teammates and his grandpa brought him up to race. The three of us headed out to warm up on the course. It was everything that I remembered. Flowy but bumpy singletrack. The warmup was short because we had a racer meeting, but it didn't take much to break a sweat. Thinking about riding was more than enough.
The Sport Clydes and Fat Bikers started in the same wave. Seems ironic doesn't it? lol. Anyway, the start was fast, as expected I got dumped right at the first corner. I was riding with one guy in my class but the rest of the group was gone. We got about a mile in and one of the top guys in our class was stopped with a flat. The guy in front of me stopped to help (they are teammates) and I pressed on. With everyone starting at 10:30 I had a ton of traffic pushing past me. I was giving them plenty of room but I was also making them call their passes. I refuse to just let someone by unless they call it out, or at least say "when you get a chance". I notice some racers tend to just expect me to move. #timetolearnhowtopass
The course if fun. I like it lot because the climbs are not too terrible. The downhills are solid and the flow is pretty good. Granted, the way the course was set up there were some hairpin turns, but that is part of the adventure. Eventually I stettled in and found my rhythm. I was comfortable riding, but if I stopped the heat immediately started to surround me. It felt like climbing into an oven. The open areas with no tree cover felt the same way. I actually passed a few people the further I got in. I was feeling "quick" about 8 miles in and used that the best I could.
With about 2 to go I reigned in a guy on a fat bike. I passed him, but he caught me on a climb and I decided to just settle in behind him. I wasn't seeing anyone from my class coming so I figured I was safe. On one section he must have bolted because he was just gone. I started riding harder to figure out where he went. It was pretty odd to me that he got that much of a gap, but he must have pushed a section that I didn't. Then I spotted him and I was starting to recognize that we were near the finish. I pushed the last climb and watched him turn left towards the school. Last descent out of the woods. I hit the opening and pushed to the final stretch.
I could see him and it appeared he wasn't 100% sure where the finish was, so I pounced. I jumped on the pedals and buried myself in a sprint to the finish. I passed him with maybe 30 yards to go. It felt good to hear the R2R guys all cheering for me. Especially because they kick my ass so much. lol. After I finished I dumped the rest of my hydra pack over myself. It felt amazing. Then I headed to the car and continued to pour more cold water just to tell my body to slow down.
I ended up in 8th place out of 9. Not last. I guess that is a small victory. The big victory was not needing a trip to the hospital for dehydration or heat stroke.
On a side note....there were 4 guys racing that were over the age of 70. The eldest statesmen was none other than Neil Scharphorn Sr. at the spry age of 76. Their times....all faster than mine. Well done to you gents.
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