Mud was the name of the Twisted Tire Spring Cup game this year. How well can you and your gear tolerate several inches of mud and water? I never would have thought that the ability to stop my bike would have been the difference between me getting sixth or second. In the end, I decided to err on the side of caution, safety, etc. and not go out for a sixth lap…the lap that would have locked in 2^nd place.

During/after the first lap, the brakes faded badly. I can’t tell you how much life the pads had left in them to start the race, but it went away fast. I tweaked the barrel adjusters and rolled through holding 2^nd after lap 1. After lap two, the brakes were done. I pitted and we replaced both sets of pads (and I sold a pair of handlebars). The pads were bare. Thank goodness Michelle had some pads…one new pair and we robbed another set from her bike (BIG thanks to Jason for getting me back on the trail as quickly as possible). The bad news was that these new pads went just as quickly as my first two sets. (special note: this is where I lost the race…if I had brought the backup bike, the Rig could have been dialed back in the pit while I held onto Shawn and Konrad (who later blew up his freewheel)).

The next three laps were about surviving with less and less braking power (and not mowing down beginners). For the last three miles or so of lap 5, I had literally zero brakes. If I squeezed the front brake, not only did it do nothing, but the caliper wouldn’t disengage (turns out that the outboard brake pad was gone), so I was opening it with my foot any time that I accidentally squeezed it out of habit. I later discovered that the rear was down to metal on metal.

The good news is that I had the juice in the legs for another lap. Maybe even two. Oh, and did I mention that it rained for the majority of the race?

So was it fun? Yeah, I think it was. If my brakes would have been at 75% for the entirety of the event, it would have been a blast. Laps one and two were definitely fun. I felt bad for destroying the trails…hopefully they bounce back. We’ll find out in the fall.

Big apologies to the Endorphin Enduro guy that I mowed down in lap 1. Sorry bout that wheel. Just for everyone’s edification, he hit something in the bottom of a mud hole and got thrown sideways as he was about to head up between two trees. I was close behind and did all I could to not injure him. His rear wheel paid the price.

"Weather "looks like rain", at least it will be warm. High of 68. We are blessed that Poor Farm drains very well! Bring your knobbies, we are racing. The race schedule is very packed this year in central VA, we will go rain or shine. posted 4/19/08 11:17pm"

I feel like this is a test. Problem is, I don't know if going to this race or staying home will get me a passing score. I'll leave you with this:

"Today: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 70. South wind between 6 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between one and two inches possible."

Lets race.

My team rocks. Simple as that. Oh, and FREDEvents rocks and so does the VORS series. Bike Factory Racing took 1st (ShawnT), 2nd (me), and 3rd (DaveT) and the Fredericksburg Off-road Duath this weekend. And 1st (Denelle) and 3rd (Christy) in Female too. The run was tough...I can't lie. I haven't been running nearly enough, primarily because of a mild rib injury and some nasty shin splints. I'll fix that for next time. The ride was great though. Fun little rolling course there at the Quarry with more log hops than you'd expect. I loved it. I'll be returning...

Data:
Run1:17:46
Bike: 52:26
Run2: 16:54

Transition times were 0:36 and 0:59. I can do better. HR Max: 192. HR Avg: 179. Wowzers.

Respect the form...