No ticks...

There was going to be an update yesterday, but I was just too darn lazy. So, here it is today.

The weather Saturday was perfect and I was getting psyched up for the big race. This being my first Psycowpath race and my second ever mountain bike race was looking to be an exciting adventure. I arrived at the site a little after 8am and signed in. One of the coordinators said I had time to pre-ride the course and that it shouldn't take longer than 45 minutes. Let me tell you, it took me right around an hour to ride the course. During the pre-ride I slipped down the side of a hill on my back. Once I arrived back to the starting line I began to think I was nuts, which I was soon to discover that that was more true than originally thought.

With only 30 minutes to rest before the start I began to feel like I was out of my league. To save myself a little extra pain and embarrassment I decided to hang back at the start and let everyone more skilled than me ahead of myself. That was definitely a smart move. The first lap was almost uneventful. There were a couple of times I lost control but regained it without pain. Then towards the second half of the course the fun really began.

As a side bar so nobody thinks I am being mean or hateful; there were a group of kids there, who I think were supporting their brother in the race who I think finished in first or second place. They were also cheering and supporting all the riders which I think was great to see and experience. They would set themselves up around the course and ring cowbells every time someone came around and they would cheer them. I will refer to these kids as the "Children of the Corn". This is not to mean they were evil or anything, just that the first time I came across them it creeped me out.

Anywho, after feeling rather confident I came around this corner which then had a nasty drop and a 90% turn to the right at the bottom, and there standing around the turn and ringing cowbells were the "Children of the Corn". It freaked me out, that as I made the turn at the bottom, my rear tire went over the back of my head and my face planted itself into the side of the hill. There was a loud snap and I was fearing a broken nose or leg. After a couple of seconds I did a pain check of my body and nothing felt odd, though something seemed different, my vision seemed to have been playing games on me. Then the realization hit that the snap I heard were my sunglasses breaking. Much better than having any bones broken. It wasn't the fault of those kids and I will never lay blame on them, it was my lack of skill.

There were many more accidents. A couple more backside wanting to go over my head; a couple of times where my left leg getting caught between the front tire and down tube; many cuts and bruises.

After my third lap, I decided I was too worn down to do another lap. I probably could have done it, but the accident factor would have been greatly amplified. There were also people finishing their sixth lap when I was finishing my third. So I didn't want to hinder there attempts for a top finish.

That was a great race which definitely separates the men from the boys, and I am not ashamed to admit that I was one of the boys. There were many people out there with great skill and endurance; and I take my hat off to all of them and would like to congratulate them on a great race. Now I just hope the bruises and cuts will heal enough before Swanson on Sunday.

Also, a big thanks to all the people who worked on the race. You guys did a great job on the trails and the whole event.