A Bajillion Feet of Climbing

Four years ago I attempted my second ever mountain bike race, which so happened to be the Platte River Battle Royale 6 hour marathon. At that time I completed three laps in just under four hours and crashed 25 times.

Flash forward four years and I'm doing the three hour marathon at the same venue. This time I completed 4 laps in approximately 2.5 hours without crashing. I was amazed that I stayed upright the whole time. There were a couple of close calls but I recovered with grace. When it came to the rock garden I took no chances and walked through it. Something about sharp pointy rocks piercing flesh just makes me not wanting to take chances.

Halfway through my fourth lap, the Cat 1 racers were coming up on me. Wanting to not get in the way of their race, I pulled over to let them pass. Doing this required me to unclip and dismount my bike. This was not a good thing. The moment I did that my legs cramped up something fierce. I'm standing in a thicket of weeds, hoping to whatever god there may be that it wasn't poison something, stretching my legs while the other riders pass. After they get by I get back on the bike and the cramping just wouldn't go away. By the time I completed the lap, I was told I had about 25 minutes to decide on whether starting one more lap or not.

Knowing that my judgement and coordination go out the window when I'm that spent, I decided to quite while I was ahead. I can say I have tamed Platte River and ridden it without crashing. If one ever wants to get some hill work in I would suggest going out and ride Platte River. Ended up 22nd out of 30 something.

It was a great race and I look forward to doing it again next year. Though mountain biking is a bottom priority for me, I have a blast every time. My teammates Ian Robertson, Jason Brummels, Scott Mongeon, and Sean Craig also raced like gangbusters too.

Sunday I went out what I was hoping to be a nice recovery ride but soon turned out to be more hilly and windy than I wanted, but it's all good training. Cyclocross is just around the corner.