I felt better than I expected on Wednesday nights group mountain bike ride.. cranking fairly well. I took Thursday off and then went for an easy spin Friday after work… and we headed out semi early this morning to drive to a mountain bike race. I had raced this course before.. it is tight… twisty.. and fairly gnarly.. with lots of roots rocks and ledge. It is a tough course when dry.. and it was wet.. very wet.
This is a weird race as in there are NO age classes. They separated by gender [and there was only one woman] and they have an expert class, with 4 laps.. and then a class for less than expert… doing 2. Previously that they had had a three lap option also.
I entered the 4 lapper, but I was not expecting anything.. just counting my teammates that were there I would easily be out of the "prize money". Another weird thing this year.. you did not have to decide ahead of time what you were doing.
![Thinking :thinking:](./images/smilies/econ_thinking.gif)
It did mean we were all starting at once. It was wet and slippery and I decided to go with a slow start.. which meant I got stuck in traffic… but I have not mountain biked much this year and am on a new bike that I am still getting used to.. so I wanted a nice "easy" start. I moved up in placings by others attrition.. others would crash or slide off the course… or not make a section. I think I only actively passed one person.
Part way through my second lap.. nasty conditions got worse.. I was really debating if I really wanted to do four laps. If I knew I was only doing 2 I might have cranked it up a bit, but I was sort of saving something for the full 4. It was not until I got near the start/ finish that I decided to stay with a 2 lap race. It was not until I had stopped for a bit that I learned the the 4 lap race had been reduced to 3 for everyone, because of the conditions. I was sort of disappointed in that.
![Mad :x](./images/smilies/econ_steamingmad.gif)
Although not really a big deal.
Then when they were giving out the awards, I learned I got first place in the 2 lap race.
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/econ_laugh.gif)