To all the guys that I passed on the rocks, no apologies, if you can't ride the section of trail then move aside and get to the back of the line. This is a race, it's not a group ride. Still plenty of good spirited riders out there, for all of you guys; thanks for stepping aside. I know I'll see you on the climb and I'll be plenty obliged to let you by me.I really appreciated the course reroute this year. Instead of ramming us into the single track a couple of hundred yards into the race we started with two fire road climbs. This spread things out much nicer this year. Still traffic jams in the rock gardens and technicals are to be expected.
Moraine State Park, Month of Mud 2008 Race Recap
I pushed hard at the start but still quite a few riders got out in front of me. Spent the first lap making my way through the pack in the rock gardens. The pace of the pack through the technicals for me was slow, but the upshot was it gave me a chance to recoup. The break was welcome, I had pushed really hard on the climbs at the start; hard enough to make myself nauseous. By the time we hit the power line I had managed to loose most of the pack and Josh (3rd place sport) was the only rider in sight. I got past him before the downhill and from there I just took off. Josh's comment: 'I knew when you passed me you were gone, there was no way I was catching you'. Well I was pretty sure I was going to see him again eventually but not as soon as I did. The trail was free and clear, I knew I had left the pack behind and was catching up with the leaders. Half way down I could hear the sound of bikes clanking a head of me and I was gaining but half way down the hill I road over a a stick laying across the trail found it's way into my spokes and derailleur parts. This little event tore my cable housing apart. I knew the damage was bad when I felt my bike drop into it's biggest gear. I finished the downhill and hobbled through the rocks and stopped after the spectator section to assess the damage. Cable housing was shredded; the race was a wash. I could have tried to turn her into a single speed but frustrated I just called it a day.
No luck fixing the cableBushwacker posted some photos and a nice series recap on the PORC boards.
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Hey man, I feel you on the bumping riders as you go by them when they are holding you up or when your in a tight spot like a rock garden, I myself have let riders by and have been up in arms about a slower racer ahead of me holding me up but I have to disagree on that a racer should let a faster rider by just because they are slowing you down, this is a race, they are in front of you for whatever reason and they have earned the right to be ahead of you,they have paid the race fee just like you or your sponsor, and they follow the same rules as you. now if its a lapper, in a time trial race, or someone from a another class, then by all means they should move over once they know that your moving through, but to say that someone should move over just because you are faster is wrong.
ReplyDeletenot trying to hate or anythign don't get me wrong but i just had to say my 2 cents.
sorry about the bad luck in the race tho
I hear what you are saying. I was speaking more to the guys that choked on the tough sections and then stopped and blocked the trail getting back on their bike. Rules are the guys off their bike yield to the guys riding. Thems the rules.
ReplyDeleteto anonymous
ReplyDeleteI am not the fastest climber, and I have no advantage over anyone on a fireroad. alot of less skilled, more timid riders get in front of me on the open fireroad or doubletrack. Only to crawl though the singletrack or dab and start walking and not get out of the way.
this happen to me all the time with the master guys and one sport guy in particular who rides on flats and cant for the life of him clear a log. If I am on your tail I am faster than you, in fact if you let me in front I will pull away. Alot of these guys are on a overinfalted skinny tires, on hardtaild and are not fast on singletrack. they brake where they should keep momentuem, slow down for tech section and arent fast going downhill. If I could pass them on the singletrack I would. but I let any faster rider by me(dave can attest this, I let him pass me on singletrack), I do expect the same from everyone else.
I actually flat out hit people who were hiking at moraine after I called out rider they continued to hike with their bike and try to speed up to keep their position. thats wrong and they were causing me to hike sections that other wise I could ride. that is VERY frustrating. At least from here on out I am riding Expert and expect to get creamed at first but I think people will be slightly better riders and more aware of whats going around them.
Dude! Thanks so much for letting me by you! You don't ride slow; makes it hard to pass; was much much appreciated. After that it felt so good to unleash and roll! I was having such a fantastic run through that downhill (and a blast!) then that stick got my derailleur. Oh well that's the breaks. Least it ended on a good note. I still feel good about that race even if I got a mechanical.
ReplyDeleteI look at other racers less as competition and more with a sense of comradery. We are both out there trying to do our best race. I'm not doing anything to try and impede anyone else from doing as well as possible. Back in the old days of Mountain Bike races when it was NORBA, the rules stated that a rider coming up from behind was to yell 'track' and the slower rider was to yield to them; so there's sort of tradition of sportsmanship to let the faster rider get by you. (I'm not asking anyone to slow down, get off their bike or take a crappy line maybe just make a little room) This also kept things a little safer. The trails, rocks and trees pose enough risk, most bikers would rather not throw tangled metal and fellow riders into the mix.
Chances are a faster rider has the skill and the gonads to roll right over you. He's back there because he's being respectful of you, looking out for your safety. Now I'm not out there to make a slower rider crash. I want them to enjoy their race and do their best. Honestly I'm yielding for their safety. You're not out there to make faster riders go slow are you?
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