VT50 this Sunday

Finally, a race worth getting excited about! The VT50. The largest mtbike race in New England, with a field limit of 650 riders. Utica Dan is rolling-out to do the 50k run. It'll be cool to chill with that brother, just need to stay off the beer the night before! Tough to do when hangin' with an old school buddie... but that's what Sunday afternoon is for.

It's been a solid month since Mt Snow and i'm itching to race my bike! Jamie slapped a new cassette and chain on there today, new lock-on grips (it was sad to cut Bobkey's Prayer Sticks off, but i had to face facts - they're terrible for the long haul), also put some new ceramic pads on. It still stops like a dumptruck w/o discs, but with the forecast showing no rain...

Here's what'll be in the jersey pockets:
(1) Crankbros 17 chain tool
(2) 16oz Co2 cartidges & nozzle
(1) tube
(6) pieces of instant patch
(6) Hammer Gels
(2) Luna bars

Race goals:
Have an f'ing blast riding my bike!
Top 10
Break 4hrs, 45mins on the clock. Course record is 4:15.

Last year i broke a chain at mile 11 or 12 and it took me an eternity to fix - about 10mins. I simply couldn't get the repaired links to move freely, finally had to cut another link out and re-attach, then got it moving smoothly... Anyway, rode a disappointing 5:12 or so... but had a great time doing it. The course is well-marked, amazing views, some great climbs... i was so pumped after getting the chain fixed i got out of the saddle and mashed for many miles - but didn't eat enough and fell apart with 5-8miles to go. I'm not making the fueling mistake again. This year i'm armed with Hammer products, which have been a huge improvement over gatorade and cliff shots...