Ode to Mt Snow, A Race Report

Being my 3rd xc this year, was definitely curious how well i'd fare on what i consider the toughest xc course in NE (and one of the most fun - yip, yip!). In appreciation for such a fine course, i decided to write an Ode. of course, i don't have much time, so it's gonna be about as rough as my race was! all photos courtesy of mtbmind.com - and yes, i'm enough of a dink to 1) wear a sleeveless jeresy 2) nab front row center.

ode to mount snow:

load-up the crew in our trusty subaru.
jenn, thom, bill, me, off to the mtn go we.

ride, sleep, 545a oatmeal and juice.
eating by a lamp endorned w/a moose.
caffeine kick-in, oh please, please,
off to the bathroom for a squeeze.

over to the course, 30mins to gun.
bright sun, blue sky, a day quite fine.
to the start, ss first, then young to old,
we blast from the line,
hungry for the hole.

heart racing, breath in gulps,
jenn's there, yelling loud,
bottles all around her, sun beating down,
time for me to break-out of this crowd!

turn into woods, too far back,
now i'm havin' fun, waiting to attack?
out in open, down and across,
on the brakes and into the sauce.

chain-suck immediate, it's a bane,
off the bike, running now,
don't lose time, but don't gain.
drums pounding-out cadence ahead,
today i'm damn glad i got outta bed!

around the pond, back uphill, only cpl mins more,
then down, down, down we'll roar.
have to let it flow, but holding back,
passed by several, just need to attack.

out the bottom and across the hill,
1/3rd done, eat a gu, get that man,
climb past jenn, smiling best i can,
gotta make passes, no time to chill.

back into descent, flying now, charging lines,
feeling smooth, this is better, this is right.
2nd lap goes-by quick, feeling fine,
back-up hill for 3rd and final time.

jenn's got bottles ready,
stomach's tight, grab the HEED,
but mind's saying water, that wasn't bright.
just ignore the legs and mind, that's the creed.

climbing well, but not in position,
can i turn it up, been trying, on a mission.
maxed-out, not much more there to give,
then into final descent, time to live.

someone gets by, why do i wait?
light-headed, hot, but need to drill,
out in the open, cross the hill,
come-on legs, let's get irate!

but this is it, what i've got,
sometimes top 3 ain't yer lot.
on the podium, in 5th place,
not too bad for a nationals xc race.

and that's my ode. i think the average HR of 174 for 2hrs 11mins says it all. rode the course in the middle ring, w/a touch of big at the end of each lap. was going flat-out, climbing much stronger than last yr, yet barely crawled onto the podium. i guess some real fast fella's came-out to play at mt snow this past wknd! Results here. Am shocked to see where everyone's from, didn't realize quite how "national" Nationals was! The four guys in front of me where from NC, RI, UT, and VA. feeling better 'bout my result after seeing that...

thom rocks the SS class w/a 3rd! holy shit that dude is fast. nipped me by 1 second in his 34-20! wow. Mo Bruno grabbed 5th overall and 3rd in her class, she's rollin' way strong after a cpl seasons off the mtbike.

but, i do need to find the flow again. it's time to mtbike. been on the road all season, training, too rarely just riding. andy's right, the flow is there, just need to shake it loose... but ain't gonna get a chance to do much mtbiking in the next cpl wks, unfortunately. lots of traveling = road bike.

heard through the grapevine that Harlan took 2nd to Eatough at the Lumberjack 100. Nice one! and harvey snagged another top 10!