2 laps, supposedly 58km, Marathon race. New race, first time ever.
Result: 13th overall (no categories)
Equipment: BMC Fourstroke with Maxxis Aspen 2.2" tires
This race was not too far away from where I live so I drove there on the morning before the race. It took about 2.5 hours. I knew nothing about the terrain or the technical nature of the race. All I knew is that it was 2 laps around a track and a total of 58 kilometers. The weather report said some rain in the morning but it was supposed to be dry during the actual race.
During my drive to the location it rained very heavily a few times. Even after getting there and after I had placed my bike in the fold I had to quickly run into the official's tent when there was a quick shower just minutes before the start.
As the race started it turned that judging the book by the cover was correct this time: They all took off at a crazy pace and I managed to just hang on to the end of the leading group of perhaps 15 riders. I looked behind and saw a gap form to the next group. I managed to move up one or two positions before we started the first section of single track.
The singletrack was quite rooty and twisty but it all worked well... Until just a few minutes into the race. the skies opened and rain started POURING down. I don't think I've ever been so thoroughly drenched ever. This means that the rooty mildly technical singletrack turned into a slippery death trap. I slowed down, got passed by a few riders, then got back onto a gravel road, sped up, passed a few riders, got back into singletrack, got passed again, and so on. The lap was a mix of gravel roads connected to quite technical and slow singletrack sections. There were even a couple of placed with A and B lines.
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| Before the rain... |
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| Before the rain... |
The singletrack was quite rooty and twisty but it all worked well... Until just a few minutes into the race. the skies opened and rain started POURING down. I don't think I've ever been so thoroughly drenched ever. This means that the rooty mildly technical singletrack turned into a slippery death trap. I slowed down, got passed by a few riders, then got back onto a gravel road, sped up, passed a few riders, got back into singletrack, got passed again, and so on. The lap was a mix of gravel roads connected to quite technical and slow singletrack sections. There were even a couple of placed with A and B lines.
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| This is how it looked when it was raining the most... pretty much all of the first lap |
Going out for the second lap the rain had stopped and the sun came out. It didn't change conditions all that much because all the rain had had made the trails so wet that they were almost as slippery for the second lap around. I had the good fortune of having a young guy on my wheel, who, when the second part of the lap approached went around and started to pull nicely on the gravel road sections. We caught a few riders and passed them. With about 10k left we got into the last part of singletrack and I let him go. I rode that last part solo, not catching up with anyone, but also having no one catch up with me.
Crossed the finish line in 13th place overall (no age categories). It was a fun race in spite of the conditions. I think that in dry conditions I would've managed a top-10 placing.
Seems I moved up from 18th to 13th during the second lap:
Funny thing how the race was actually 63km when the organizers had advertised it as being 58km.
Strava Activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/5760226395