Race Report - Reddick FSC #2

I have to say I was looking forward to this race, as I thought I had tamed her back in March at the first SERC of the year. I was happy to be doing the Team Time Trial, because it was a chance to show the leadership skills in keeping everyone together, and riding inspired as the goal was to try to hold onto our position in the overall team classification. I also was looking forward to us just riding together with the boys.

Mrs. P, Lance (My yorkie) and I got in around 2:45pm, and T-Wiz and a bunch were going in for a preride lap. I heard the course was close to 10 miles again and I assumed it would be similar. The front part of the course was much easier than before as we did not have to go in and out of the quarry, so that was a load off the legs. But the last 2 miles or so of the course is the most brutal I have experienced so far. I bet that after the first 8 miles or so, the body is going to be hurting big time.

The Time Trial would be missing this section which was nice as they just cut us around it. After that lap I went back in the course for a condense lap with Chris to familiarize him with the TT course, and I bonked during that time. I was starting to wonder how I was going to lead the team if I was feeling bonked, and it was 15 minutes until race time when I came out. I quickly slammed down 2 nutri-grain bars and a 32oz Gatorade and that did the trick.

Once we got on the line we went over the strategy. Dean, Eli and I would the first 3, and Chris and Tom would be the deciding factor. If Dean and I had a chain drop, crashed, or took a bad line then the group would not wait for any reason at all. We could not smash the 4th place guy as we did not want to ruin the Sunday race for that person. Dean and I were the fastest, but we are in toughest categories, so it is difficult to get points. Eli and Tom are the heavy hitters on the team.

About bicycles was the first to go off with the Woodall brothers and Victor A leading it. Laserfit.com was next to go off and they have Robert Bounds, Sean Smith, Tim W, and Matt G. B&J plus Bob McCarty went next, and fourth was us. I was shooting for finishing 4th because that would give us at least 2 points. Finishing 5th-7th would give only 1 point.

When the whistle went off I quickly took it up to speed and tried to set a pace that was manageable by the entire group. Climbing back up the first quarry Dean and I had gapped everyone, so I backed it back down so that we could all go back down together. We go through the next section and everyone is together through the fast tight single-track. Tom is the first rider that is unhitched, and Eli and Chris are off the back also. So I have to find a pace that we can all manage. It seems like Chris is going to be our 4th, as Eli is the solid 3rd.

We go back into the quarry and we hear B&J and there is some definite "In Fighting", and it inspires us as we think we can catch them. I look down and the time is 16:55, and they started 2mins ahead of us. We get to that same section and the time is 19:55, and we have lost 1 min, and that is when Dean and I realized we are not gaining on them. Even with the team imploding they were still kicking out assess. I know that Bob was not going to moderate because it was not his team and I think he was offering his service of good points for the Team Classification, so he was just going to simple ride which is the best thing to do when you have so many extreme personalities. Later Matt would break his pedal and the mode improved

We are deep in the quarry at this point and Eli and Chris are seriously dangling off the back. I keep backing it off, and every time they get back to us, they would get gapped again. It was nice to get to the single-track that reminds me of riding at Santos, because they were able to sit on the back of the train. Then we saw 2 of the riders from Bent's B Team, which mean they were already ahead of us. The goal then changed into not getting caught. At this point is when we all came together and finished out the lap at a 40:45, and in 5th with only 1 point which was exactly was I was trying to avoid. I felt great, and I can honestly say that it was the most fun that I have racing my mtn bike this year. I went right over to Dave and said, "You have to do this again, it was awesome".

I packed up the car and went to eat dinner at Carrabbas, and by the time we got there Bob and Amy were already there. That is almost exactly where we sat at the month before at Santos. Oscar, Chris, and Adam showed up and I got the entire story on the meltdown during B&J's Time trial. It seems that they all came together after Matt broke his pedal, but I'm sure there is still some tension there.

I got back to the Fairfield Inn, and Mrs. P said that will be our hotel from now on. Both of her parents work for the Marriott, and she is totally anal about were she stays, and this place got an A+. I took a shower and cleaned my drivetrain. I made the big mistake of taking off my rear wheel to clean the disc, because it was now rubbing once I put it back on. In the morning I would go to Bob, as he hooked it up for me last time it was rubbing. I watched Jermaine Taylor get KO'ed by Kelly Pavlik in the 7th round to win the welterweight championship. That white boy can punch.

The next morning Mrs. P and I comment on just how good the bed was, and it was one of the best nights of sleep we have had in a while, Fairfield Inn is where it is at for Bellview and Reddick races.

I make my normal stop at Waffle House for my pre-race ritual breakfast, and I'm off to the course. I get there and all I'm concerned about this making sure I can get this disc from rubbing up against the brake, but Bob is out riding so I get Fabian to take a look at it and he says it's not rubbing. I ask him 3 times, and even as I spin the wheel it slows down to a complete stop. He confirms to me a 4th time that it is not rubbing, so I'm off but I do feel insecure about it. Note to self: Learn how to Wrench!

There are 19 riders on the line, and when the gun goes off all hell breaks loose. I manage to go in course in 5th place, and I pass Todd H. going up the quarry climb. I catch up to Mose and I'm just flowing, but I have my gameplan together. I cracked in the quarry in March, so my plan was to back off when I got there, and that is what I did. I let Derosa and Gerard pass me, and a couple of minutes later T Wiz and Mad Maddox came rolling through and I jumped on the back of the train. Ryan B was a little bit back and I was going to give it to him also, but once we got going on the fast single-track we gapped him. Tim gave the pacemaking over to Trent and he started smashing it, and within 5 minutes we were back on the group of Jay T, Greg D, but we could not get around them. As a result we piled up at the Big Clay Climb, and I was able to stop T. Wiz from going backwards. And that was when I lost it, as I couldn't get my mode back.

Not to mention that what was coming was the hardest part of the course, and that is where I became unhitched from the back of the train. At that point I'm fending for myself as I can't get my mode back, and I'm losing power, or LOST power. I finish the lap 1 minute behind the group I was with, and that was the beginning of it for me. I caught up with Osias that started in the Senior Expert Class, and I could not seem to shake him at all. I would gap him, and 2 minutes later he would bridge back and pass me. Jon Lowe came back pass me for some reason, and later on I saw Matt H. coming. In March at the SERC he caught me, and we hung together for the last 2 laps. Not the case this time around, as I hung on his wheel for about 2 minutes and he was gone and I was back to deal with Osias. Andrew Danford was the next to bridge from the 40+ class and I stayed with him for about 15 minutes, but got unhitched after the big clay hill. On those switchbacks I saw Anthony Janik, Luis Meza, and Tim W coming and I took a deep breath. Tim must have stopped because he was already ahead of me. I knew I was going backward and it was going to be a long last lap.

I got caught and passed by T-Wiz at the end of the 2nd lap and I could not for the life of me lift my pace. Anthony J and Luis M caught me and were together for quite some time. We were going through the fast tight single-track and Anthony passed a female and as I passed her she clipped a tree with her handlebar and fell right into me as I was passing her and we both hit the deck. I quickly got back up and checked to see if I was chain was off, and I was back on the bike. But that was it for me, and after 30 seconds I let Luis pass me as I know I was holding him up. He asked me if I was ok, and I said " I'm still going backwards and don't want to hold you up. From there out Anthony and Luis just walked away from me. A couple of times my mode slightly came back to me and I got going to try to bridge back but I could not get rid of the acid bath that was in the legs so I just brought it in without hurting myself any longer.

I rode the bike right over to the car, got off, and spun the rear wheel. It immediately spun to a complete stop. Shit, I should have been more anal about getting that taken care of. Not need in being upset, I prepared as best as I could. But I will take 2 days off and figure out what to do for Jacksonville this weekend.

Note to self! LEARN TO WRENCH!