So where was everybody on Saturday night? It was feeling really lonely
at the campground...

I arrived with Raphael around 4:30pm, and as quickly start putting the
bikes together for the pre-ride we meet Brian, a rider who recently
moved from Wisconsin and wants to join us.
As we warm up on the initial climb Brian starts commenting as to how
they don't have steep hills like that in Wisconsin - that's before we
hit pasini :) Smooth preride, my bike feels a bit bouncy with my new
tubeless big volume tires (2.4 & 2.2) but the trails are in perfect
condition. Raphael is doing great, getting better on the shifting and
making it through half the switchbacks.
The first creek crossing is in worse conditions than last year, I'll
definitely walk it since you have to dismount 10 feet further anyway
and I don't want to repeat last year's faceplant in the creek...
The "endo rock" (after the 2nd crossing) is nastier than I remembered,
I roll it but you really have to pick your line there.
Back at the campground I don't feel like getting the cooking gear out
since nobody else is there so we join Brian and his group for a fine
little Italian dinner in downtown Napa. Lots of good wine, a great
goat cheese pizza, suffice it to say that when I hit the sleeping bag
I am really not looking forward to racing in the morning.

I am awaken at 6:30am by the rain - hmmm, that should put a twist on
things. The rain stops 30mn later though and after a light breakfast I
hook up w/ Michel for an easy warm-up up the fireroad. After reading
everybody's complaints about getting stuck behind people on the
singletrack I decided I was going to push pretty hard on the first
climb so I wanted plenty of time to warm up.
We stop at the bottom of Pasini to adjust Michel's derailer (his front
derailer XTR cage is floating - by design it seems - can't see how
that could work properly...) and we're soon back at the campground
where some TWWers are (finally) beginning to show up.
I have a little smoke while watching the hamsters (Isaias & Matt)
spinning calories away on their trainers, everything is in place and I
feel ready. Ty drops by and offers me some capsules of SportLegs...
hmmm, never tried any of that stuff before but I have forgotten to buy
some kind of electrolyte replacement drink and the sun is coming out
so I decide to give them a try. Not sure they made a difference but my
legs were feeling great in the second lap and they didn't make me sick.

I take it fairly easy at the start but start pushing as soon as we hit
the climb. I can see Ty pushing a big gear a couple hundred feet
ahead, and I work on trying to keep the top 15 group in sight. I pass
a couple guy by riding up Pasini - have to dab once as I loose control
in the rocks but I manage to get started again. I pass a few more guys
on the little climbs - amazing how many riders will slow down to 5mph
and 40rpms before finally deciding they need to shift, I just love to
spin by and listen to the sound of an abused drivetrain fading away.
I a fast corner a bit before the turnaround I get a glimpse of a TWW
jersey fiddling with his bike - I'll learn later that was Ty
straightening out his gear after his crash. My oxygen deprived brain
decide to call him Alan when asking him if he's alright, probably from
seeing him hammering away at the start singlespeed style.

The last creek crossing just before the turn-around is fun, I totally
soak a poor guy who is walking his bike as I scream by at full speed.
The two rocky switchbacks are tough on the legs, but I pass a couple
more guys there. A few minutes later I almost eat it big time on the
singletrack on the hillside - a big chunk of singletrack is missing in
a right turn and it comes very close to swallowing my front wheel (I
think Scott had a crash there?). I hear the rider behind me lock his
wheel and let out a few curses - that spot must have claimed quite a
few victims I'm sure.

A pretty skilled rider catches up with me in the downhill a bit before
the creeks and starts encouraging me to go faster. I'm not feeling
that confident, actually I'm a bit all over the place in the rocks, so
I quickly let him by. A guy is stuck with his front wheel wedged on
"endo rock" so after a few seconds of track stand I go for the line on
the left... almost works but not quite, still manage to push my bike
past him, don't want him ahead on Manzanita.

Manzanita is tons of fun today, the FastTrack & mutano raptor
combination really bites the trail and I'm going a pretty good clip. I
manage to ride up the big flat rock only to spin out in the rut that
follows, and I let an expert who's been following me for a while go
by. He really impresses me by riding the whole next section, including
the big log step that I never even thought of trying.
Final descent to the bridge, I am all by myself at this point and I
have to kick myself in the butt to get a rythm going on the fireroad.
Nobody to draft so I just lay low and try to relax my back, and I get
a good splash of water on the helmet by the finish line.
By now I have decided to conserve energy for the technical parts so I
take it easy on the climb, and as a result I make it up Pasini pretty
easily. My legs are feeling really good but I am a bit nervous, I know
I am having a good race but I have seen lots of riders losing it on a
small mistake so I focus on riding safely and I start watching who's
around. A rider flies by me at twice my speed as I'm struggling up the
climb in the grassy loop - probably a pro who missed his start. Just
after the turnaround I find myself riding up the first rocky
switchback without really meaning to - that feels good. I ride up to
the bottom of the second one and almost give it a try, but the damn
thing looks like a wall and I chicken out. I almost eat it again in
the same turn on the singletrack - didn't learn my lesson, looks like
the oxygen is all going in the legs where it's needed, all is good.
I meet the only ass^%le of the day up the stairs - asks me if I'm an
expert then doesn't bother to reply when I ask the same in return. I
guess he was an expert.
Lots of fun on Manzanita again, I start letting out big yeepies as we
go through the corners with a couple other riders. Coming down the
final switchbacks I catch up with what must be a beginner and tell him
I'll go inside at the next switchback. He's really nice and just stops
on the outside to let me by, but I manage to burry my front wheel in
the soft ground of the exit and I have to jump off the bike in the
bushes. We have a good laugh and I jump back on the bike after
thanking him. I fly down the last downhill to the bridge way to fast,
bunny-hopping the logs and muttering a quick prayer as I take off the
4 log steps wondering where I'm going to land. As I hit the fireroad I
start looking behind me and bliss - there is nobody in sight for at
least a quarter mile, so I just spin up to the finish.

The guy who grabs my number already has a big stack of yellow slips in
his hands, so suddenly I'm a bit bummed out thinking this is just
going to be another mid-pack finish, but it turns out that only one
other guy finished in my category - 3mn ahead, no way I could have
caught him. Ty comes in a couple minutes later, pretty impressive for
someone who never rode the course before... the blood on his number
plate tells the story, it would have been pretty close without that crash.
Great race altogether, both my legs and back were feeling great this
year compared to last year, I guess getting ahead in the first climb
is a good plan because I didn't have to push hard in the second lap
and I was never held back too badly. Plus I finally beat Loren - I
mean I turned around half way up the first climb and pffft - he was
gone, nowhere to be seen. Smoked him.

Raphael had a pretty good race too. I didn't lap him this year, so he
was much faster. Took 4th out of 5 again unfortunately , but the other
kids where all 14... tough to keep up with them on the climbs.

Big thanks to Matt for bringing the Moose Drool at the finish, that
was much appreciated!