So I arrived at the NVDC, well rested and ready to go.  After a quick ride up to the run up, I realized that the course was going to be super muddy.  What a bummer.  I came back and it looked I had just finished an entire race, covered in mud.  I headed over to the start line and had Peter and Doug right behind me.  We sort of screwed up and somehow wound up way in the back of our start which was sport men groups including everyone from 14-39.  The guy said go and with the first pedal stroke, the guy in front of me snapped his chain.  Most people made it around, but I sorta got stuck.  So there I was, way in the back for the start of the race. 

 

I slowly picked people off in the first mile or so.  I made it by Peter, and could see maybe 30-40 people ahead of me.  Yikes.  I kept on it pretty hard, up the run up and tried to get in behind a wheel and draft my way towards the single track.  Man, there were a lot of inexperienced, fast roadies out there.  Lots of slipping and sliding and almost taking me out.  On the first woopty doo, this guy blows it and hangs up right in front of me.  I got around him, and the next woopty doo, another guy blows it, but I manage to get around him and off we go.  Time to start reeling them in.

 

We hit the single track and I got stuck behind these two guys for at least 15 minutes.  They were having a hard time getting around people and wouldn't pull over for me.  It was the first time I really got mad at someone in a race.  But I kept my cool and just encouraged them to close the gap and keep up the pace.  I got by them before the end of the single track, but but one of them ended up passing me later on the the fire roads.

 

When I hit the downhill sections, I was pretty close to all alone.  I had one roady get in before me on some single track, but he soon realized he was holding me up and let me by.  Man, I was flying down those hills.  I took a little dive in to the mud once, but right back on the bike and at it again.  I wish I was going a little slower at one point.  These guys had driven some seriously hard core 4x4 trucks in and parked them at the bottom of some of the sketchy downhills.  Probably to cart downed riders out.  But from the split second glimpse I got, they looked pretty bad ass.

 

So I started the death march and saw Paule from Roaring Mouse walking his bike.  I yelled at him and told "you're suppose to ride it".  Then when I passed him, he wasn't even on his SS.  Sheesh.  I kept with it, riding maybe 75% of it.  About half way up I saw a TWW jersey and noticed it was Jeff.  I sneaked up behind him and as I passed him, said hello.  He didn't look to happy that the rookie was passing him.  I kept with it, slowly catching and dropping guys until it got to the point where the last 2 miles or so were a little less steep.  With nobody in sight, I really pushed it.  A single speeder ended up catching me, and we worked together on the flats a little, but I was too burnt out.  But off in the distance when I hit the airport, I saw another guy.  So off I go again.  I ended up passing him right as we hit the track.  When I looked back I noticed he was an expert rider.  We pushed each other a little, but in the end, we just cruised across the line.  I ended up 5th.  But if they hadn't consolidated age groups, I would have been 2nd in 30-34.  Oh, and would've been 11th of 16 in expert 30-39.  Not too shabby.

 

All in all, I had a blast.  The weather turned out to be great for the entire race.  And the only muddy parts were near the start and the last little single track before you pop out by the track. 

 

Matt

5/35 Sport Men 30-39

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