My alarm went off this morning at 4:30. Needless to say, I rolled over and hit the snooze button. Thankfully I had the foresight to set a second alarm which reminded me that I did really need to get up if I was going to make it do Maryland in time to register and get warm before the start. Slowly I did manage to roust myself and stumble downstairs to assemble some quick food and get the coffee going. Sophie looked at me longingly as loaded the car and pulled out of the driveway at 5AM and I certainly thought she had the right idea as she rolled back up in her bed.
The sun crept up as I drove down through the narrows providing me with some lovely sunrise aesthetics as I struggled to stay awake on the road. As I drove through Harrisburg and then Lancaster the sun rose higher and the air got warmer. By the time I arrived at the Fair Hill State Park at 8 it was not quite hot, but warmer than you want it to be at 8AM. I parked and headed to registration, looking out for familiar faces to get a sense of the scale of the field. With my number in hand I headed back to the car to find a shady spot to nap for 15 minutes before suiting up and trying to take the day seriously.
At 9 I got dressed and headed down to the course to get a sense of the trails. I watched the beginners start at 9 and then investigated the tail end of the course backwards. It had the feel of a typical peri-urban trail system; lots of convoluted turns, a mix of hard pack dirt and loose cobbles and non-stop rollers. Back up towards the parking area I located the VisitPA tent and got a glimpse of the competition. Wes, Yozell, Hebe, and Ray were all staying cool in the shade ahead of the start. I joined them there and we spotted out the others from our field as they milled about; the boys from Bear Naked/Cannondale, the Alessio twins, and a couple of Trek semi-pros. There was also a good turn out of single speeders (Fat Marc and the boys), but most of them were sticking to the single speed category despite the relatively single-friendly course.
At 9:35 Wes and I headed over towards the start for a little warm up spin and pulled up to the line with 3 minutes to spare. We were off quickly through a section of open field and then a long double track. The dry weather left the course really dusty and I could barely see what was going on in front of me, content just to follow the cloud of dust and spin as fast as I could. The start went off fast and I was struggling to stay on top of my gear until we got off the dusty stuff and on to some proper single track where my gearing was more on par with those around me. The group held together around the first set of twisting turns and started to break up as the course headed up a longer section of climbing switchbacks. I got caught behind a few sluggish climbers and the guys behind be got impatient and started cutting corners on the few downhill turns to gain position. I’m a little wary of the ethics of cutting corners so I held back a little longer and made my move to get around whenever there was a little more room. After a bit of climbing we popped out on an open field section where I was able to make a move and gain a few more places (thanks to a nudge from Kevin as I passed). The gaps had formed and were holding and we I headed back into the singletrack with only a few other riders in sight.
It went up, it went down, it went left, it went right. The course was very active, never much of an opportunity to sit and tick the miles off. But it was fun, and the turns were mostly well banked and suited to the big wheels; though there were a few sections that were too tight and I did think a shorter wheelbase might have been an advantage. I found myself alone for a while and was able to regain my breathing and heartrate after the start, but started the hear the clanging of chains and deraileurs behind me and so had to pick up the pace again.
A little before the first water stop I caught up to the Wissahickon rider ahead of me, and I sat in on his wheel for a while. We traded off time in the lead and were starting to build up a good rhythm. Just after water, which we both blew through, we came through a tight little rock and tree feature and, in the wide open, flat trail behind hit I somehow lost my grip with my right hand. The wheel turned and I went flying over the bike, landing on my chest. I did the quick spot check: wrists, collarbone; and saw that nothing was broken and got back on fast. I’d managed to scrape up both knees and one elbow, but I was mostly OK. I was shaky for a while and had lost my lead man so I couldn’t even rely on the watching the rider ahead of me to get me through the twists and turns. Thankfully I managed to keep the pace high enough to stay ahead of the riders behind me and rode alone for a good part of the next 5 miles.
Somewhere, a few miles after I crashed there was a beer stop (I presume unsanctioned). Thea heat was coming up and I needed a little something to relax me after the crash so I called up for a handoff. I’m not sure many ahead of me had done so because they seemed a bit shocked that I really wanted it. But I made the grab (a paltry 3 oz) and managed to get a small gulp down my throat, and most of the rest on my hands and arms.
In the space between the two water stops I started getting passed by the riders that had either had early mechanicals or had missed the start. Ray Adams came flying by me in an open section and Mike Yozell (who had accidentally started with the single speeders after us) caught me as we went into a section of tight turns. Mike brought with him another geared rider and we all three rode together for a while before I bobbled on a root and they slowly crept away.
The second water stop was a lifesaver as the temperature was becoming an issue and their water was really cold. I managed to get some cold water on my head and and got the legs spinning at speed again. I was caught by a few other riders from the sport and master’s categories which gave me someone to ride with for a bit and we yo-yo’d most of the way to the finish, me going to the front on the ups, them gaining ground in the flats. Finally, I saw a sign that said 3.2 miles, and shortly thereafter a guy saying 1 mile, at which point I hit the trail that I had scoped out in the morning and knew I was close. There were two guys ahead of me as we headed into the pavilion for the finish, both from different categories, but I spun up to finish as fast as I could anyway, with Strauber’s voice in my head yelling to always finish strong.
I finished 18th overall, 2 places lower than at Neshaminy but only 14 (or so, if memory serves me correctly) minutes off the lead time on a longer course. I was happy with my ride and pretty pleased with my result in a pretty tough field. Trek riders took the Men’s and Women’s fields, but Wes flew the local flag high, taking second overall in the Elite field on his singlespeed. Big thanks tot he VisitPA boys for the shade and the cold beer after the race, it was well worth the ridicule (which only betrayed their admiration and jealousy) at my quick change back into street clothes and bug-eyed sunglasses.
Thankfully I wasn’t talked out of the course from the early nay-sayers. The trails were great perfect for the single. Some long sustained climbs might have better suited my riding. But this was much more fun!
I stuck around long enough for the awards and then loaded up and got back on the road for the 3 hours back. It was Amish rush hour though the Lancaster outlets which slowed progress a bit. I was caught off guard by the first buggy I saw, towing a young Amish man on a pair of rollerblades, which seemed a bit out of character, but then I saw another, and another!
I came back into town as everyone else was leaving form ArtsFest, and looked with pity at the miles and miles of traffic between Boalsburg and the narrows. For dinner Nita and I headed down College to the new burrito place. The name doesn’t exactly scream quality (Belly Buster Burritos’: Taqueria and Espresso Bar). And on the inside it was a typical college town burrito shack, not a taqueria. But the burritos were pretty good and they make their own queso. And they’ll be open late: midnight in the summer and 3AM during the school year. So, they won’t threaten the supremacy of El Campesino, but they will make life in State College a little bit nicer.
