I Mudd

After some trials and tribulations, finally got to attend the much vaunted Mudslinger race. This is usually the first mountain bike race of the season, and has a huge attendance. I could never ascertain the reason for this, but I postulated it was only popular because it was the first opportunity for training-happy racers to show their stuff after coming out of hibernation, during which they spent 9 hours a day on the trainer. It can't be for the quality of the trails, which are still pretty wet and muddy. And ditto for the weather.

So last year I signed up but never made it, due to an inconvenient early spring snowstorm that resulted in my abandoning the early morning 3-hour drive across the Pass, because I didn't want to risk my life fighting through snow at high speed to make it there on time, and then of course there was the fact that it would probably be pissing down as much rain on the Other Side as snow on this side. So yeah, much easier to go back to bed and forget about it.

This year was determined not to repeat the past, and planned to leave the night before and camp out near the race. I was just about to start packing the van, and doing a pre-trip check on the vehicle, when I noticed a large burp on the front tire sidewall. Hmm, definitely some sidewall separation going on here, don't want to be doing any treacherous Pass driving on this here car - no sir. Well, maybe take the smaller Subaru, in which case would have to tent it (as opposed to sleep in van). Check forecast : raining and low of 42 - not fun for setting up tent. Alright, change plans and get up at 5am to drive over in the morning, just like last year. And the funny thing is, there is a snowfall warning until 5am the next day. Sheeyit, deja vu.

So get up at 5am - no snow around here or anywhere, so all systems go. Briefly contemplate abandoning back to bed, cuz race forecast is kinda chilly and wet, but of course go for it anyways... Drive through a bit of snow, and arrive by 9am at the cold and damp race start area. Large crowd as usual, and start near the back of the Expert group. I'm not feeling too rabid, only been on the MTB a few days, had some weird intestinal bug earlier in the week that had me horizontal for a coupla days - blah blah blah excuses - so just planning on going at a good steady pace and see what happens.

The rain holds off at the start, and we set off on a steady climb up fire roads for the first little while. Then an abrupt turn into singletrack, and the fun begins, as the muddy slop of trail is first encountered. Man, with only 50 or so riders in front of me, it's already turned to mushy crap, what will it be like the 2nd lap ? I hold my position mostly for the first hour or so, with only the occasional single-speeder (they started a bit later) getting by. I don't pass anybody either, which means I'm still in the latter part of my class. But feel great, constantly outputting over 100% of LTHR. The mudfest on the singletrack is actually starting to be fun - no traction at all - just controlled sliding. The occasional rider can be seen clambering back up slick slopes to the trail, after a wash-out and tumble down the side. Interspersed with the single track are some great fire-road vistas, and the overall experience is somewhat more pleasant than I had anticipated.

The first lap ends in a fun twisty downhill slick-fest, and back onto the fireroads for Big Climb #2. The legs are starting to fail a bit now. The Lungs are having a relatively easy time, and are finding Legs to be a bit of a party-pooper.
After a downhill section, Legs have decided to demonstrate their displeasure by cramping up. Now we all have to go slow because of stupid Legs. Amazingly the trail conditions have not deteriorated as I had presumed - in fact in some cases things seem to have improved - perhaps all the really squishy mud has been splashed off to the sides by the passage of riders.

On the last downhill, pass a bunch of people who are mud-sliding slowly, and get onto the road for the final climb to the finish - a gradual 2 or 3 mile affair that is exceedingly annoying after racing for over 2.5 hours. I expect many of the people I passed on the downhill will now be gaining on me. After a while, look back, and sure enough there's a posse of 4 or 5 riders getting closer. Push a little harder if that's possible, and when I look back they are gone. Almost at the finish, there's 1 behind me surging ahead. But I have absolutely no gas for a sprint, so have to let 'em by. I end up 10th out of 15 - my worst ever result in Expert I think ! Oh well can only go up from here ?

And thus ends the soggy muddy saga. It had started raining for the last hour or so, so that was a nice touch. Needless to say, the bike was weighed down with an extra few pounds of mud. My shorts looked like I'd just won a beer and shnitzel eating contest, and then enema'd myself. So yeah, a good time.