It feels good to have the first WORS race in the books. I had an amazing amount of excitement to get on the bike for this race, more than usual. Not because I was feeling well or that liked my chances or even that I liked my form, but because I wanted to race my bike. I think it’s the optimism coming out of me. It is the thought of a new start, a new season. I enjoy going around in circles on single track pushing my limits against the best in the Midwest and arguably some of the best in the country. 10..9..8..7..6..5……..GOOOOOOOO!
Not knowing how the call up process was going to be I got my warm up in early so I could get to the line early. I warmed up with Mike Anderson (29er Crew.) It was good to catch up with him. It’s the great thing about WORS. You can warm up with your closest competitors and not feel like you’re talking to the enemy. There is some great camaraderie in the group and I love that about the series. It was the same for the pre-ride when I warmed up with the Adventure 212 crew Darrin, Mike, Ryan, and Wheel and Sprocket/Vision rider Nate. For a whole lap Ryan and I talked about bikes. What a great way to start the season catching up with friends. Sorry, back to the race. Luckily I didn’t have to worry about my start because I received a call up for my 12th overall finish last year in the series. It was good enough for a 2nd line call up. I found this to be important especially in Iola where they send you up hill immediately. The start is tight and there was quite a bit of handle bar rubbing but I crested the first climb safely and positioned myself top 10 for the first decent. I knew the deal breaker would be the next 3 climbs. I positioned well and climbed with the front group for the first 2. As we descended back down into the bowl at warp speeds the line strung out and caused quite the snap on the 3rd climb. After going anaerobic for the first 2 climbs and entering anaerobic for the 3rd I found myself about 3 seconds off the front group with just not enough anaerobic left to reattach.
I floated off the back watching the guys ascend the next big climb and gave all I could to get back on but they were flying off the front. We entered the first single track and they slowly disappeared. Determined to not let it go and seeing a few others that fell off I put out some efforts to catch back on but never could regain. I decided to settle in and found an all day race companion Ron Stawicki. We quickly gelled and traded sections of the trail to pull ourselves through the course. We were joined on the 3rd lap by Ted Hanes but only for a brief second as he shot off the front leaving it back to Ron and me. For 3 laps we traded sections of the trails. I let his single speed pull us up hills at a high clip and I upped the speeds on the flats and faster single track to keep the pace high. On the 4th lap Ron led the majority pulling us on a hot lap. The 5th lap and final lap Ron asked, “So when do you want to start racing?” My response, “When my legs come back.” A small joke between us because we knew it was us battling for the final spots in the top 10. Once again he put strong efforts up the hills and I let myself fade ever so slightly knowing as we crested I could bring it back. At the start of the single track I jumped to the front and decided to stay steady until he wanted the lead again but I was determined not to give it up. We were then greeted by dozens of lapped riders and although every one of them was very respectful and moved as quick as they could it really through a wrench in our race. Every time I passed I would ask, “Ron, you there?” I just didn’t want to win between us because of lapped traffic. He soon replied, “Thank you, but its part of racing.” Before entering the last sections of single track I put a small attack up a hill and found the very small gap I needed. I never separated myself by a lot but had just enough to finish the final sections at a good speed and a 9th place.
I’m very pleased with the first race. It is something I look forward to as it’s the first sign of form and fitness. Although it is not the "tell all" it can carry a lot of meaning, confirming the months of preparation leading into it. I felt very consistent and my tempo pace was comfortable. The higher efforts hurt, as they should, but I could not hold them as long as needed. The good thing, the endurance I have gave me quick recovery after the hard efforts. I have one more week of big hours on base 2 and then I will be able to concentrate on race prep a bit more.
Here is to the start of another season!
Pictures and Video to come.
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