It was a good way to end the season. Cold but nice weather, lots of good food and beverages, good company with a little race thrown in.
I had a little different plan this year. I wanted to start off a little easier, and save some energy for the part of the trail past Williamsburg road. It backfired a little. The first part of the trail was faster than its ever been. I kept a decent pace, kind of out on my own. The first section of singletrack was really icy. Luckily I was about the 5th back in a group of about 10 going in. The first guy went down on the ice, big pile up that I was able to get around and ride it out cautiously. Back on the fast two track I was feeling good, cruising along when I noticed my stomach hurt. Pulled up my jersey to see purple skin! Tucked my jersey in my shorts, pulled them up a bit to cover up what looked like frost bite and continued on. Hit some snow and ice before Williamsburg, but nothing major. It was after Williamsburg that it got really slick, and I decided it was in my best interest to take it easy, keep it upright and enjoy the ride. The traffic started getting a little heavier and people were going down, so I just rode along. I didnt need to crash and get hurt again this year. The last 3 or 4 miles is where I started to hurt a little on the climbs. I imagine due to not having any fluids for 2 hours as my bottles were frozen from the start. I spun a small gear up them, rode through the finish with a time of 2:12:18. Slower than the last couple years but the conditions were pretty tough. I thought I was pretty slow, but seeing the results I was 15th in my age group out of 113, so it wasnt so bad after all. I didnt really push it on the ice. Had I known it was there I would have dialed it up a bit on the first half. Either way it was a great to end a crazy 2010 MTB season bonk and crash free. A cross race or 2 in the weeks to come and it will be time for some frozen dirt road rides and putting the bike on the trainer for the winter. Dosent that sound like fun?
Ahh, Thanksgiving. A time where my fellow Hot Doggers join me in a celebration of Gluttony as we watch our beloved Detroit Pussycats embarrass themselves live on National Television. Some of us will be taking a time-out from our Weight Watchers, South Beach Diets and Training Bibles and enjoying this special day with friends and family. It's a day of rest and relaxation where we can reflect on what we're most thankful for and start to set our sights on the real important question: "What bike stuff do I want for X-Mas?"
