MisSOULa pt. 2

After a night of racing the STXC I returned to my hotel very tired. I took a shower and cleaned things up and laid down on my bed to relax. Next thing I knew I was waking up at 4 in the morning with the TV on and the lights in my eye. Guess I was tired. I turned things off and went back to bed to get some more sleep. At a more reasonable 9am I awoke to a text from David Flaten to get some breakfast.

After breakfast it was to the hotel to prepare for the day. I packed everything up and made the short drive over to the race course. I wasn’t able to get anymore laps in on the course like I wanted to but I rode around the lodge area and up to the top of the climb on the spectator trail. Hung out with friends some and watched some early races. Around 2:30 I got in the car for a late lunch to get ready for the race. Whereas the night before was a little bit hectic and nervous, I was calm while getting ready for the XC. It’s the main event but like I said, the STXC is good at getting you in a groove. It was just going through to motions, very comfortably. I made sure the bike was working well, pinned up, had some more snacks and got my bottles ready. It was pretty quiet as far as stories go, but in this case no news is good news.

I repeated the warm up from the day before as I feel like it was a good procedure to follow. I made my way over to the start line and pedaled around with everyone else getting ready for the insanity to start. The nerves were starting to set in. I was surprised earlier in the day when I was so calm, but happy because being nervous is just a waste of energy. But the tension and nervousness before the race can be a good thing as long as you stay focused. It’s a good way to tell your body to get ready for a hard effort. I was also happy to not be called up last J.

We were at the start line waiting for a few minutes, so I had time to look up the starting grid. It’s pretty surreal when you see the best racers in the world standing in front of you suited up and itching to do what they do best. It’s a similar feeling I had when I first started racing Elite WORS. Lining up next to Brian and Tristan, that was a huge deal to me. It still is actually, but I guess I’m used to it now. They are more friends than Idols now. Just saying that is pretty cool to me. But the time to be star struck was short because when the gun went off it was an all-out effort. You might wonder why XCO racers don’t sprint at the end of the race, it is in part to the fact that they sprint at the start. It really is akin to a full flight sprinter at the end of a road race. It’s as hard as you can go for 15 seconds and for 1 minute, and then settle in because you’re going to go as hard as you can go for 1 hour…for 1.5 hours.

I struggled at the start. Everyone knows that WORS starts are not easy, but they have become familiar to me. The start of a Pro XCT race is only familiar to me in that I’ve done all out 1 minute efforts before. It hurts really bad, and when it settles down the ones who really come out on top are the ones who can settle into the tempo the quickest. I struggled here too. It took me the first lap to feel “comfortable”. But I did find the tempo on the second time up the climb and I started making passes. I was feeling good. Coach Gordy would ask, “was it a peak good feeling?”. I would say it didn’t feel like one, but probably because it didn’t matter how good I felt, I was still chasing from the back of the pack. So I think I had amazing legs, but it’s hard to say that when you are losing 3 minutes a lap to the leaders.

The race continued on like this with little variance in the laps. I was passing 3-4 guys a lap. I was out climbing those around me and hold or beating others on the descents. I was too focused to feel happy about it but looking back it was amazing to feel like that. Making passes like that in a Pro XCT, and one of the most difficult fields in the US save maybe nationals. Coming in to finish lap 5 and see one to go I could hear that the leaders were only a few minutes behind me. I was pretty stocked to come through and see the 1 to card. I wasn’t expecting to be pulled, but it was a relief to know I wouldn’t be pulled. And that was only more motivation for me. I made a few extra passes on that last lap but coming into the finish I could tell that the legs were spent and I had given it all. That’s as good as gold in situation. I rolled in for 22^nd place. No points but I’m not far off. I did my best to cool down and packed the car up.

It was a 3 scoop kind of night. Hard racing can make the legs sore, Mike Mix can fix that.

From here it was a big decision to make. There was an after party being held in town. I really wanted to go. I actually almost did. But I had class Monday morning and work that afternoon. I did some quick math in my head and partying that night was all but out of the question. I made the call to start my long drive.

I started off into the night. A friend from Madison, Revere was staying at a place with some friends near Livingston. He was kind enough to invite me to stay the night. I was worried that I’d be arriving too late, but when I said it would 1am he said no problem. I was floored. That kind of kindness is what keeps this world the wonderful place that it is. Hanging out with Revere, his family and friends, that next morning was a lot of fun, especially after a well-deserved good night’s slept. But that kind of generosity is inspiring to me, it really makes me want to pass it on. So thanks a ton Revere!

 

In the morning I began the long drive home. But it promised to be a little more interesting than the way out. I was taking I-90 home through S Dakota and had a chance to some good research on trails. I planned a stop in Rapid City for some riding and food. Best life choice ever! After 6 hours of driving I arrived at some amazing trials in Rapid City.  It was 20 miles of up and down technical rocky sandy single track. Even after the previous day’s effort I felt like I could just go hard. I could feel my legs were tired, but not too bad (go Mikes Mix!). But the trails were so much fun that I just couldn’t stop myself. I rode for 2 hours and then hit up the local brew pub for a beer and a burger. All in all, Rapid City is pretty awesome.

And that just leaves one last part to this story, getting home. It was an amazing weekend, but nothing compares to getting home after so much travel. There was not sleeping Sunday night, but it was still a relief to be home. Go to class and then work, back to the routine.

Finally what were the lessons from the weekend? Not too much to be honest. I did everything right. Given the legs I have I went as fast as I could. The legs were at their best and I made sure I didn’t waste it. I traveled to race the Pros, on their turf, and I’d say I did pretty well. The take away? I’m just not on the top racers level yet, but I am close. I toed in the most difficult field this country has to offer and I wasn’t just surviving, I was racing. I said in a tweet that a chance like this, to take your shot at your dream only comes once in a life, if you’re lucky. I can’t express the gratitude I have for being able to take my shot. And I can’t express the feeling of being able to come away with that dream still being alive. So thank you to my parents for lending a car. Thank you to KS Energy Services and Dennis Klumb for the support. Big thanks to Jason Kayzar and Dave Eckel for all their hard work organizing sponsors, and running this team. Emery’s Bike shop and Trek for getting me set up on the best gear. It takes a load off when you know you’re racing on the best and that it will just work. It makes a difference and it doesn’t cost extra. It’s just as simple throwing your leg over the right bike in the right shop. And finally thanks for all the support of my friends and family throughout the weekend. Every tweet and text kept me going full throttle.

 

So I’m home now, but tomorrow is all about packing up and doing it again. I’ll be heading out to Windham, NY for the next round of the Pro XCT with a freshman from UW cycling. It should be at least as awesome as Missoula, which is hard to believe is possible.