FM:Race Report - GSC #3: Fort Yargo State Park in Winder, GA

I have to say this is the most prepared I have ever been for a race. For starters, I had accompanied the rest of the FM MTB team to not one but two pre-ride sessions at Ft. Yargo in the past week or so. And we had this trail licked - we were pumpin' the turns, crestin' the burms, and mashin' the flats like it was our home course. The night before the race, we stayed in Athens with some generous friends, and got really pumped up watching the exemplary athletic display that was the Athens Twilight Criterium. If I ever hear a roadie tell me again that they don't ride mountain bikes because it's too dangerous, I'm just going to shake my head. I personally watched at least 10 racers go down hard, at speeds pushing 30 mph. The sounds of crackling plastic bicycles still rings in my ears. I was not surprised at all to learn that cycling Criteriums are a strictly American phenomenon. This was NASCAR on two wheels, and the Athens rednecks were out in full force to prove my point.

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast prepared by Aaron and Elisa, we headed to the trail to learn that our start was at 11:30, not 9:30. No problem - more time to warm up, stretch, and set up our sweet FM Headquarters. Rumors were flying that the race course was shortened to 5 miles (from 11), of which we were to race only two laps. Now this might sounds counter-intuitive, but short races are really hard. This bothered me (I like long races where there are plenty of chances for my opponents to crash, have mechanicals, etc.). Crazy Legs Crenshaw, A. Ron Burgandy and I set out to pre-ride the 5 mile course at a nice easy pace, and learned after 11 miles of doing so that the rumors were false. Ok, maybe we were a bit too warmed up for our race.

The race start was sloppy, fast, and demoralizing (as usual). Aaron got jacked up by an overzealous rider right away, and I found myself chasing a 63 pound little kid..... and he was dropping me fast! The only way I could muster the conviction to keep pedaling was to reassure myself that he was not in my category (19-29 yr olds) and that he was doping.

The rest of the race is hard to remember because it was so hard. I really wanted to do better than I had done in the previous races, and I really pushed myself. On the second lap, I learned why we have teammates even in an individual sport like XC. Aaron found my back wheel and stayed there, motivating me to push it on the climbs (he was single-speeding it and needed to keep up his momentum) and somehow keeping up as I big-ring-mashed on the descents. We crossed the finish line together and joined our awesome race supporters: X-topher, Roger, Axe, Christy, Morgan, and Elisa.

Durkie was standing there, looking fresh and rejuvenated. It turns out he suffered a series of tough crashes in the first lap and made the wise choice to spend the second half of the race wading in the lake.

When the race results were posted, I learned that I once again placed squarely in the middle of the pack. I think my knick-name is going to have to be "12th place" if I keep this shit up. But that wasn't what completely crushed my ego. The real kick in the balls was watching the podium when they handed out the medals for our 19-29 yr old sport category. ALL FIVE of the top five racers were children!! And there was the 63 pound, 13 year old doper taking 5th place! Not a single adult on the podium! The guy that took first could not even legally open his prize champaign bottle! Oh the utter, demoralizing inhumanity!

My legs are blasted, my ego is bruised, and my bike is making lots of strange noises. This race was hard. Even Crazy Legs Crenshaw posted his first non-podium finish of the season.

And this weekend is Dirt, Sweat and Gears: a 12 hour XC race in Tennessee. I hope the kids stay home for this one. Except for Morgan.