The first cut is the deepest...

First race of the year is over with and it's good to get things rolling again. I put this one on, leading to a bit of stress and sleeplessness in the nights before the race due to multiple surprise issues popping up last minute. Regardless, Lost Valley is a pure fitness course and I am never going to be super competitive at a place like this. I wonder why I decide to use this course for my race..

The race was a roaring success, 177 racers, which is a level not achieved locally in a very long time. I don't know if it was the merging of our state series, the pent up need for speed or the sweet spring weather, but it was really cool to see a legitimate turnout at a MTB race. I certainly hope this trend continues throughout the coming months.

As for my race, I had a better start than last year and stayed locked onto the train as it raged down the Hamburg onto Lost Valley. Halfway up the initial climb, a group detached off the front and I found myself in a chase of three for the first half a lap. Through the glorious new singletrack and onto the snaking climb, I held on. Toward the end of this section, I let a little gap open and before I knew it, the 35+ experts slotted into said gap and I began losing ground. For the rest of the race, I slowed, unable to push the required heartrates on the flats. I yo-yo'ed back and forth with some people, but ultimately faded throughout the race. I ended up ninth, which I was happy with. I came to the race hoping to improve my result from last year and finish top ten. Job done. It's true that several people in front of me had mechanicals or DNF'ed, but that's part of the game. I am satisfied as my finishing time was five minutes slower than last year, but when factoring in the additional two miles of singletrack per lap, I actually rode a fair amount faster. Additionally, I feel good about the 37 minute first lap. Not so bad for my first effort of the year. Hopefully, there's no where to go but up and I'm certainly looking forward to this weekend's Rim Wrecker. There's more to come...