Figured i need to start prep'ing for the defence of the stars and stripes due up in Vermont in July, ...so this weekend, Santa Ynez. Sure didn't need tarmac to bake down there, melted a couple of times in those grass fields ...... So, some crazy idea came to me that doing SuperD would be a good healthy mix and add to the fun at Natz ("what for?" said Mark Noble, no kidding). With lots of trepidation, even until the start.... it began with a 6 beep countdown and the ugliest example of how to take the first off camber corner... well, that was motivation and the yell of my name, to get me sprinting hard and flying down the first cross hill single track descent... if ya want'ta go fast, don't touch the breaks ... but look out for the launching rollers just before the narrow bend... if ya get to much air ... off the trail you go and down the hill... and maybe not upright. being not real good at these high speed 2 wheel dirt meneuvers ... i was scrubbing tons of speed in the not so banked 180s.... S turning at the bottom creekbed run, then shooting a straight line to the flats, ..not all on purpose, spooking the last of the fans. I headed into the pedal section, and saw I was catching 2 guys in front of me, winding out and back and slamming the rocky dry creek bottom, sprinted for a 180 and the line. All that in just 6 minutes, pretty fun,..dangerous?!!! and a 2nd place in the 40+. not bad first try for a skinny tyre boy, who likes dirt. but it wrecked my real chances for the next day and the event I really came for.
Was it the waiting around till 7 at night to start, or the 3 hours of XC course pre ride, or all the different warm ups for the delayed super d, that sucked the needed mojo outa my legs (head) to stay with the socal "legend" (?) KK (kevin kettler)? ... oh yeh, he gave me a lots of his history too. funny thing was, at the line, as the defending champ, no mention, OK. He and I sprinted away at the first rise, but he had no interest in helping, making short pulls and then sitting up, he said nothing. guess he wanted to solo.. not knowing much about dirt tactics and figuring with all the open climbing, the guy with the best legs would take it. ... for a 50's expert race mid season, he was a bit too steely, ...couldn't get a word out of him, and he wouldn't work... boy I was in trouble, ... and so on the back of the course, I found out how bad my leg were from yesterday's over work,.. when kk attacked up the dirt road climbmy legs wouldn't respond ... he got around 5 or 6 guys and began to open up a gap as we bombed down another high speed single track. you had to pass where there was no room, sometimes shoving uys out of the way...... the gap seemed like it got pretty big, but I must'ta closed it some near the end when motivated by the line nearing, cause at the finish it was just ~30".
learned some lesson this weekend about the mtb scene that will help as it comes closer to Natzs, things are a lot different back east and Mt snow is known as the most technical is the US... couldn't be a lot trickier than SunPeaks worlds par-course.
But I'll have to say, going downhill fast has its' appeal.
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