where did i leave off?? the Georgia State Championship series ended with a race at Fort Mountain on July 20th and then the finale at the 'Pig Trails' in Macon on August 3rd. these courses were near opposites but both great races.
GSC #7 - Chatsworth, GA - Fort Mountain:
A ~6 mile course where we would do 3 laps. Not sure why I bother explaining every time, but I once again showed up late and didn't get a chance for a pre-ride. This time I barely even got to start. The racers were on the line while I was signing in. I paid and ran over to line up and the guys were giving me a hard time. Some of them are used to watching me fly off the trail on the first lap due to surprises. They asked if I had a chance to look at the finish - I hadn't... They explained that the end of the lap was a downhill that looked like a downhill ski run and followed the straight down power lines.
The whistle blows and I think there were 15 or 16 of us for my group. I try to mash for position at the start and come unclipped from my pedal. I'm trying to get clipped back in as the group pulls away from me - only 30 feet into the race and I'm dead last! We make it to the singletrack and it goes straight up! The group turns into single file and starts climbing - me still in the very back. The rider in 9th or 10th position falls on the climb and we are stuck waiting for him to get up and clear the trail. The lead group pulls away and we get going again. The course opened up after the first mile for some doubletrack and I was able to make some passes. I was really loving this course! It was up and down and tough. I felt good and figured that since I had a bad start and the lead group got away instantly I would just enjoy the ride and work for a top 10 and hope for a 5th or 6th. I was going back and forth with a couple guys I had raced all series and we were pushing each other really hard.... After some great rolling grunt climbs and rocks and fast sections, I hit a tough rock garden about 50 meters long which is followed by a straight up switchback and more climbing. The climb was rocky and long and when I reach the top and the clearing I notice the power lines above. We turn right and drop off the side of the mountain for the final descent of the lap. It was crazy fast and hard to keep the tires on the ground. About half way down I'm hearing cheering and heckling from the announcer... from the bottom of the descent you could watch the entire thing. What a great place to watch the race! Lap 1 was over and I now knew the course and had 2 more to go.
The 2nd and 3rd laps were super fun and from what I remember, I was still having fun with it even though there were some painful sections. Until maybe half way into the 3rd lap I was still fighting for what I assumed was about 5th place with a Dedicated Athlete rider. We had exchanged positions a few times at this point. I finally pull away from him on a climb and I didn't see him again. My 3rd time up the long ending climb and I'm anticipating the downhill on the other side and then the cold beer. I'm climbing and come up on a racer. He is nearly falling off his bike. He tells me as I pass him that he "couldn't hold me off any longer... enjoy second place". I thought he was messing with me so I gasped back... "seriously!?" I crest the climb and fly down the otherside while being heckled some more. I cross the finish line and right then my rear tire blows out. Yes! and great timing! Results are posted and the guy wasn't kidding after all. Finished 2nd and loved it. Possibly my favorite course of the series.
GSC #8 - Macon, GA - Pig Trail:
We had a couple extra hours before this race due to an 11:30AM start. Of course that meant more time in bed rather than leaving early and considering any pre-ride - and temps around 90 degrees at the start. From what I had heard, this was a wide open, flat and fast course. It was a ~8 mile course and we would race for 3 laps. Most of the course was super fast where standing up and mashing in the big ring was the only way to keep up.
I had a good start and was having a pretty good race at about 5 miles in. Too early to get comfortable! I was in 3rd (i believe there were 17 at the start) and did not see anyone in front or behind me. Then.... the course had some new re-routes that were tight, steep and rooty. I am clearly not good at mixing the two styles - wide open speed then tight, technical and slower. It's not the first time I had run into this problem. I hear some riders catching up and as I push harder I get more clumsy. On a particularly tight and rooty switchback I went into in the entirely wrong gear and when I attempt to quickly gear down my bike has some ridiculous chain suck. I tried to back it out but nothing was helping. I could either move another inch and risk snapping my chain or jump off the bike and use my fingers to relieve my chain. As soon as I dismount I am passed by 2 racers. I never saw them again and I was trying to catch up. I did actually see them through the trees a couple times but I think they were further up the trail than it seemed due to number of turns in the trail.
I'm still riding as fast as I know how and I believe that I am holding onto 5th place after my mechanical. I actually have to dismount at least five more times for the chainsuck issue... I think it had a lot to do with the dry and dirty conditions and a stiff link. My chain was in bad need of lube. About half way through the 3rd lap I am passed by a guy with 8xx (eight hundred and something) on his calf. I sit on his wheel for a short bit and decide to let him go since he wasn't in my category (my cat was always in the 700s). After the race I find out that there were several racers in my category that were given the wrong number! The guy that I let go was racing against me - I ended up in 6th for the race. Bummer.
I had secure a 2nd place overall for the Georgia State Championship Series!! The race was followed by a dinner and banquet where palques and tons of prizes were given out.
Final Standings
I really enjoyed the GSC series and learned a lot about my racing. The promoters, racers, and friends were all great and made this summer one of my best ever. I said earlier that I wouldn't commit to the entire series next season. I will probably race a handfull and will try to avoid getting into the points chase. I may move up to the Expert category and race for top 10 finishes rather than the podium. The difference between Sport and Expert seems to be maintaning the race pace for an additional lap. I'll need to find more endurance before next spring!
**to catch up i will have to put out a report for Fool's Gold '08 and FM.24.08. click the linkys for some scoop (think DREADNOK).
The only race I have remaining on my 'schedule' is next weekend's Festival of Speed down at Dick Lane Velodrome. The pro races should be really exciting with some big names coming to town.
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