Maisa and I drove up to Mountain Home, Arkansas this past Sunday so I could compete in the Pigeon Roast. The Roast is a 10 mile race around the Pigeon Creek Trail System. The setting was beautiful: lots of trees (the singletrack in Peru is amazing, but I love riding in the forest), right on Lake Norfolk.
My five week "training camp" in Peru definitely pushed me to a new level! The week leading up to the race I trained on the trails at Craighead. My legs felt really strong--I was pushing bigger gears. After spending nearly a month at 11,000 feet, I also felt like I was riding with an oxygen mask! (Now I understand why so many pros live and train at high altitudes.) So, I had high hopes for this race.
The starting line was on a paved road, about half a mile from the trail. I quickly jumped to the front of the group. I didn't intend to, actually. My plan was to ride in second or third position for most of the race, since I had never seen the course before, and then try to pass a few people at the finish. But I felt good, the paved road turned uphill, and as we entered the trail I found myself at the front. So I decided I would stay there as long as I could. About a mile in I wiped out in a "rock garden". The crash wasn't too bad, but five or six people passed me while I climbed back on my bike.
When I got going again, I noticed that my front fork wasn't functioning properly. Since I was on my hardtail it almost felt like I had no suspension at all! I had to approach the remaining obstacles with a little more caution.
Just before the race, two of my competitors had warned me about some of the climbs on the course. After the mountains Russo took me over, these climbs weren't bad at all. The grades were nothing, actually, but the gravel did make it difficult to get traction. Still I was able to pass several people on the next two climbs.
The first five miles were definitely the most difficult--more technical, those few climbs, lots of gravel (my least favorite terrain). The last five miles were pretty fast. My almost-suspension-less bike had me bouncing around everywhere, though.
As we approached the finish line, I passed one more rider. He stayed close, though, and we ended up sprinting for the finish. (You gotta give the fans a show!) I took third place. The winner came in at 1:04, second place at 1:06, and I stopped the clock at 1:07. It was definitely a stronger performance than my ride at Tour de Forest. (I took third place there, too, but the field wasn't as competitive.) I felt good at the finish--my legs weren't tired, I wasn't out of breath. I think I could have gone faster. I'll try again next Sunday!
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