I was racing in Sport Men; we rode at 9:30am. I only really knew one person in my group, John G..
As the race started I dropped into 5th place or so out of the shoot. I was quickly passed by another couple riders including John. My goal for every race is to beat the people I know in my grouping. I find that not knowing many people in my grouping helps my goal.
I was able to stay on John's wheel soon after he passed me and was on it until the guy behind my told me to pass him. I passed John about .5 mile in and then passed two or three surprising slow riders just after that. I didn't understand how those slow riders were in front of me, they seemed like they were crawling on the trails.
In my eagerness to stay in front of John I went out way to fast and around mile 3.5 started slowing down. I was quickly passed by a couple of Sport Men. Somewhere in there I was passed by an Enduro rider who was riding crazy fast, I couldn't believe how fast this guy was going. It wasn't until mile 5 that the second place Enduro rider passed me. Around mile 4 or so John passed me and for a bit I hung with him. Ever so slowly, at first, he started to pull away, and soon I lost him. It was really devastating to get dropped liked that and there really was nothing I could do but ride on.
In the start of the second lap my back started hurting. My legs were still surprisingly spry, so I decided to stand on the hills to change the focus on my back. It worked and before long I was flying on the trails. I also tried the 'no-brakes' route on the hills and flew down them. Before too long I spotted John ahead of me. I knew at that point I was going to catch him. After two long downhills, I was right on his wheel again. At this point I remember thinking about all of those stupid race movies, and specifically, The Phantom Menace. The 2nd place racer has enough speed to catch the first place guy, but somehow not enough to pass him. I decided I would pass him, but on my terms. I was on the section of the trail by the creek that's really fast and towards the end of that section, I passed him.
After the race he said that I just took off and was gone. He jokingly asked if he said something to piss me off that made me get away from him. All that really happened was I felt good. I felt that I had an edge on the downhills and as I started to stand up on the uphills, I had an edge there as well.
After I passed him I kept on the gas and before too long I passed my first beginner. It's always nice to pass someone doing less laps than you, and that started after you. For the race I passed 5 beginners and 2 women, not sure of their group. I also passed a sport, a couple Enduros and a couple more people with mechanicals. For everyone that I passed, I say, 'Thank You!' You each recognized I was riding fast and left ample room for me to pass, just as I had done for those that passed me. No one that I passed slowed me down, it was a race first!
At the end of my second lap I decided to attack the rooty climb standing instead of sitting and realized, that rooty climb just sucks, no matter how you ride it. That little hill was the worst for me on the course.
Start of the 3rd lap I still had my energy going strong. Good thing too because I only had a bowl of Fruit Loops for breakfast and didn't have anything to eat during the race. I kept attacking the hills and now that I knew the course a little better I was able to carry momentum better through the turns. The last lap was pretty uneventful, just passed some folks here or there and had a pretty even race. Towards the end of the race, with no one behind me, and no one ahead, I brought my speed down a bit. I did finish fast up the last hill, but I took that rooty climb before it slower than I had previously.
After the race, I chatted for a little while before heading out. I have no clue about my results; I just know the time my wife kept. I'm pretty happy with my consistent times.
Lap 1: 34:04
Lap 2: 34:08
Lap 3: 34:58
