Overcoming adversity

How do you win a race? Certainly hard work and training go along way, but at some point you will have to face and overcome adversity. And adversity was what the WORS race # 11, the Bear Paw Rock n’ Roll was all about; adverse weather conditions, equipment malfunctions and lousy riding conditions. The Bear Paw Inn, after being rebuilt a few years ago after it was destroyed by a tornado, is not stranger to bad weather.

When I arrived on Saturday to do my preride it was already cool and raining. After a couple other riders assured me that the course was still in great shape, I decided to head out to ride the course. Maybe not the best decision I've ever made. The course was not in good shape when I started and got worse as the ride went on. As I rode, I could hear my drivetrain getting grittier and grittier, until it just stopped shifter altogether for a time. No matter what I did with the shifter my bike just stayed in the gear it was in. Then out of nowhere it started shifting again, but not into the biggest cog and then I had to coax it in order to up shift by shifting up a few times before it would move one cog.

I had originally planned to camp, but after my preride I was wet, muddy and cold so I decided I didn't want to camp anymore. I wanted a warm shower and room to sleep in. With all the decent hotels already booked, I found this hole in the wall motel. When asked if I wanted a room with heat upon check, I was promptly offered a small space heater. But at least they didn’t have have hourly rates.

So there I was in my room huddled in front of this little space heater until I was warm enough to take a shower. After the shower, I began the task of trouble shooting my shifting issue. I found that the b limit screw on the derailleur was slipping off the tab it is suppose to press against. I didn't have a fix for that. Thus, I had my all the excuse I needed not to race in the miserable conditions.

It rained most of the night and after running the heater wide open my room was finally warm by morning.

In the morning I went down to the race venue with no intention of actually racing. I was warm and dry in all my rain gear thinking I might be able to get some good video of the muddy racers and the beautiful venue. But just in case I decided to race, I took my bike over to the Trek Store of Madison tent to have the mechanic, Wilhelm take a look at it to see if he could work any magic.

After a quick fix that involved a combination of ingenuity, a twist tie and a great deal of imagination, Wilhelm comes to me and says in his German accent, "Well, it's horrible. But you can ride it. Just stay out of the top cog. No, the top 2.......3 cogs." I thought, yeah that's not good, but if it stays consistent, I can work with it.

Somehow I found myself on the starting line. I sprinted out with the leaders and followed them up the steep initial climb and through the following doubletrack. The field settled into a moderate pace so I decided to take the lead into the first section of singletrack.




I figured not being behind anyone that would be slipping and sliding all over the place would be a HUGE advantage. It turned out to be exactly that and the fading chorus of swearing and arguing was evidence of a gap being built. In the 2nd section singletrack I had about a 20 second lead on the pack when I dropped my chain for the first time.

It was here that I was able to draw on fellow fight crew member Kevin Bonney's experience at the Sea Otter XC race. He dropped his chain at a very inopportune time in his race while doing very well and found the only thing that stopped him from still doing well was how he dealt with the situation. In drawing from his experience, I jumped off the bike threw the chain back on the front ring and continued on.

The rain kept coming and course continued to deteriorate. With Small Block 8's front and rear I was evening having a hard time staying upright in the doubletrack, but I continued to push as hard as the limited traction would allow me to.

Only one rider bridged the gap at the beginning of the second lap but fell back after the big climb. After that I never saw another rider in my class despite dropping my chain again and a drivetrain completely caked with mud. Just a random rider from earlier age classes here and there.

I ended up winning my age group and the Sport class overall. I can hardly believe I went from almost not racing to winning overall. I'm so happy that my hard work finally paid off with a higher podium finish. It was nice seeing the gap shrink from race to race, but to actually beat those who have been beating me all season......It just feels good.

I’d like to add that I was able to accomplish this racing against guys who are riding bikes much more expensive and lighter than mine. With a price tag of $1300, the Airborne Goblin 29er has proved itself a very capable (yet still affordable) machine in all types of terrain and conditions. Anyone looking for a hardtail 29er for trail riding and racing and is on a budget should definitely consider this bike. I'm not just saying that because I'm a member of the Flight Crew. I think my race results speak volumes about the capabilities of the this bike.

Thanks again to Wilhelm for the mechanical support and also for all the volunteer course marshals who stood out in the rain all day to make sure we stayed on course and helped us to stay safe by warning of danger areas. And lastly, to Susan Lasecki for helping me pin on my number very quickly before the race started. I couldn’t have done it without you guys.

After some hard work, overcoming adversity and a little help from my friends, I was able to pull off my first win in the Sport class and my first number 1 overall of any kind. Not even the weather could dampen my spirits after that.