Two months ago I got a ridiculous deal on a mountain bike at an REI garage sale that I couldn’t pass up. I’ve been riding about 3 times per week since then–mixing it up with my running. I discovered a local race and decided to give it a try.
The race was 3 laps of an appx. 3 mile loop through Palmer Park. I had ridden the loop a few times before but in the reverse direction. It was around 90 degrees at start time.
Mountain biking has 4 categories of riding based on skill level: Cat 3, Cat 2, Cat 1, & Pro (Cat 3 being the least skilled). I definitely signed up for Cat 3 (which proved to be a good decision).
The race started off great. I was holding my own in the middle of the pack. But, when we hit the first real climb it was pretty much all over. Seemingly everyone flew by me and I was left huffing and puffing up the trail–definitely a different kind of fitness than I’m used to. Due to the heat and the amount of water I was drinking to try to avoid dehydration, I was on the edge of vomiting for the first 1.5 laps. Oh well I’m used to that from ultra-running.
I spent the entire race near the very back of the pack struggling up the climbs and going as fast as I could on the downhills. I was absolutely exhausted after 1 lap and powered through the final 2. My total time was 1:11. The next person in my category and age group finished about 7 minutes ahead of me and the winner of my cat/age group finished 14 minutes ahead. Pretty amazing.
Despite my dismal performance, I had an absolute blast! The series races again in Palmer Park on July 10th. I think I’ll have to try it again.
