Connect the Dots: NMBS#2 XC Sugar Mountain 6/10/2006

The USA National Mountain Bike Series continued with the Showdown and Sugar Mountain in Banner Elk, NC. My husband and I made the long, hot and tedious drive from Southern California to North Carolina in three days for this race. We almost melted in Arizona and Texas with temperatures peaking at 111 degrees Fahrenheit. Arriving in North Carolina, we had a few more brain cells than the average zombie. But we sure did welcome the cabin that my extended family so generously let us crash in for a couple of days before we headed up to Sugar Mountain for the race chaos. The view from the balcony of the Blue Ridge Mountains was gorgeous- take a look for yourself!

The hour drive from the cabin to Sugar Mountain did not seem so long after spending 12 hour days in the car driving cross country. We took the opportunity to pre-ride the race course during some rain storms. The loop was 6.6 miles of a punishing long climb up to 5300 feet and a tricky descent with lots of rocks and roots. The rain had made the roots and rocks wicked slippery and even though I had some monster truck tires on my bike I was still sliding all over the place. Plus, Southern California desert riding does not provide similar training options. My lack of practice in these tight technical sections showed. I felt like a beginner, not sure what lines to take and a little spooked with my last race crash fresh in my mind. I was trying to figure out how I was going to manage three laps through the trees with wrapping my bike or myself around one.

On race day, my warm-up did not go very well. It seemed like my legs were stuck in cement. I did not feel very powerful and my energy levels were not anything near being the Energizer Bunny. Figuring this was my first race in about a month, I decided to focus on the mental game plan: HAVE FUN. Once again, since I have just started out on the pro circuit, my ranking gives me a spacious spot at the back of the pack. I almost had all the racers in view. At the start, instead of fighting my way through to the front, I decided to take my time and ride into the race.

My plan worked. I worked my way up in the race. On the first lap, I was passed at the base of the climb by several racers hammering their way up the hill. I paced myself nicely to pass several people toward the end of the climbing sections. However, some of these chicks are really smooth in the technical descents and sailed past me. Putting on my brave face, I tried to ride as much of the descent as I could possibly muster on my first lap. I dropped my chain twice and I only crashed once with my bike flying over my head. Luckily, I caught the bike out of the corner of my eye and made a run for it so it would not land on me.

On the second lap, I powered back up the hill. I was starting to feel surprisingly well. My legs were warmed up and some of the racers who passed me on the descent I was now catching on the climb. In these racing moments when I get into a groove I sometimes have songs that appear in my head out of nowhere. For this race I was entertained by the no longer kid-friendly Pee Wee Herman’s Playhouse song “Connect the dots. La, la, la.” Over and over and over and over and over and over again in my head. I am not sure if I pedaled faster to get the song out of my head or if I was really enjoying the melody. Reaching the downhill section a second time, I decided to not fiddle around with getting on and off my bike and just run it. Running it seemed to take a lot less time than crashing all the way down.

However, when the climb for my third and final lap began, my right inner quad muscle seized up. Oh the pain! I kept riding and punching the cramped part of my leg to make it go away. Downshifting to an easier gear, I kept pedaling through it. I was not going to get off the bike because that would ensure I would not get back on again. It helped to have a mini drum corps in the middle of the climb to provide a beat to pedal to and to distract me. For the final descent I had some gumption and tried to ride more of the technical sections than run them. I was having trouble holding a good line and kept getting tossed. Playing it safe, I rode only the areas I felt super confident and ran the rest. Later I found out that my handle bars had loosened and were twisted about 10 degrees to the left. Ooops! I guess maybe some of my downhill skills were not too terrible.

Barreling through to the finish line I was pleased with my performance. It was the first time in a month I felt happy to be racing. My burn-out rehab was complete! I also managed to reel in a 30th place finish which means I am closer to finishing in the top half of the race field.