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Roz Puelo
First, I want to note my race experience followed a wild and crazy night
that resulted in a brutally hungover state........I got to the race in
Leopard print flip-flops (they were all I could find) and almost pulled
a Tim and forgot my number........therefore, the cards were stacked
against me from the start.
As the race began, I darted out into the lead, and maintained second
place for 3/4 of the first lap. From there, I fell apart. First, my
chain got jammed, so I ended up behind all the chicks that walk over the
technical stuff.........I don't recall the race being a mountain
"walk-ur-bike" race, but maybe I missed something...........anyway, this
set me back from the lead pack I had been in.
Then, my glasses fogged up, and I toppled over a rock/root thing, which
left a fabulous scrape on my right thigh (which even drew comments from
those I passed!). I then continued to fall on that right thigh, so I
ended up in progessively more pain as the race went on. I even knocked
the wind out of me at one point......***wheeze, wheeze***. Off came the
glasses.
To top it all off, my pedal broke.........I lost the screw to one of my
pedals, so I could only click into the right side. I looked (and felt)
like a cowboy riding a bucking bronco. This made all those wet roots
feel like they had been covered in massage oil.
I ended up 5th in my class and middle of the pack overall. I'm hoping
that Great Glen will treat me a little better............at least I'll
have 24 hours to get my act together.
Next race, I'm wearing chaps.........ROZ
Jason Morris
Congratulations to everyone who raced at Wompatuck. It was one of
the toughest and much to hot and humid.
I've never been so tired, until after that Landmine race. With a
combination of bad luck, a relentless course, and my own mistakes, I
crawled across the finish line in 20th out of about 24 starters
(sport class Sr 2).
Lap 1: My legs felt heavy right from the start. I had trained
intensely the week before and pre-rode the course the day before, so
as I found out quickly, I wasn't recovered. In any case, I was able
to hang with the front 10 guys.
Riding onto the long wooden slippery bridge at the end of the lap, I
made a slight right turn a little too fast. I slid sideways right
off the bridge into the swamp. My rear derailleur banged against the
wooden support and bent the hanger. I didn't flip over or anything,
so I climbed back onto the bridge and kept on. (37 min)
Lap 2: I started lap 2 with my chain skipping and slipping and just
wouldn't stay in gear. I stopped two times to try to adjust it, and
bent it back the best I could with my hands. That's when everyone
passed me and I saw Clint and Rob. My glasses were fogged up and I
had nothing to clean them with since I was soaking in sweat.
My impaired vision resulted in hitting a nasty diagonal root which
threw me in the air, diving into the mud. I finished the lap looking
through one eye and getting tired. (49 min)
Lap 3: I stopped at my car to get another water bottle and a towel
to clean my glasses. This lap was nice and uneventful. (44 min)
Lap 4: I should've grabbed another water bottle before this lap, but
I didn't. Dehydration is a bad thing, and I felt like I was going in
slow motion. I just tried to survive this one. (54 min)
My conclusions: rest and drink lots.
Jason M.
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