Collegiate racing. Men's A, twenty-five miles at Uwharrie. About half on fire roads, but we more than made up for that on rocky descents. Rocky descents with a rigid fork. My poor, baby-soft hands.
Buy my hands survived, unlike my rear tire. Minor sidewall cut that could not be resealed by that Stan's NoTubes stuff, so I needed to throw in a YesTube (a normal tube, not to be mistaken for NoTubes or YouTube). For me the verdict is still out on Stan's. True, no pinch flats, but minor sidewall cuts kill your ride and perhaps make your tires unusable (for Stan's use in the future). Additionally, I am having second thoughts about the rigid fork for XC racing. I felt fine racing singlespeed, occasionally spinning-out on the fire roads and really grinding up a few punchy climbs, but this is all well and good. I was getting killed on the descents, both in terms of my hands and in terms of my lap times--I kept getting caught and passed as I struggled down the technical sections. However, my thrift and budget will keep me riding what I've got for now. Even with the flat tire change, I re-caught and passed the two dudes who passed me and I finished third. I'm plenty happy with that.
3 comments:
Crikies! Are those the ends of your metacarpals poking through your palm?
Just to clarify, you:
1) Had no suspension fork.
2) Had no full suspension.
3) Had only one gear.
4) Got hideous blisters on your hands.
5) Got a flat tire.
AND you still managed to come in third in the race? Not too bad. Not too bad at all.
6) I was the oldest dude by far.
I'm not sure if that helps me (experience) or hurts me (tired joints, crankiness, forgetfulness).
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