NC State Champs

So much for the best laid plans. After two weeks of hard training, last week was the first week of reduced volume and intensity in the hopes of producing a peak for the state championship race on Sunday and this coming week's double header UCI races out in Hendersonville. Instead of a peak I ended up in a valley thanks to a cold. I started feeling it early last week and it just got worse and worse. Perhaps against better judgement I drove over to Pinehurst for the race on Sunday morning. I'm a mudder and driving thru rain on the way there got my hopes up. Unfortunately, the sky cleared as I got closer to Pinehurst and they appeared to only have received a little rain.

Very nice venue at Sandhills Community College with a good parcours that consisted of three distinct sections that each made up about a third of the course. A tarmac section with the start/finish area in it went thru a parking lot and onto a wide path. This made up the beginning and end of each lap. After coming off the tarmac and short stint in the grass the course went into the pine forest on dirt/sand double track. A lot like the Beacon race in NJ but with elevation changes. A descent thru some deep sand gave me fits all day before turning and ploughing into a sand hill that forced a dismount and loooong run-up, one more sandy descent and a short climb brought you out of the woods. The last section of the course was all grass field riding with a few turns to keep things interesting and the planks. The long tarmac section and grass fields were conducive to group riding especially as a strong wind was blowing.

Anyway, hopped-up on cold meds, red bull and a double expresso gu I had hopes that the cold wouldn't affect me too much. I had another pretty good start and survived the first time thru the sand in the woods and was at the back of the front group of about 15 at the end of lap 1. Although I already has my suspicions that things weren't going to go well. I just couldn't get on it out of the corners in the field resulting in me getting gapped. On top of that I sucked ass, bad on the sandy descents. I think I left my balls at home along with my legs. I was hesitant all day rather than just ploughing into the deep sand. By lap 2 I was going backwards. It was killing me as I kept seeing guys in front of me that I've been beating. Finally ended up riding with a guy the final 3 laps but he would school me thru the sand and get a gap that I'd have to close once we got into the field section. Last time thru the woods he crushed the descents and was gone. Truth be told by that point I didn't even care, I just wanted to get it over with. Luckily no one was too close behind so I could spin in the final part of the race. I think if I managed to get into the top 15 I was lucky. Now just gotta hope this mess clears up so I can at least enjoy next week's races.