Queen of the Classics

On a day when the best racers in the world were battling in the Queen of Classics (Paris-Roubaix) what better way to spend a day than racing a tough and technical mtn bike race. The Napa Valley Dirt Classic is 22 mile single loop course of mostly single track, some double-track, many bitch climbs and a brutal granny gear climb out before finishing w/ a lap around the oval a la Paris-Roubaix. My memory of the course was hazy so my strategy was to stick it hard on the start and be sure to be in the top 2-3 going into the single track. I got a good jump at the start and got to the first single-track in 2nd. The rider in front soon ends up off the track and I find myself in the lead. One rider comes around me but it's just him so I get onto his back wheel as we hit a run-up ?, thought this was a mountain bike race !. We both scurry by a few riders who are in the tail end of the group that started two minutes ahead of us.

We start to wind our way through the groups in front, younger sports, expert women, single-speeders, you get the idea, well somewhere over the next 1 hour of riding I lose his wheel. There were long sections of the course where passing riders was pretty much impossible. Many minor passing adventures, but no falls and one dab later I was able to cross the line 2nd in my start group, 1st in my age group.

My goal was to win my start group, but I'm happy w/ my result. The best part was receiving accolades from my daughter, although she did add that it was about time that I won a race.

Round and Round

After my debacle of the previous day where I barely lasted a 1/4 of the race while in the wind for most of that time, I was determined to "SIT IN" for the first 1/2 of this race. I started in the middle of the pack and managed to stayed tucked in until 8 laps to go. For once I was able to pull this off with a minimal amount of effort.

(That's not me in the picture by the way, but Uber pro Freddie Rodriguez)

8 laps to go and I moved up to the front. My hope was to get in a break as I didn't like my chances in the sprint considering the size of the most of the riders in the field. Honestly I felt like some Italian climber in a field of Northern European sprinters ! Breaks would form in two places; on the downhill left hand turn and sometimes about 3/4 the way up the hill. I made sure to be in everyone. I got in breaks w/ 5, 3, and finally 2, but none got very far. I came around the final hay bail turn in the top 15, but got boxed in as we passed the parked trailers. I avoided a near crash about 3/4 up the hill when one Bicycle Trip rider tried to push his teammate, they briefly collided and I was forced to slow, jeesh !

A fun race and my parents got to see me make a go off it so a good day.