BC Bike Race 2009 just around the corner

Today is the travel day out to the coast for most of our BC Bike Race gang, and quite a gang it is this year.  I think I know 25 people doing the race - lots of veteran stage racers, we're like a travelling Hotel California.  The two soon to be vets are Devin and Shawn - really no doubt in my mind they'll love this race, it's impossible not to.  This is a real mountain biking race, skill plays just as much a role as fitness.  Hard efforts are rewarded - with little visits to heaven.

Part of me is worried.  I'll have zero problem with the length or the suffering or the technical, it's just day one that worries me.  Not in the true dread sense of the word, just the history repeating itself thing.  Statistics show I'm a poor starter.  Evidence shows that's no real surprise - my in between bike races lifestyle isn't easily confused with looking too "pro".  I think my fitness is good as measured relative to riding with Craig, and I don't have a time change or large temperature change to rub the blame on, so we'll just have to suck it up.  Investment banking be damned!

On the bright side, this race is technical.  Oodles of technical.  Cycling Darwinism and riding stage races with owners of big engines as partners has improved my technical over the years, as there's no motivation for letting your fingers off the brakes and leaning a degree more into a turn than delaying a red line seize up by a few more minutes.  I vividly recall a gravel logging road descent with switchback turns last year where at 55km/h we were using the inside 3cm and the outside 2cm of gravel just to hold speed nicely, all in the name of staying near Nutbrown and letting my heart rate drop 2 extra bpm.  Simple survival tactics.  I'm taking tires with more side bite if that says anything...

Last time Tori did BCBR, she did it on a team, and scheduled to do it "light" on the technical side.  Not this year... it's start to finish, one girl pedalling.  It'll be challenging, rewarding, and downright fun.  Given enough entry skill to make this race at least feasible, there's not many ways to get your technical up a few notches in 7 days.