BCBR Day 3

Woke up as late as I could, in my clothes and ready to go, 15 mins after my room mate but still out of tent 5 mins before him.  It's good to keep it simple.  Long commute to the start today, raced at something like 1pm I think.

They're using chip timing with chips in the number plate, so it's irrelevant where you start in some respects.  They broke everyone into 50 person blocks to manage starting traffic, and I was a C starter.  It was actually great as I just had open trail to ride to the B's.  Much of today was rough chop and new trail, punishing with little flow.  I don't find it that enjoyable but I can survive it.  Funnest part for me was all the two or three step bridge "ups" over whatever streams, I can get up them easily and the group who was chasing me pedaled harder overall, but always dismounted for those, so I kept to silent trail.  It was hours of full body english and moves, very sparse amounts of just sitting and pedaling... lots of upper body work.

Rode a bunch again with Katie Curtis, she rides very consistent all day and is very good technically.  Nice to meet a Calgary/Bow rider and make a new acquaintance.  She's doing very well overall.

Never cramped, never missed a pedal stroke all day.  Engine just worked, even if it's small.  Felt really nice.  It's always a good sign when I see Jeff Neilson at the showers (note: that says "at" not "in").

Camp spot is great, beach right on the water, although it'll likely be windy tonight.  I didn't ever see results but I think all the friends are doing well still - Alana and Kate seemed pumped, I think Pat and Andy had a good day, I finished same time but possibly a minute different from Shawn Taylor and Dave Crewe.  Jeff and Mical were all smiles too.

Chowed on a burrito post race and chatted to the machine of Cory Wallace, always interesting.

Best dinner of the race yet, my room mate won a draw to fly in a sea plane to the start tomorrow.

Had a couple of beers with some riders, I'll skip name dropping but will qualify them as "mostly the fastest here", who were discussing breakfast options for tomorrow.  Considering the number of pre race road breakfasts I assume they've had over the years, the conversation was not routine and entirely enlightening and amusing at the same time.  Whatever 1.5 beers does to my already imperiled system's chance to keep from sinking deeper on the un-recovery side was worth the tradeoff for a window into that world.

I have typical muscle soreness, lower back mostly, but am holding together.  The "if it ain't tight, it ain't right" pink t-shirt and Lulu Lemon gang of girls in the massage tent help with that pretty well.  They also fed massage-ees those fuzzy sour peach candies today which was nice.  My hands are sore, guess this might be a bit much on detail, but the blisters on my left hand where calluses should be had pus in them not the clear blister water stuff.  They hurt last night, hurt this morning, then hurt all day when we jackhammered, err rode, fresh new trail full of roots for hours.  Oh well.  Someone asked me today how I ride with such feminine hands... didn't really know what to say to that, never had anyone say that to me before.