I slept in, got a small breakfast, then went for a 20 minute leisurely spin to get flushed a bit.
Road start was intense as usual, 100 person wave. I hung out at the back for the flats where everyone goes ballistic to stay at the front. Then you get a steep climb, long gentle uphill, pave kick again, then into gravel doubletrack for like 5k. I just went sub threshold and ended up where I would normally be on the gravel, then snuck a few spots before the singletrack. Nobody even cares anymore, we recognize jerseys, some guys climb like nobody's business then can't ride trails, and vice versa. I'm kind of average at both so it helps if I can keep working up.
Got into the mini bermed Robs Corners solo and got a good gap, then was alone for the next several kilometers of gravel - eventually got caught by a group of 7. They didn't pull through, and I didn't care, I wanted to work and enter the singletrack first. They either conceded that or were comfortable with my climbing pace as nobody came around. I was working so hard to keep not getting bottlenecked in the singletrack cause my legs felt like garbage and if I wasn't able to keep opening gaps, I'd be going backwards in groups on the road instead of just getting caught by the time the next trail entry was. Half Nelson was awesome as usual, cleared a couple smaller doubles, and it's wide, so when some guy told me to pass I did so by clearing the table top he rolled. Fun! When it thinned out enough that there were just a couple of us who've ridden together for stages/years, we started shooting the shit and I said I was hurting, and they said they were hurting on the trails from hands/arms. Last half was more technical than first, so was just trying to make it there to survive.
I worked hard to pass then stay ahead of those guys on the flat leading into the powerhouse plunge, then let it go. Bike felt great. One guy in front bounced off to a poor left line giving me a straight shot at the right, and as I went by he caught his wheel funny, it went right angle, and he belly flopped onto an entire section of protruding rocks. I got the action cam view. You know how you're on the edge of a skinny? When you can feel the edge of the log fitting into the tread pattern space between the Nobby Nic center lugs and the side lugs!
I got behind some really good guy on Pseudo Tsugah, we passed a couple together, then he just let it rip. Funnest downhilling for speed yet. Tried to just not slow down much in Crumpet woods, milked momentum, and survived. Finished alone on the paths, survived given how I felt.
Matt Hadley won, Trish was 3rd again. I was 21st again in 2h 48min and whatever seconds and was therefore either 25 mins or a half hour faster than last year - which was muddy and slick, and of course that arm thing had me more hobbled.
The champ (Trish) and I did a little afternoon snacking and relaxing together at Two Birds again. We timed it not to miss massages as we're tired and I don't want to be puffy and ailment ridden in the morning!
I napped on the mat by the kids climbing wall and this kid came and talked to me several times. She climbed, showed me her cat costume (pin on tail and ears on her hair band thinger), did cartwheels, and told me about life in general. Very outgoing.
I don't think I mentioned prior, but one addition this year is yoga/stretching each night. Very smart to help people's body's cope with the effort of the event, and very nice settings this year since the weather cooperated.
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