Yesterday I had the opportunity to ride what I would say is the best single track I’ve ever had the pleasure to ride. I went up to VisitPA.com’s 50 Rattling Miles race. I was already in the area for a friends wedding reception and I was looking to do some riding while I was in the area. I figured this would be a great opportunity since I don’t know the trails in the area and being that this was a race, they would be well marked (and I wouldn’t be out on there by myself). I opted to do the 25 miler since I had plans to party on Saturday and didn’t think I’d be up for 50 rattling miles!
Sunday morning was rainy and overcast, and I had heard that the course was very technical and rocky. I was a little concerned since I didn’t want to get hurt – especially since this wasn’t a series points race and I was just doing it for fun. Us folks doing the 25 mile race started behind those doing the 50 miler, but it didn’t take long before I had no idea who was doing what race. The 1/2 marathon was split into 2 classes; Mens open and Womens open.
Although I had gotten pretty drunk the night before, I felt really good. My Scottish blood likes it when it’s dank and misty.
The race started with a good sustained climb and that really helped my position. I always love a good climb and even though I was running a fairly tall gear (32/18), I felt strong and never had to get off the bike as many other were. This was followed by rocks. Lots of rocks. Later I learned that section of trails is called “Rocky Ridge”. Good name! The awesome thing about these rocks were that despite the fact they were extremely technical, everything was rideable. There were some huge rock bridges that were no more then a couple big boulders with a few rocks as a ramp up. These were really fun in the rain and I decided to hike over a few rather than risk getting hurt.
As I continued to ride, I just kept feeling better. I don’t know if it was the fact I didn’t feel any pressure to do well, or if it was the beer? In fact, I did just about everything wrong the day before the race. Who knows…
At about 23 miles the two races split. We were at the top of a long climb and I was excited about the next 2 miles which I was sure would be all down hill. It didn’t disappoint. The first section of trail after the split was amazing flow of single track. Just rocky enough to keep me on my toes, but not so rocky as to slow me down. I had caught another rider just before this transition and was putting a good gap on him in the trees.
The course opened up and we were looking at a mile and a half double track down to the finish! I was spinning as fast as I could, but was no match for the kid with the gears who was determined to beat me to the finish. A little more experience racing under my belt definitely paid off in the end. We were doing about 35 mph and both of us were grinning ear-to-ear when I noticed we were heading straight for the parking lot. Knowing the race did not finish in the parking lot, I started looking for the turn and slowed down a little. My competitor kept his speed up and before he knew it blew right past the sharp turn into the chicane at the finish line. I gave a yell, but he was movin’ and had no chance of stopping.
I rolled into the finish line to find myself alone except for Zach Adams who running the timing. I was a little surprised and even more surprised to find I was the first one across the finish line!
Next year I will definitely be doing the 50 mile race. I felt so good I considered continuing on even though I wasn’t registered, but I had plans to see Mieka Pauley that evening in the city and had a 2.5 hour drive home ahead of me.
D and Q Racing 