Mud at the Trash Dash
I feel compelled to do a long race report for Saturday's Whitewater Trash Dash CX Race given that it was such a phenomenal race for me.
The course was flat and was almost completely just a wide mowed area in the prairie grass. There was one very small downhill with a turn to a very short uphill and one other little dip in the terrain. The dip had a barrier at the top of the downhill and another at the top of the uphill and then there was one set of barriers on the flat.
If it hadn't rained this course would have been insanely fast and more like a grass crit and we would have done maybe a million laps. However, thanks to the mud this may have been the slowest race in WI cross history.
I have to admit that I wasn't sure this was going to be a good day for me. I was exhausted from a week of being overcommitted and had been a little flaky and unfocused all week. Add to that a race which required power for churning through the mud, some ability to run and I knew it might be a long day. However, on the upside I kind of enjoy mud or bad weather as I tend to be better at racing against the elements/course conditions than I am at racing against people.
I chose not to pre-ride the course as it looked like way too much of a slog to be of any use. From taking photos of the previous races I could see that we would be going slow enough to see everything that was coming. I also debated undoing both brakes but in the end chickened out and only undid my front brake cables as I thought the one downhill with the 180 turn back uphill might require some small amount of braking. As those who did this race know, it wasn't the mud so much as the fresh mowed grass clippings that were clogging up every part of the bike.
There were 13 women on the line and at the start it kind of seemed that no one really wanted to lead out the race as we started a bit slower than normal. I think it was Sam K. that decided she would take the lead and we were off . . . not that fast given the slow grind in the freshly mowed grass and mud conditions. When we hit the flat "fast" barrier section I found myself towards the front of the group after the remount and just kept going as best as I could.
We quickly hit the first really muddy bog and I was trying to get as far to the right as possible but even with only 13 racers it was a little congested. I ended up running part of that section and then getting back on. Shortly thereafter we hit the next bad mud bog and I ran a small section again. However, after trying out running I realized that in subsequent laps I needed to find a way to ride those sections as I couldn't keep running that hard. I'm just not that much of a runner. Probably a good runner could pass riders in the mud bogs but for me if I run hard it gets my heartrate up too high.
As we headed through the back section of the course I was just barely mid-pack and in front of some of the women who normally beat me. Down the little downhill and back up the greasy slope and into the little dip with the barriers and I was already feeling how tough the race was going to be. The two Chicago gals and eventually Diane went by me at this point.After the second set of barriers I hit the gradual uphill to the finish area and suddenly I felt like I wasn't even moving yet I was pedaling as hard as I could and gasping for breath. This section was a real killer as it was just enough uphill to make the little bit of momentum you had impossible to maintain.
I kept slogging away though and trying to hold off the women who normally pass me as long as possible. Before long Jen caught up to me. I wasn't suprised at all by this since I normally can start fast but then get passed back eventually. Jen stayed on my wheel and we rode together for a while (and she learned that indeed it is okay to ride in the weeds if there are no stakes and tape to stop you). I would gap Jen a little on the barrier sections but she could grind her way back up to me.
Before long we worked our way by Diane and it was great to be riding together as it kept the motivation high. On lap three or four (they blend together) we slowly started to catch up to Sam S. I couldn't believe it as I have never beaten Sam. Jen passed her after a bit. I told myself it would not be smart to pass as well just to drag Sam up to Jen so I sat on her wheel (at this point I'm not sure I thought I could beat Sam). However, as we entered one mud bog section Sam took the left line and I took the right which I knew was faster. And to my shock I came out of the mud bog section with a good gap so I just kept going as hard as I could.
At this point I'm telling myself over and over in my head not to screw this up and to just keep going as hard as I can. A little positive mental thinking can be a good thing! So I'm pedaling as best I can and suffering over the barriers and just trying to maintain and not let Sam S catch me back. And I'm slowly catching back up to Jen and I can't even believe that it's happening.
Finally I catch Jen and we're riding together and we get to two laps to go. We hit the mud bog and Jen goes left on the slower line and I've got the faster right line. I get a little gap and I'm riding as hard as I can although I'm moving so slow it is unbelievable. As we hit one lap to go I have a very, very small gap over Jen. I know that she's going to give it her all but I tell myself that I can stay in front of her. At the first flat barriers I feel like I'm barely moving but I'm giving it all I can as I know that I'm faster there. I take all the sweet lines in the mud bogs as I've got them dialed at this point. On the short downhill to uphill I pedal as hard as I can since I'm not very good at short steep sections.
At this point I can see I have a small gap but I know Jen well enough to know it might not be enough. At the second barriers I dismount and run like a woman possessed up the short uphill and stumble over barriers that seem to have grown taller as the race went on. I wouldn't say that I ran over the barriers as I really had to just step over them and try not to trip. Then I am trying to keep any semblance of speed on the long uphill slog in the mud as I know this is where I'm at a disadvantage.
But when I take a peek back I see that my gap is too big for her to close and I make it to the finish line in front. It was an unbelievable day for me as I had my best finish since I had knee surgery two seasons ago - 5th out of 13. I also beat several women that I have never beaten. I'm certainly hoping for a lot more muddy races this season!
The course was flat and was almost completely just a wide mowed area in the prairie grass. There was one very small downhill with a turn to a very short uphill and one other little dip in the terrain. The dip had a barrier at the top of the downhill and another at the top of the uphill and then there was one set of barriers on the flat.
If it hadn't rained this course would have been insanely fast and more like a grass crit and we would have done maybe a million laps. However, thanks to the mud this may have been the slowest race in WI cross history.
I have to admit that I wasn't sure this was going to be a good day for me. I was exhausted from a week of being overcommitted and had been a little flaky and unfocused all week. Add to that a race which required power for churning through the mud, some ability to run and I knew it might be a long day. However, on the upside I kind of enjoy mud or bad weather as I tend to be better at racing against the elements/course conditions than I am at racing against people.
I chose not to pre-ride the course as it looked like way too much of a slog to be of any use. From taking photos of the previous races I could see that we would be going slow enough to see everything that was coming. I also debated undoing both brakes but in the end chickened out and only undid my front brake cables as I thought the one downhill with the 180 turn back uphill might require some small amount of braking. As those who did this race know, it wasn't the mud so much as the fresh mowed grass clippings that were clogging up every part of the bike.
There were 13 women on the line and at the start it kind of seemed that no one really wanted to lead out the race as we started a bit slower than normal. I think it was Sam K. that decided she would take the lead and we were off . . . not that fast given the slow grind in the freshly mowed grass and mud conditions. When we hit the flat "fast" barrier section I found myself towards the front of the group after the remount and just kept going as best as I could.
We quickly hit the first really muddy bog and I was trying to get as far to the right as possible but even with only 13 racers it was a little congested. I ended up running part of that section and then getting back on. Shortly thereafter we hit the next bad mud bog and I ran a small section again. However, after trying out running I realized that in subsequent laps I needed to find a way to ride those sections as I couldn't keep running that hard. I'm just not that much of a runner. Probably a good runner could pass riders in the mud bogs but for me if I run hard it gets my heartrate up too high.
As we headed through the back section of the course I was just barely mid-pack and in front of some of the women who normally beat me. Down the little downhill and back up the greasy slope and into the little dip with the barriers and I was already feeling how tough the race was going to be. The two Chicago gals and eventually Diane went by me at this point.After the second set of barriers I hit the gradual uphill to the finish area and suddenly I felt like I wasn't even moving yet I was pedaling as hard as I could and gasping for breath. This section was a real killer as it was just enough uphill to make the little bit of momentum you had impossible to maintain.
I kept slogging away though and trying to hold off the women who normally pass me as long as possible. Before long Jen caught up to me. I wasn't suprised at all by this since I normally can start fast but then get passed back eventually. Jen stayed on my wheel and we rode together for a while (and she learned that indeed it is okay to ride in the weeds if there are no stakes and tape to stop you). I would gap Jen a little on the barrier sections but she could grind her way back up to me.
Before long we worked our way by Diane and it was great to be riding together as it kept the motivation high. On lap three or four (they blend together) we slowly started to catch up to Sam S. I couldn't believe it as I have never beaten Sam. Jen passed her after a bit. I told myself it would not be smart to pass as well just to drag Sam up to Jen so I sat on her wheel (at this point I'm not sure I thought I could beat Sam). However, as we entered one mud bog section Sam took the left line and I took the right which I knew was faster. And to my shock I came out of the mud bog section with a good gap so I just kept going as hard as I could.
At this point I'm telling myself over and over in my head not to screw this up and to just keep going as hard as I can. A little positive mental thinking can be a good thing! So I'm pedaling as best I can and suffering over the barriers and just trying to maintain and not let Sam S catch me back. And I'm slowly catching back up to Jen and I can't even believe that it's happening.
Finally I catch Jen and we're riding together and we get to two laps to go. We hit the mud bog and Jen goes left on the slower line and I've got the faster right line. I get a little gap and I'm riding as hard as I can although I'm moving so slow it is unbelievable. As we hit one lap to go I have a very, very small gap over Jen. I know that she's going to give it her all but I tell myself that I can stay in front of her. At the first flat barriers I feel like I'm barely moving but I'm giving it all I can as I know that I'm faster there. I take all the sweet lines in the mud bogs as I've got them dialed at this point. On the short downhill to uphill I pedal as hard as I can since I'm not very good at short steep sections.
At this point I can see I have a small gap but I know Jen well enough to know it might not be enough. At the second barriers I dismount and run like a woman possessed up the short uphill and stumble over barriers that seem to have grown taller as the race went on. I wouldn't say that I ran over the barriers as I really had to just step over them and try not to trip. Then I am trying to keep any semblance of speed on the long uphill slog in the mud as I know this is where I'm at a disadvantage.
But when I take a peek back I see that my gap is too big for her to close and I make it to the finish line in front. It was an unbelievable day for me as I had my best finish since I had knee surgery two seasons ago - 5th out of 13. I also beat several women that I have never beaten. I'm certainly hoping for a lot more muddy races this season!
posted by MadCross at 3:29 PM
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