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Norba #6, Brian Head UT |
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Written by Carl Decker
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Saturday, 06 August 2005 |
After a nice weekend spent riding in Colorado by Adam and going to a friend's wedding and the Oregon Brewer's Festival by me, it was once again time to meet up for NORBA Glory on August 6/7. This would be the sixth of 8 races this year on the National Championship Series Circuit. This one would be held at 11,000 ft high and (not really) dry Brian Head Utah.
Since the course would be of the One Giant Lap variety, many of the top pro riders would elect to not pre-ride the course. Not so with "Adam and Carl's Team 4 Fun". Adam showed up three days prior and was familiar with the course by the time I arrived on Friday. After some late morning waffles and egg-mcmuffins at the hotel, we made the 13 mile drive up the 5000 ft climb to the race venue. Brian Head was beautiful. High mountain meadows and forests with moist brown dirt on the floor. By noon we were kitted up and I was excited to ride the first ONE LAP National Course ever. Adam warned me that the dirt was dark and moist for a reason, so I put on a long-sleeved jersey before hopping in the saddle and riding into the sunshine.
We were all smiles cresting the top of the first long climb. Anticipating the descent, and the huge advantage we would gain by pre-riding the trail, we dropped into the back side of the course. And then it started hailing. We hung out under a tree for a while, waiting for the storm to pass, because hail storms are fleeting, and easily waited out. After 15 minutes of laughing at how hard the hail was coming down, it occured to us that the clouds weren't moving. And we were both very cold. So we started to ride. Through an inch of standing water, with 1-2 inches of floating pea-sized hail on top. Another 15 minutes and it was still hailing. And we were thinking of nice office jobs in Modesto or Houston, anywhere but here.
An hour later we were back at the team Trailer. Blue, shivering, angry. Our gloves smelled of urine (it felt great for a moment though) and I still hadn't seen the whole course. Great pre-ride. Could tell by the burning in my extremities that Saturday would be a great day. We were ready.
At the start of the XC race, I had warming creme on my legs, a hat on my (bald) head, a jacket, a base layer, and latex gloves over my Scary Fast gloves. It had rained the previous 4 days in a row, so I was ready to capitalize on everyone elses lack of preparation. I was a Boyscout. And my motto was "Be Prepared". The weather was perfect. I got dropped. Fought my way back to 16th, sheerly by the genius of my NRS duallie. The course was rough and fast and people were crashing and flatting all over the place. Those were the people I passed, with my damaged muscles from the big chill on friday. I'm sure they were all impressed.
Adam went off the front solo, as seems to be his style lately, for the first 20 minutes. Either his thick, luxuriant head of hair (and jacket) kept him warmer on the pre-ride, or he's just tougher than me because he's from Maine. Either way, he felt pretty good and rode with the leaders for most of the race until he flatted, fixed, and finished fourth. Not bad for somebody who was so glad to be alive at all just a day earlier.
Sunday's Short Track would be run on a really rough and kinda hilly 2 minute course. The duallie would again be the call. The more Fox products on the rig, the better. After an early onslaught of downhillers racing for the holeshot, and first lap honors, a group formed at the front with all the usuall suspects. When the pace eased for a few seconds, AC charged to the front, where he would stay with K-Bomb Kabush, just out of reach for J. Ho, Wells, and yours truly. Kabush would take the win in front of Adam, and I would round out the podium in 5th, making for the first weekend this year that everybody on the Giant team was on the Podium. (Sorry guys, I'll try to do better).
Two hours later I was driving through the city of Beaver, starting the long, and mostly unscenic drive to Bend. Time for another weekend at home before the East Coast swing.
Thanks for Reading
and to those that make it all possible.
Carl Decker, Team Giant |
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