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Orchard Assault MTB Race |
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Team Bikeman -
Race Reports
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Written by Sean McCarthy
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Tuesday, 08 May 2007 |
Orchard Assault Mountain Bike Race
Amherst, MA
May 5, 2007
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This past weekend I loaded up my hillbilly truck and headed to UMASS to race my mountain bike for the first time of the season. Well I guess you could say ride my mountain bike for the first time this year. Anyway it was kind of neat since I used to race this particular course 9 years earlier when it was first built. Only back then I was a younger more energized collegiate racer for UMASS. Now I am a little older and wishing I had that same energy.
This course is a really fun course to ride. It has really defined single track that is almost like riding a narrow motocross track. There are endless switchbacks, berms, jumps, fast descents, and what felt like a million short out of the saddle power climbs. Oh yeah did I mention there was only one rock on the entire course.
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As far as the racing went there was not a really big showing. There were a few pros, a bunch of collegiate, a few more 30+ guys and those crazy single speed guys. They unleashed all the expert and pros off at the same time followed by single speeders and women pro. Once my race began I realized what I spent all morning thinking that I was forgetting to pack, my legs. I don’t know what I did with them but somehow I forgot to pack them. It was the most severe power deficit that I have felt in sometime. This ranked right next to riding with a hangover. I went over it a hundred times during the race of all the reasons I was dragging but the bottom line was the race was on and I had no power. Over the course of two hours I did get some awesome riding in and it felt great to be back on my mountain bike. I passed some of the college guys in the later stages of the race which sort of felt good and helped me keep my chin up. As far as my overall result goes I have no idea. I went straight from the finish line to my truck and had to race home to my father in-laws birthday dinner. If anyone comes across these results please do not forward them to me, for I am still in a decent mood.
On a lighter note this was the first time I rode disc brakes. Thanks to Bikeman.com I scored some Avid Juicy 7's and have fallen in love. Never did I think breaking could be so nice. Also with the input of Big Al I was sporting some new FSA XC-300 wheels which rolled incredibly nice and stood up to a super huge hit late in the race from one of those rider errors of exhaustion. Big Al also recommended trying a Panaracer Fire XC Pro for a front tire which stuck to everything I tried carving around.
Last but not least I have to give a shout out to Dennis Morgan, a fellow Bikeman.com guy who showed up to duke it out on a single speed. Unfortunately I am a pretty shy guy and didn’t introduce myself. I seen him warming up with those other crazy single speed guys however, maybe I wasn’t shy but just intimidated. Those guys are a different breed to race for two hours on a fixed gear like that. I respect anyone who has that type of discipline.
Sean
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