Blog

2018 became the year to defend my title. A month before the race, and ready to enter Expert, I blew out my calf muscle. Three weeks later I was back on my bike but time was not on my side. The race was upon me so I entered Sport.

The race plan was simple, avoid the pain cave, go easy on my calf, pedal lightly all day and conserve energy.

The course has been refined over the years and the 7.7-mile course is a mix of high-speed segments, technical rooty and rocky sections, bridges, duo track, fast winding single track, and slight climbs. Race day was a gorgeous Maine fall day, 70 degrees, dry and sunny.

Laps 1-5 were non-stop. I went faster than I thought I should have with the plan to build a nice base layer of laps. This worked and I gained a one-lap advantage from a guy from the Slipping Gears team. This lead increased as the day went on.

Laps 6-10

Made sure to hydrate and feed between laps with 5-minute rests.

Laps 7-11

Felt strong despite times slowing down, knew the trail so well I could just cruise and hammer the downhills.

Laps 8-13

Started to lose energy so I resorted to a slice of pizza, which was part of the entry fee. Also, my handlebar light was a problem. Needed a helmet mount to see the trail, this slowed me down by 17 minutes on my last lap.

Victory

No calf pain all day long, 93.5 miles, 8.5mph average, 11:52 Hours, 5800' climbing and 13 laps.

Thanks to the promoters, we appreciate you!