Blog

The first day of being 59 years old was a good day for a bike race. Weather was nice - mid 20’s and light snow. Unfortunately, the single track didn’t set up despite the promoter's best efforts at grooming. Mother nature always bats last.

While not in the best of shape, I figured I could handle the 16+ miles without much problem. Right out of the start it was clear that people came to race, and after 5 minutes I realized that I had a different concept of racing. I settled into a rhythm and plodded along at the best speed I could sustain. It was good enough for 11th out of 16 in the older “honey badger 45+” category. I did have to stop for about 7 minutes because my cassette was loose. I was able to tighten it up with the screwdriver on my multi tool enough to do another lap. This also let me put on fresh gloves and a hat, as well as downing a gu, so I kinda welcomed the opportunity.

It was nice to get out there and ride someplace new. The ski trails were generally a great surface, though there were times where one would break through and this would result in a quick change in direction. I had a few close calls on some of the descents. As always, kudos to the organizers (of any race). Everything was well run and the course was easy to follow.

Lastly, turns out I was the oldest dude in the race. There was an older woman and she beat me by a few minutes. I think I may try the Carrabassett race on 2/12. Hopefully that one will be more singletrack.