Saturday in Hell or Cateye Road Race. You can call it whatever you would like but it was definitely messy.
Started the morning off by preparing my bike for the water and dirt.
Prepped my tires with ArmorAll on the sidewalls. It is suppose to keep the mud from sticking as much on the tires and clogging the brakes. Sprayed my rear derailler and front derailler with Pam, the canola oil version. Don't really think it matters on that one :)
Loaded my bike in the car and headed off to the race course just outside of Hygiene and Longmont, depending on how you look at it.
Arrived at the Cateye Race Course and it was raining even harder over there.
Oh joy, this is going to be such a fun race.
Put on all my gear like a soldier going into battle. Cold, wet, and messy.
Just getting out of the car, I get mud on me.
I warmup for about 10 mins so that I am nice and soaked, ready to race.
Up at the starting line, everyone is quite cheery.
The gun goes and we are off at a nice snail's pace. Nobody wants to lead, too wet and chilly.
We advance to the first slight rise on pavement and everyone is staying together.
Down to the hairpin downhill and then to the first dirt section. Ahhhh yes, the mudfest begins.
Dirty water is flying everywhere. Sunglasses are getting covered by the guys in front of me.
I barely can see what is coming up towards me as I hit pothole after pothole and then some washboard here and there.
Everyone is spread out all over the road, trying to find a good line.
Some guys even abandon the race at this point.
The group moves through the dirt climbs and on to the pavement.
Slightly downhill, we ride at fullspeed. Rooster tails everywhere.
The water sprayed is cleaner and works well for getting the mud off of your face and sunglasses. It is like having someone spray you with the garden hose.
Next dirt section is coming up.
Right turn and then...oh so slow. You feel as your back tire has gone flat and your wheel is badly out of true.
It was a chore to go forward and to stay straight.
Guys were sliding all over the place.
If you hadn't prerode the course, you might find yourself in real soft mud that was soft gravel the day before.
The group makes it for the 1st lap, just 4 more to go.
Attacks come more frequent this next lap but the group catches them.
Dirt sections cover us with mud and make seeing almost impossible.
I was sometimes just going by sound and feel, hoping I was going the right way and on the correct path.
It became so frustrating that I moved more to the back and then let the main group go so I could actually see again. After 2 laps, I found it more trouble to stay with the group, eventhough I could not even see them.
The rest of the race was basically time trialing it around the next 3 laps.
Every now and then, I would come across another Cat.3 racer who dropped off the main group and was deciding that going home was a better option.
I did not come to this race to quit and go home with a messy bike and me.
Nope, I stayed with it.
Once you are muddy, you might as well persevere and stay with the game.
Lap 5, pushed as hard as I could. Dropped the leech that was basically trying to use me a windblock. Continued down that soft muddy dirt section to the finish and powered it in.
Finished. Job well down.
It was a good race. Messy as hell.
I am still draining my bike frame right now.
Repacked my hubs on my wheels.
Races like this does do some damage to your equipment but it also makes you stronger for the season.
Hopefully there won't be too many races in weather like this.
It is a pain to cleanup the bike with all that sand in it and you find yourself still picking sand out of your ears and eyes.