OMBA - Season Opener on the MTB

 

 

So it's late April and with the constant rain in the Midwest I finally started my mtb race season at our local Sac River Trail at the Omba Caramba event.  My base fitness has been fine, but with Thursday as my first single track in '16 I had no idea how this race would go.

 

Great bunch of folks (MORC) put this event on headed up by Mark Gullet (local fast guy on the trails) and this year did not disappoint.  Temps were cool in the low 50's and the trail was only muddy in a couple places. 

 

Like all my mtb'ing of past and future I jumped in the 3hr marathon race on my SS.  The loop was 10 miles and I was hoping to actually turn the race into a 4hr 40 mile trek and not just 3hrs. 

 

Smallish start group with alot of folks I didn't know with the exception of Trevor Gullett, a local youngster who has gotten faster and faster every time I see him. 

 

Whistle blows and Trevor I are chasing a guy for the first 30 minutes before overtaking him and opening a sizable gap.  A couple miles before the end of the first loop Trevor passed me and opened a solid gap.  I had told him to make sure he paced himself as we were going 40 miles at which he replied he would much rather just go the 3hrs... 

 

Most of the 2nd loop was solo chasing Trevor

 

Crossed the line after 1 lap at 58 minutes and felt confident of the 40 miles as my pace was decent without burning any candles.  Floated along most of the 2nd lap catching Trevor with a couple miles to go in the lap and he jumped on.  As we finished the 2nd lap I again told him we were going 40 miles as we were at 1hr 57min and I was starting to feel smoother on the single track and still holding plenty for the last half of the race. 

3rd lap was going well with Trevor tucked in when my Crank Bro's pedal body came of the spindle.  Everyone knows eventually this will happen with older egg beaters, but you just hope it's not during a ride and not a race.  Not a single thing you can do to fix it when it happens, but to limp in.  Trevor headed out after checking to see if there was anything he could help with and I started the 7 mile single leg (i did use the spindle for some stability when possible) slog.  I had a replacement pedal in my race box at the start/finish line so all I had to do was try to hit the line before 3hrs to get the 40 miles in.  Road better than expected, but at the end of the 3rd lap I was 59 seconds too late to start the next lap and the race was over at 3hrs and 30 miles.  Trevor opted not to ride another lap so he got his wish on the time/distance.  Congrats to him on a good race win; would have been fun to see how it played out with another lap. 



Gave the crew podium etiquette tips and half of them listened... its a start 

 

So there you go; race one under the belt and pretty pleased with fitness and flow.  Couple weeks I head to STL for Greensfelder.



Don't tell me what pedals I should start using as a switch is not going to happen.
 It's a love/hate relation but Crank Bros are my jam!