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Monday, May 22

2017 Pisgah 111K: Part Two

I'm sorta confident about my flat fix but not really.  First time using the Dynaplugs, being in a hurry... did I put enough air in?  Am I squishing about or just crazy?  Fuck it.  Just go.  I start catching people back. Chris Tries, Captain Morgan... and then I catch Sam Koerber?  How am I passing him, and even more important, how fast is that single speed guy ahead of me going?

Get up to aid station #3.  I look around for the other guy, but he's wearing an orange helmet and so is like a million other people and this is the same aid station as #2 so there's a sea of orange helmets.  Meh.  Get more air in my rear tire, more or less as a panacea, I think.  Grab two bottles and my spare CO2.  Up Laurel and more bacon from my jersey pocket.

I push the pace up Laurel wondering if the SSer is ahead of me killing it or behind me... because orange helmets.  I catch an orange helmet.  Wrong guy.  I get caught by an orange helmet.  Wrong guy again.  Then I see my orange helmet rider, and I burn some matches to let him know that I really don't wanna see him again.  At the top, orange helmet guy (Mark from UP) wants me to lead down Pilot Rock.

"Ummmm.... I'm on a rigid fork and you're on full suspension."

"I've never been down it before."

"Get ready to see something."

He's right on my wheel until we get into the switchbacks and then I make a few that he can't and I'm alone giving my soul away to one of the roughest descents in Pisgah.  He catches me at the bottom and asks if my hands hurt.

"yeth."

More gummy bears and I sacrifice a few more matches wanting to get to the last aid station alone.  Two tiny cups of Coke and slam some potato chips in my face and go.  South Mills River Trail to the Wheelchair Ramp to the hike-a-bike up the back of Black Mountain.  I see one orange helmet below me, and I move faster.  Another orange helmet comes up on me, but this time it's orange helmet Mark.  We walk up the side of this gawdawful mountain together, me forgetting just how many pitches are beyond okay.  I'm death marching.

At the top, Mark wants to follow me again.  Okay, I guess.  There was some work done a week ago up here, and despite all the fears that the maintenance was gonna "sanitize" the trail, I can assure you that Shrimper and his crew did nothing of the sort.  It's as sick as it ever was.

"I live for this!" ~ Orange Helmet Mark

"I live for beer, but this is okay too." ~ me

Down to Maxwell Cove and the final hike-a-bike before I'm in the barn.  I let orange helmet Mark past me and descend the final run on my own.  Come into the finish... pretty sure I'm third to NUE studs Gordon and John.

Nope.

Gordon missed a turn and ended up just having himself a pleasant day in the woods.  Thusly, I moved into second place.  I'll take it any way I can get it.

55.5% of the reason I do Pisgah Production events... beer with friends and sleeping in my car a hundred yards from the keg.

photo cred: Daniel S

6 comments:

glen said...

nice!

Anonymous said...

Great writing!

fatlip11 said...

Never raced a day in my life... well maybe the devil once or twice, but that's a different story... all I can say is, these are awesome! A blast to read.

Chris said...

had my first Clawhammer -> Black experience on Friday .. mucho props

Anonymous said...

HOw would it have gone w/o a flat????
The world will never know.

Anonymous said...

So in basically your back yard you need a marked course to podium. Got it.