Winter Shart Tarck '26: Race Four

Despite waking up Sunday and looking out the window at the steady rain, I was in a great mood.  I considered yesterday's race a "win."  Well, as much of a win as I can taking credit for snagging fourth place in a strategic race while ignoring the fact that we had Türd in sight but we got caught up in what some call "negative racing" whilst a spot on the podium was just there mebbe in reach?

I was fu;;y prepared.  I'd already put Forekasters front and rear on the Vertigo Meatplow V.7 AND mounted up two fenders to keep the mud outta my eyes, eschewing the 32" wheeled bike and its not mud friendly tires.  I'd put an industrial garbage bag over the front seat of my car, and the plan was to step outta the car fully dressed, double rain outfitted, and start warming up immediately.  Plan on being back at the car with ten minutes to go to shed my layers down to race approved rain gear, then head to the start.

The single speeders line up, and we are few.  Normally, we are upper teens or twenty plus deep, but today we are nine.  First place overall (Avery) lines up next to me, and I see his tensioned single speed and wonder how that's gonna work out.  Historically, it seems like it's been a recipe for not certain but definitely potential disaster when there's mud at Renni.  I'm never been anywhere near him after the first twenty seconds of the race, so whatever. 

Just as it happened yesterday, I can't clip in on the first or second try.  Dammit.  People are flying past me, and I feel like I'm riding backwards.  We get to the hairpin before hitting the woods, and I can count the riders ahead of me.  Eight.

I went from being second into the woods at race number one to second to last at race number four.  Meh.

photo cred: Pisgah Paparazzi

I can only guess how things fell apart from there.  My heart rate is pegged, but it feels like everyone is effortlessly riding away from me.  Jason is the next rider ahead, but every time I give it a little go-go juice, he keeps his ten second gap.  I see a rider sitting next to the trail, but I'm thinking "is that a rider on the side of the trail?"  I'm not seeing or thinking straight but mebbe?  Everything and everybody is covered in mud, and the few spectators in the woods are just random shadows.
 

photo cred: CLT MTB

Either way, I decide to pump the brakes, or in this case, pedal less hard.  In terms of the whole series, this double points day (of course it's double points day) isn't going to impact my situation all that much as long as there are no riders between Jason and I, so why am I risking my biscuits sliding around in the mud?

Well, then I see first place overall in the series (Avery) running with his bike on the trail ahead of me (actually adjacent through the woods but also way ahead), and I realize if I don't get my head outta my ass, there goes a larger double points leap for Jason.  Ack.

I had to suffer a little more ouch to get around Avery before I could drop my muddy clothes into a puddle in the parking lot under the semi-cover of my tiny hatchback, all for a hard(ly) fought for sixth place.

That was fun(?) but mostly hard and somewhat scary.

One to go.