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what am i doing here?

ÆX

Turbo Monkey
Sep 8, 2001
4,920
17
NM
race report after wining 12 miles of hell now "hills of hell" 2008
i still like xc racing, weird for a dher you know.


Going to a race alone to an area you have never raced at is always fun.

I showed up to lawton about 10pm with dusti on the phone giving me
the weird direction THROUGH the military base to the race site @ letra lake.
no-name roads winding about through the base, military gates and water
crossing finally passed revealing signs to letra. I find a spot to park
and watch some WRC rally on my touch have a shiner and go to bed.

No, i didn't forget the time change. Not that it would have mattered b/c
i parked right down from the start where they were butting up the banner.
The race in the past has had a mass start of 1000+ people. It has gone
down some to 500 last year. This year there were about 300. So you need
on the line 30 min early!

The start is sounded by a rear batalion cannon. I ligned up far edge so
i could hold onto the banner pole to backpedal for warm up. I was
watching to see the 3 military light the cannon when it went off. My
hands were off the bar and feet out of the pedals. i scrambled to get
going and was in second up the first climb. The leader was strong but down
the first hill there was a single track cut that took me straight down the
side of the hill that i took moving me into first, but only for a while. He was
a power house and pulled me on the 40' wide road climbs over the "Hills".
by the time we hit a 3 mile tarmac section he was out of site, so i was
settling for 2nd. As the race turn off the tarmac i start heading up a really
steep hill, at teh top i see arrow pointing @ me! not a good sign. Thinking
i was on the wrong side of the 40' road i ride on a bit more till i see people
riding on trail below me. KwrAAAp. By the time i get back to where i went
off i am in 8th or so. Fighting my way back up i pass the original leader.
he was on his second flat. The granet rocks gave him a tubeless sidewall
rip, then a pinch flat. Now i have so motivation for the Win. I pass my
friend brandon on his SS, then keep picking riders off till one guys says
i don't need to ride so hard b/c first is the next rider. RAD. I tail the leader
for a few till i find a good section on the climb where i can big ring it. The
first attack we was tailing me fine, no gap made. i let up a bit to recover
for the second, find a nice technical area then let loose not stopping till
there is a gap. The trail get much more rocky with little ledges and sharp
turns with steep granny climbs. By now i have pulled him off out of site.

I hold do the finish still in disbelief of my return to the top. Still in awe
that i can race xc after all these years racing DH. That is 3 weekends of
firsts after quiting full time xc back in 1994. My body if loving it and fits
the xc mold far better then the typical dh mold. still doesn't mean i am
not racing dh this summer. just means i will be fit and ready do pedal
face.

alwx
 

ÆX

Turbo Monkey
Sep 8, 2001
4,920
17
NM
Nice work. Sounds like it is time to upgrade.
yeah, it did get me thinking about how i used think it was
so rad that tomac did BOTH in the same weekend.

i think next year i will train for a double at masters worlds.
do my knowledge it has never been done in any age group!
 

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
yeah, it did get me thinking about how i used think it was
so rad that tomac did BOTH in the same weekend.

i think next year i will train for a double at masters worlds.
do my knowledge it has never been done in any age group!
go for it!!!