Race Recap – Race #5 Buck Hill Birch Bump

Race Recap – Buck Hill, July 22nd, 2012




My second MMBS series race of the year was Race #5 Buck Hill Birch Bump. I was coming off two weeks of tapering, and was feeling pretty rested. I went out for my typical warm-up and felt the nerves in my legs. A couple intervals seemed to clear the stress out.



I was late to the lineup, but entered the front of the chute regardless of all the other riders. It didn’t matter. With call-ups for series points and a bad microphone for the announcer, I was trapped third row back. That’s the problem with series point call up. In a lot of cases the slower guys go up front because they have been to every race. In a way, I suppose that is fair.



At the start, I stuck to my plan of staying the line I picked earlier in the day. I have gotten tangled too many times on that first sandy climb to the chalet to try to ride aggressive on that section of the course. At the chalet there was a group of three off the front, but I kept calm and looked for opportunities to pass. Just before the gravel climb to the tubing area, skinnyski had some pictures that show I was about 12 riders back from the front. I had some work to do.



By the top of the gravel climb into the tubing area I knew I needed to connect with the three leaders before the single track portion of the front side switchback climb. I chiseled away at the lead, passing riders here and there. At the switchback climb I put the hammer down and started passing riders by riding through the tall grass. By the single track section of the climb I was sitting in third position. I sat in through the rest of the climb and into the single track at the top. Once we hit the double track portion of the climb I was recovered enough to make a break for it. I put some serious time into the chasers. As I reached the backside single track I had a good 15-20 seconds on the group. In the single track I really kicked it in. I was running like a scared rabbit and wasn’t going to get caught, ever.



I continued the push across the face of the hill and could feel the gap growing. Coming into the start area I was a good 45 seconds up on the next guy. The crowd drove me harder. One guy yelled out “Keep it up! You are crushing them!”



On the second lap, the sun came out, and the temperature really started to rise. (Based on my Strava data, my lap times were 14.8 minutes, 15.5 minutes, 16.0 minutes, and 16.5 minutes.) I dialed back the pace on each lap, but the gap continued to grow. By the start of the third lap, I was riding alone up the front climb. I looked down the hill as I crested the climb, and didn’t see anyone within minutes of me. The pressure was off, so I continued to dial back the pace. I was seeing stars from the heat, so I took the time to cool myself on the backside single track.



The fourth lap was a cakewalk. I was putting lap traffic between myself and the guys behind, and riding at a very manageable pace. I finished 4th overall and first in the age group. I probably could have pushed for that 1st overall spot, but I had a good time riding the race the way I did. My first, first in Sport. Thanks Strava ;)