paincave

‘Cross at the intersection of Pain and Cave.

Worst cx race of my life today at Cross Crusade #1.

Rolled front tubeless in the first hard corner of preride, but I knew it was a new tire (michelin mud2) and had already lost the rear earlier in the week so I was prepared w/ spare wheels.

Put a spare wheel on the front and rolled on the roads around Alpenrose until the course was open again. Made it half a freaking lap and the rear mud2 (with tube!) pinch-flatted. Guess I was spoiled by those Hutch bulldogs, but man these things were killing me. So now I’m on spare front+rear wheels and it’s time to line up.

I got a decent start, but it’s a huge field and I know I am down on fitness + skillz relative to last year so I take it easy, trading position with some guys and moving up when I can. Then, on the washboardy back side, boom, I wash out on the front — my spare had pinch flatted! Just past the pit too, so I had nearly a whole lap to run until I could get a neutral wheel. It’s still the first lap, mind you, so giving up is not really an option.

So I ran it.

Two miles.

With the goddamn bike on my back and everyone passing me.

Finally got back around and got a new wheel, but my race was essentially over. I got back up into suffer-vision though, just to get the workout. I paid my money, I’m gonna get my 45 minutes, right?

Turned out to be 52 minutes in a 45 minute race, DFL except for the 20 guys who did not finish.

Gotta work out these mechanicals. I did 12 races last season and didn’t have one pit, and here I flatted 3 times in one day. Both the front and rear mud2’s came loose at the same point, too: at the valve stem, where the rim strip+valve bulged up enough to keep the bead from seating. When they work, they gripped a hell of a lot better than the ground-to-slick bulldog I had been running, but it’s just NOT OK to drop out that easily.

Ah well, nowhere to go but up, right?