Being on the AMBC circuit, DINO #4 at Muscatatuck City Park in North Vernon, Indiana brought girls from Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky to the start line. The rain from the night before brought a nice layer of grease, slime, and mud to one of the more technical courses of the series.
Technical course + mud & slime = scary and cumbersome
First, a big congratulations to Meredith on her XC and short track wins!!! (More results posted here.)
Hanging on the wheels of Kelly Meek and Emily Benson, I watched each one pass the other then blow up a few times. My strategy was to let them play that game for a while, so I could recover a bit. It seemed to be working until my chain dropped on the inside for the 3rd time on the first lap. I caught them as I started my second lap only to have chain suck from it dropping yet a fourth time. I had to get off the bike and perform some trailside maintenance! (Cheryl would be proud.) Assuming I had lost too much time to remain somewhat competitive, my race spirit had been crushed. It was easier to call it a day and post a big DNF. For those not familiar with these letters, it means “Did Not Finish.” The ego took a beating, but my long term perspective will benefit as I start to develop my mental training plan.
Next in the DINO series is one of my favorite trails in New Castle, Indiana at Westwood park. While I’m eager to hit this course again, I’ll be firming up some mountain bike skills next weekend in State College, Pennsylvania for my next big adventure. We’ll see if riding with the boys is all it’s cracked up to be.
Hanging on the wheels of Kelly Meek and Emily Benson, I watched each one pass the other then blow up a few times. My strategy was to let them play that game for a while, so I could recover a bit. It seemed to be working until my chain dropped on the inside for the 3rd time on the first lap. I caught them as I started my second lap only to have chain suck from it dropping yet a fourth time. I had to get off the bike and perform some trailside maintenance! (Cheryl would be proud.) Assuming I had lost too much time to remain somewhat competitive, my race spirit had been crushed. It was easier to call it a day and post a big DNF. For those not familiar with these letters, it means “Did Not Finish.” The ego took a beating, but my long term perspective will benefit as I start to develop my mental training plan.
Next in the DINO series is one of my favorite trails in New Castle, Indiana at Westwood park. While I’m eager to hit this course again, I’ll be firming up some mountain bike skills next weekend in State College, Pennsylvania for my next big adventure. We’ll see if riding with the boys is all it’s cracked up to be.
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