Until the Snow Ends

I started my mountain bike season a good 3-4 weeks later than usual this year, for reasons that I no longer remember. I was lax as usual about getting on the trainer in March and ended with about 15 hours total on the bike until recently -- so then I crash-trained a 15-hour week ending with Paris-Ancaster . Since I passed 1200 people in the race, clearly I must be in shape. Clearly. But then I had to actually race my "peers" down at Massasoit, and the truth came out. As you might've noticed it was 40 and raining (or snowing, depending on where in Massachusetts you were) on Saturday. A mountain bike race was actually the only way I was going to get any training in whatsoever, because you can't possibly ride for fun in that weather, and racing on the road would be insane (right, Quabbin participants??). So it's all good. Bike racing!!! Due to the pouring rain at the start, we had a no-warmup truce going and thus everyone was equally stone cold when the w...

This looks exactly how it felt.

It's pretty well established that I can't say no to a goodbad idea, so when Myerspace asked me if I wanted to make a 9-hour drive to Hamilton, Ontario for a 60k mtb/cross bike race it was really just a formality.  GET IN THE VAN.  Dave Chiu joined me as the other half of "Adam's entourage" and we headed west at 85 mph to take on 1500 Canadians in the legendary Paris to Ancaster bike race. Let me skip all the setup and take you right to the part where my day got interesting. Two minutes to the start.  I'm third row out of 500 people in wave 1.  It's 39 degrees out with wind gusting to 40mph.   I have carbon tubulars.  I'm so excited I can't even tell how cold I am.  I do the typical, neurotic pre-race air pressure check and HOLY CRAP MY FRONT TIRE IS SOFT. I must've picked up a thorn on the warmup.  Did I mention I'm on a tubular, so I can't just put a tube in?  It's going to be ok though, Adam has spare wheels in the car.  ...