True Fixed Gear Freestyle

Wall-Ride on a full blown Track Bike...Ridonkulous....

The Race That Almost Wasn't

We've been riddled with bad weather and poor trail conditions for what seems like an eternity.  And it was looking like the Canal Moonlight TT was not going to happen.  After postponing things a few weeks, the skies finally gave way to a beautiful blue and the wind moved in to dry things out.  So last Thursday night Dustin G and I loaded up about 40lbs of race equipment and rode through the 30mph gust to put on a race.  Due to the fact it was so cold we weren't expecting much for this event.  When we got to the trail Dustin started working on a fire and I took a lap to clear any debris from the trail.  By the time I came back, much to my surprise, a sizeable crowd had formed and Dustin was playing registrar.  Looks like we're having a race after all!
We had 15 people brave the elements and race through the dark, twisty trail.  Riders were started in 30 second intervals and somehow I got thrown into the mix.  Everyone took off and I was last to start in the first group of riders.  3...2...1...Go!  And at that point I was still trying to clip in.  I honestly think I was about 50 yards down the trail before I finally heard that positive click.  Must of been the pressure of such an awe-inspiring event (insert sarcasm here)!  So now I'm racing and almost immediately I have to take it down a notch as my legs were on fire.  Nothing like starting from dead cold and pedaling your brains out!  I finally started to get into a groove and by that time I was almost done with the loop.  So part of the course took you straight up the middle of the stairs.  As in straight up the middle, not off to the side where it's smooth.  As I was approaching I was trying to figure out the whole cyclocross dismount in my head.  I knew running the stairs would be the fastest option, but it required a good bit of timing to execute properly.  As I struggled mentally with my options, here comes the stairs.  I scrapped the cross technique and rode right up the middle.  As I made the climb I quickly realized it was a bad decision, but pride got in the way of things.  Somehow I made it to the top of the stairs, made the turn, and flew smoothly into the finish.  After crossing the finish line I thought to myself, that was really hard.  Then right after that I thought, that was really fun!
After my race I got to hang out by the fire with everyone, roast some marshmallows, and yell at the other riders through the MegaHorn...Setting off the siren mode for good measure.  We tried to get some pics to document the evening, but unfortunately my batteries died after a few snaps.  We'll have fresh ones for the upcoming TT.  It was really cool to see riders of every skill level on the trail, even some that had never ridden at night.  Everyone had a blast, even those that took some wrong turns straight into disqualification (Dan & Robin, you'll have a second chance this week).  While finishing position was important, I'm sure after it was all said and done, no one really cared.  We were on our bikes, in the dark, freezing cold, blasting through the woods.  Now that sounds like a good time to me.
This race wouldn't have happened without some help.  So thanks to Dustin G, John, Julie, and Troy for clearing the trail after the snow.  And thanks to everyone who showed up to race.  Give yourself a pat on the back!  We've got the final TT this Thursday so don't miss the action!