Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series

I was really looking forward to this race. I've been lifting, training and gunning for this thing all summer. I didn't think I was going to go out and kill it, but was more looking forward to tracking my progress after all that work. I've been trimming down my lap times on the trails and knew that I was making progress.

Race format is a series of four Tuesdays in August. Four laps per race, winner determined by time. Open class racing, Pro and Sport race together. Separate race for Novice/Beginner. Points based on placement all the way down to 15th place. The trails are my regular stomping grounds, I know them blindfolded.

Show up to sign in and warm up on the trails a bit. We line up to get going and there aren't nearly as many racers as last time. We are counted and told there are only 17 racers, first 15 finishers will get points. I think to myself, "that is my goal, just get above 15". The rest of the racers there look uber-pro and I line up back of the middle pack.

We start out booking for the first entry into singletrack and I'm about 10-12 people back. The pace is fast, but a little clustered. I was surprised by the fact that I was tailing the guy ahead of me no problem, with plenty of gusto left in me to pass. We roll through the trails and I start passing guys, maybe 2-3. I'm feeling really good and know that I can keep the pace.

Suddenly, I can't shift and realize that I'm stuck in my smallest cog on my rear derailleur. I try shifting and get nothing. I try getting to the top of a hill, thinking I'll look at it then and I can't even move, something is wrong. I dismount and realize my rear derailleur cable snapped right where it connects to the derailleur. There is no easy fix I can think of right away, I was so consumed in race mode. About half a dozen people pass me in this time. On top it, this is about 10 minutes into the race.

I hop back on and shift down on my front derailleur thinking I can still crank it out. It was like pedaling through mud. Every single little hill is a major effort to get up and I'm zapping my energy. Roll through after the first lap, way off my normal time. Get some help from someone in the pit, who adjusts my limit screw to get my derailleur to stay in about the 4th or 5th cog. I go out for a second lap, super pissed and frustrated. Almost stopped right there to give up. I felt dejected, humbled and mad that I messed up such a great start. Nothing I could have done, though. Ride through the second lap and am about out of it. I was basically running a single-speed, but I've never ridden a single-speed on singletrack.

I come in to the pit and find out I'm in 15th place. If I just finish, I'll get some points for the next race. That is motivation enough, but I about lost it. I felt so alone out there, which didn't help. For some reason, I start actually feeling really good about halfway through that third lap. I somehow pass one guy and then another. More motivation just to keep cranking it. I come in for the fourth lap and find out that I've got another guy ahead of me and another right behind me.

I go back out, contemplating DNF - really tired, super sore. I crank it out for the last lap, I don't even remember it. Come through on the last lap and find out I'm in 13th place. Not great, but with a major mechanical, I can't ask for much else. After looking at the race results, I realize the guy ahead of me is 1 second away. Two guys ahead of him are about 12 minutes away. Not sure if I can make that up, but will try my best next week. No pics.