Rob Ballou

Second win!

Today’s race (at Spanish Lake Park) was set to be an interesting one. The first player in this was the trail and the issue of mixed reviews and the second major player was going to be weather.

The first I more or less solved with a fun, albeit warm (understated!), ride on Saturday at the park with Mr. and Mrs. Scott and Kai. I didn’t realize at the time, but we rode the end of the trail first which actually gave us a shot at the new bridge which is totally better than the 2x10’ that was apparently there before. This trail is tight twisty and the single track portions are fun to ride. The narrow twisty work was not going to be very flowy for a race, but the trail worked pretty well. Slow clap for all the guys who put in a lot of work and then raced it!

From all accounts Saturday was the hotter day and I paid a price with a headache that lasted from about 4 or 5 pm till late in the night (despite having taken plenty of water and my normal hot weather mix from Hammer). By Sunday was no better.

Essentially the course is a short, flat (for St. Louis standards) trail. The singletrack can change from fast and flowy to tight and twisty pretty quickly. The killer on a hot August day, though, are the open gravel and grass climbs. As you ride these, your skin is burning, sweat cooking off your skin as fast it appears. I felt like I was a slug even on one of the down hill, off camper turns by the lake.

My form held up really well for the first lap though. I grabbed the hole shot for the first time and used it to pace set. I had a couple guys with me, nipping my heals off the bat (almost had some issues on a log crossing!). I mainly hoped to keep it reasonable, but turn the screws enough to slowly wear the others out. Eventually, I looked over my shoulder to see I was alone (“where did everyone go!?”). I believe I was a bit faster through the second woodlands and in the gravel climb, but I can only guess.

I really only started to suffer when I climbed the final hill and headed for the “Hans Rey” section (had a brief wobble coming off the log which nearly provided some entertainment for on-lockers). But into the second lap I could tell things were going to be hard. I felt I kept decent form except when I hit the second half of the course. I was slow through the uphill at the grass and by the lake. I cautiously took the descent after the second to last climb and was sluggish on the final climb.

The third lap, I was feeling the energy starting to go. A new bottle from the cooler helped, but was almost gone before half way through the lap (it’s better to finish before the end, I guess!), but the narrow tree work was wearing on me. I past a cramped rider from my group on the gravel climb (and I can’t blame him!). I knew I was in first, but I felt time slipping away and didn’t know where 2nd was. I’ve lost lead positions before because I was cooked, so I was a bit worried and tried to keep my pace up. So I devised a plan. My clock was reading 50+ minutes and it was the last lap… so I put a little bit into the second last climb, descended pretty safely, and climbed part of the final climb out of the saddle. I safely navigated the obstacles, and willed my legs into the final open field run. I welcomed the breeze, looked over my shoulder as I hit the second-to-last turn seeing no one. I lifted my gearing a bit as I heard some buddies cheering from the finish.

My victory salute was collapsing in the most pitiful shade I find. While my main competition is still side-lined, I’m really happy with this win! My form felt good, given the conditions, and the course suited me to a pretty good degree.

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