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Valentine's Challenge, Indie Mountain Bike Series #1
20 February 2005
Report by : Barry Campbell
Derik and I headed out to Tahuya State Forest for the Valentine's Challenge, the first race
of the new Indie Mountain Bike Series. We didn't really know what to expect, having only our
experiences at the SeaTac races to go on. I actually expected more people to be there than
there were, since there were only 26 Beginner Men, although half of those were in the 30-39
category.
The course was a little different from the SeaTac courses. Far more technical and much less
road. The section we rode to warm up was less than a mile long, and gave us a good idea what
we were in for. Abuse, pure and simple. We headed back to the start, and Derik stopped in to
talk to the neutral support about the bike he'd borrowed from Ben. They adjusted his rear
derailleur limit screws, and Derik made a comment about it being the first time he'd be returning
a bike in better condition than he borrowed it. The mechanic replied, "Race ain't over yet..."
We lined up in waves, the 19-29s going first, a minute ahead of us. One guy was a little late
and almost took out the race promoter as he flew out of the back of the group. We got the go-ahead,
and the guy just in front of me stood on his pedals and snapped his chain. I dodged around him as I
watched it shoot out the back of his bike into a little pile on the ground. At least he didn't have
to sprint up the hill...
Derik and I both knew that the sprint up the road to the singletrack wasn't going to matter. It was
the muddy, singletrack hill about 150 yards into the trail that was going to make the difference.
Neither of us really pushed it up the start, and we got to the trail in probably 8th and 10th. A few
nicely banked corners, some roots, a couple of mud holes, and then the hill. People were falling
into the bushes left and right. I probably made up 4 or 5 places by the time I got to the top, still
with one guy between me and D. I passed him pretty quickly, and then followed D and the two guys
in front of him for awhile. We came out to a section of road, and Derik told me to go on ahead.
I didn't argue, I was suffering but still moving pretty fast. I chased down the two guys ahead
before long, when one of them spun out on a short climb and stopped them both. A little later was the
worst part of the course. A short, loose climb came out to a clearcut. It was loose dirt, logs,
rocks, and roots for about a half mile. I was suffering the whole time, trying to recover, since
it was flat, but unable to go any faster without blowing up completely. Eventually I made it out,
and it was pretty much clear sailing to the finish. One big difference between mountain bike races
and road bike races is that in road races you generally know how many people are ahead of you. I had
no idea where I was placed until they stapled my tag up on the finish board. Derik showed up a few
minutes later, and I found out why he let me go. His saddle had come loose, and he couldn't stand up
without clamping it between his legs for fear it would fall off completely. He said he kept catching
up to the guy behind me, but every time he got close, he'd crash. That probably slowed him down a bit.
All in all, a long 6.5 miles, but a fun day.
Results:
Beginner:
Barry Campbell 3rd, 30-39 men
Derik Andreoli 5th, 30-39 men
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