Rough day at the office

Some days make you want to quit racing, maybe even biking altogether. Saturday 29th at the Seeley Pre-Fat was one of them. Good race, just a very bad day. The festivities, awards & giveaways after the race are great & even the misty rainy weather couldn't dampen the spirits of alot of happy bikers.

Congrats to some really good races by Tim Swift taking 3rd, Todd McFadden & Bushy (thanks for help with driving the pace early on), Matt Muraski & the comeback kid Chad Sova (insane result for a guy that only got back in some serious riding 4 weeks ago). Tom Meyer really had a breakthrough day as well. And Curt Cline if they'd of had a 3rd lap, you most certainly would have passed me as well. Great job.

Note on MTB racing etiquette I've been meaning to get around to. In MTB'ing there's generally a really great camaraderie -- one of the reasons for that is as a MTB racer versus as road racer --almost everyone suffers all the same. Why is that? Because everyone that can -- DOES TAKE A TURN at the front pulling. If you sit on & wheel suck the guys in front of you -- you're sinking yourself pretty low on the cycling totem pole. And WILL NEVER garner the respect of your fellow racers. Wheel suck alot and a reputation will develop that will follow you for a very long time. Win a race or beat others that you've suck wheel at for the entirety of a race, or end up attacking them at the end of the race & they'll never respect you because you never did your share.

Which by the way -- let's get alittle mathematical about the benefit of wheel sucking -- anytime the speed exceeds 10mph there's a tangible benefit of drafting, that includes mtbiking. Benefits are reduced energy expenditure and recovery & lactic acid discepation at a higher speed than otherwise possible.

If the energy output required saves the drafter 3-5% -- you're getting a "free tow" of nearly a 200 yards every 20 minutes. (Resource: analyticcycling.com) Over the course of a 2 hr race that's 1200 yards, almost 3/4 of a mile or 2 1/2 to 3 minutes in finishing times.

So what I'm saying is race however you like -- but understand there's no glory or respect without sharing the burden. MTB racing ain't road racing. Remember that next time you see your fellow racer pushing it at the front while you sit in, recover or at least have it ever so easier. Take your turn at the front. If you can't pull at all or are just barely holding on yourself, at least have the decency to not attack at the finish if someone else has pulled you along. Sit on, enjoy the fact that their efforts and your smart racing saved you from being caught from behind by someone else. But don't take their efforts and squeeze them out at the end.

Lastly my personal opinion alone, it was great what TJ Woodruff & Jeff Hall did for the finish of the Pre Fat. The last 300-400 yards is an old dirt railroad grade 4 wheeler trail and to my understanding neither drafted the other. They had an old fashion drag race to the finish -- That's the right way, the honest way to finish a race in style.