Gotlabs
Husqvarna
AA Class
It started out as one of those days when you just aren't firing on all 8 cylinders. My head wasn't in the game at all, nervous all day long complete with upset stomach. My daughter didn't have a good race in the morning after two bad crashes.
I knew we would have a small class since the Harleywood race in Bristol VA is so far away from the majority of racers. Pulling up to the line my umbrella girl gives me the count of 11 in the Vet B class, smallest line in B field. I figured at least I won't be 12th!
Watching the rows ahead of me peel off didn't help my mind or stomach at all and when the flag dropped for our row I was caught picking my nose. For some reason I Salley'd the kick and my old faithful WR didn't start. Last off the line, I managed to pass two guys within a couple hundred meters. Then I got stuck behind a riding buddy of mine for a couple miles until he decided to depart his bike. Feeling like my head was clearing a little, I started pushing harder and catching bikes and making passes. I get to a sweet rooty clay covered hillclimb and it looked like the local dealership had just dumped their inventory! At least 12 bikes in various places (of course they were in the good lines) on the hill, I locked up the brakes in time to be spared as two bikes slid/tumbled down in front of me. One dude tried to pass and failed taking two other guys out in the process, my riding buddy tried to thread the needle also only to be denied by the nastiest of nasty roots in the region. I found a sucker hole and weaseled through, dismounted and pushed, kicked and clawed my way up the hill leaving all the carnage behind. Thinking I was alone, some other racer passed me in a mud puddle spraying me so bad that I had to stop and get the mud from behind my rolloffs, causing me to lose valuable time.
Guys in the morning race told me there was a sweet rocky creek hillclimb somewhere on the course and I was itching to see it. As luck would have it, I turned the corner and found where the rest of my class and a few others were.......laying in the creek. At least 7 bikes were on their sides or in the trees! I picked a good line and made it through with zero problems! I graciously rolled through scoring on the first lap in 4th place, I thought for sure there was something wrong with the scoring gates!
My 2nd lap was a little better until a mile from scoring when my rear brakes locked up. I've had it happen before when the brake backing plate got bent and seized on the pin. I fought with it for at least 5 minutes trying to figure out what was wrong, it was almost like the brakes were overheated and the fluid was boiling nothing would move. I was just about ready to walk out when I laid the bike over and found the sliver of a rock wedged under the rear brake pedal (this was all on a big downhill so there wasn't a lot of wiggle room and bikes were screaming pass me). Once I unscrewed myself we made two more uneventful laps for finish 4th in class, not my best but after having such a crappy start I'll take it and smile!
I knew we would have a small class since the Harleywood race in Bristol VA is so far away from the majority of racers. Pulling up to the line my umbrella girl gives me the count of 11 in the Vet B class, smallest line in B field. I figured at least I won't be 12th!
Watching the rows ahead of me peel off didn't help my mind or stomach at all and when the flag dropped for our row I was caught picking my nose. For some reason I Salley'd the kick and my old faithful WR didn't start. Last off the line, I managed to pass two guys within a couple hundred meters. Then I got stuck behind a riding buddy of mine for a couple miles until he decided to depart his bike. Feeling like my head was clearing a little, I started pushing harder and catching bikes and making passes. I get to a sweet rooty clay covered hillclimb and it looked like the local dealership had just dumped their inventory! At least 12 bikes in various places (of course they were in the good lines) on the hill, I locked up the brakes in time to be spared as two bikes slid/tumbled down in front of me. One dude tried to pass and failed taking two other guys out in the process, my riding buddy tried to thread the needle also only to be denied by the nastiest of nasty roots in the region. I found a sucker hole and weaseled through, dismounted and pushed, kicked and clawed my way up the hill leaving all the carnage behind. Thinking I was alone, some other racer passed me in a mud puddle spraying me so bad that I had to stop and get the mud from behind my rolloffs, causing me to lose valuable time.
Guys in the morning race told me there was a sweet rocky creek hillclimb somewhere on the course and I was itching to see it. As luck would have it, I turned the corner and found where the rest of my class and a few others were.......laying in the creek. At least 7 bikes were on their sides or in the trees! I picked a good line and made it through with zero problems! I graciously rolled through scoring on the first lap in 4th place, I thought for sure there was something wrong with the scoring gates!
My 2nd lap was a little better until a mile from scoring when my rear brakes locked up. I've had it happen before when the brake backing plate got bent and seized on the pin. I fought with it for at least 5 minutes trying to figure out what was wrong, it was almost like the brakes were overheated and the fluid was boiling nothing would move. I was just about ready to walk out when I laid the bike over and found the sliver of a rock wedged under the rear brake pedal (this was all on a big downhill so there wasn't a lot of wiggle room and bikes were screaming pass me). Once I unscrewed myself we made two more uneventful laps for finish 4th in class, not my best but after having such a crappy start I'll take it and smile!
