Team Mango

"greenwater thriller"

the aptly named “greenwater thriller” in greenwater, washington was by far my favorite course of the race series this year. it had a little of everything: a 200 yard sprint on a flat gravel road, a twisty singletrack through a forest carpeted with exposed tree roots, some muddy sections, some rocky sections along a riverbank, a long slow climb up a logging road, a fast but technical downhill section, an unrideable hill, 2 bridge crossings, 2 stream crossings…

the starting gun sent us sprinting along a gravel road, directly towards the pierce county sheriff, who had parked his green and white SUV at the end of the sprint and was clocking us on his radar gun (as well as on each successive lap). he would call out speeds to the announcer, who would broadcast them over the P.A. system. turns out whoever was clocked at the highest speed for the day would win a free bike paint job. i never heard the winning speed, although 28mph was the fastest i heard announced. i also never heard my speed announced, but i doubt it was anywhere close. i got the feeling that it was a cruel joke to entice riders to blow themselves out on the sprint right before starting the more technical and physically gruelling sections of the ride. suckers…

and into the trees we went. on the first lap, there was the usual traffic jam as someone would get hung up on a tree root, denying anyone behind the opportunity to pass. as the first mile and a half was fairly technical, it was pretty much single file riding until the trail dumped out onto a logging road.

from here, the long climb began. i decided to be a little more aggressive about my climbs than usual to try and pass as many riders as i could, which i think eventually paid off. plus the climb was one of the shorter ‘long’ climbs this season, so it didn’t wipe me out as much by the time i reached the top.

at the top, the real fun began. the trail contoured down along a slope, over tree roots, down rock steps, an occasional 2’ high jump. halfway down, the trail turned into a swale in the hillside to present us with a 20’ long stream crossing. the stream was about 6” deep, lined with rocks the size of cantaloupes, had a 90 degree turn around a log halfway through, and exited the stream by hopping over bare, wet tree roots. about half of the riders would dismount and run this section, while the other half would attempt it on two wheels. i’ve always loved technical stream crossings, so i chose the latter option. on my first two laps, i got about 1/2 then 3/4 of the way through before getting hung up on a rock and having to run the rest of the way. but on my third lap, i managed to find a decent line through, up onto the opposite bank. there was a small crowd that had gathered at this point to watch the foibles and soggy crashes. but as i successfully maneuvered the stream, a cheer went up and i was told that i was the first person that day to have gotten all the way through!

but that’s not to say i’m by any means a pro at this stuff (even though none of the pros who had raced previously that day could do it). at the bottom of the downhill section, there was a nice, gently curving section through the forest. at one point, there was another stream crossing. this one was very minor — maybe 3’ across, with an easy entry and exit. on my second lap through here, i approached the stream neglecting to shift down for the climb out of the stream. as i tried to pedal up the small bank on the other side, i didn’t have enough torque to get me over a couple tree roots, and i slowly and rather clumsily fell over to one side still clipped into my pedals into the side of tree while the rider behind me rode over my rear tire.

and one last crisis… about 1/2 a mile from the finish line on my last lap, i was biking along through the trees when all of a sudden a bee flew into one of the air vents in my helmet! it was buzzing around trying to escape, while i freaked out and started hitting myself in the head (rather, hitting my helmet) trying to dislodge it. after being stung by a bee a few weeks earlier on a ride, i had read that sweat actually aggravates bees… and here i was, my head drenched in sweat with a bee stuck inside. but somehow, i managed to slip my hand up under my helmet and the bee escaped before puncturing my skull.

i managed to pass one rider in the last couple hundred yards, sprinting as much as i could to the finish line. this time around, i finished a respectable 13th out of 42 riders! and once again, even though my results are improving, i continue to fall in the point standings for those riders completing at least six races out of the series. ironically, it is entirely possible for me to rally and take first place the finals in august (my next and last race) and still come in dead last place.

Posted by jason at June 27, 2003 2:32 PM