DCMTB

So I thought I’d be getting off a slightly easier doing the Michaux Maximus 40 miler, instead of Lodi. Boy was I wrong!

The rain, low temps and fresh trail combined to form a 6 hour and 29 minute slog fest. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten that beat up by a course. I opted for the 40 miler because it fit my training goals for the season – longer XXC races in preparation for the American Mountain Classic 4 day stage race. The rainy forecast didn’t completely turn me away, since Saturday was pretty nice and Sunday’s forecast relatively similar. Not so in Michaux. It was raining steadily when I got there, and continued to rain, in varying intensities throughout the day.

As usual, the Michaux crew put a lot of effort into hosting a good race, but the elements were definitely a challenge this year. I think I’ve only been muddier once before, and that was my first Lodi experience. Mud built up on my bike, covered my glasses and permeated every piece of clothing, bearing, camel back, water bottle, gel packet. I ate a great deal of mud. My glasses became utterly useless 15 miles in, which made the ‘high speed’ fire-road sections difficult because I had to keep my eyes closed for most of those (not the best call). I wished for a front fender many times during the ‘race.’

My other trouble was traction. Climbs, particularly on the newly cut trail, were punctuated by grinding spin-outs with my rear wheel sinking into the loamy trail trying to find purchase, and when finding none, forcing me off of the bike. Downhills, swooping and curving, were dicey. The famed rocks of Michaux were surrounded by buttery mud-fests which had me sliding sideways down the trail with one foot off of the pedal at all times. Technical sections were hazardous and saw me dismounting over terrain I would normally not blink at, as Roger Masse put it afterwards, “when in doubt, dismount.”  I did a lot of dismounting.

I finished 10th out of 23 in my class- I was right on the tail of ninth, by a few feet- we cruised in together, there was no glory in sprinting for a pip… best to just wrap it up calmly. 

My highpoint was at the final aid station (known as desperation station), at mile 37 or something. There was a steep drop-in to the station, I intended on rolling through without stopping. But someone yelled out to me- “Hey MATTY!” It was Larry Camp, volunteering at the aid station. We chatted as I slowed down and grumbled about conditions. I started riding away and he suggestively shouted- “I’ve got a secret stash of beer here, if you want some!?” I turned around and rode back thinking, “at this point, what could it hurt?” I chugged a cup of dark nutty beer. It got a fire going in my gut and I actually felt better than I had for hours. I caught and passed a guy on the 2 mile up-hill slog to the finish. The day will stick in my head as determined but one of the more miserable races I’ve ever done. It was quite a contrast to last week’s 90+ degree day at Greenbriar.

Matt Donahue News

By Matt

This was my first Wednesday at Wakefield after having missed the real first W@W due to a heavy workload back in early July.

My training plan calls for a big day on Wednesdays, so naturally this race fits the bill. However, last week my big day was a zero because skipped my normal morning ride to stay rested for W@W but then the rain came and washed my plans away. I normally join the Squadra Coppi team for their HON ride (Hills of North-Arlington) on Wednesdays which is a tough 4-hill sprint workout over about 1.5 hours. Yesterday’s weather called for 40% chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon, so I went to the Coppi ride hedging my bets so that if W@W got cancelled, I’d at least have a strong 2.5 hour workout in the AM. That set the stage for no rain and a tired me. I didn’t fuel up during the day very well, but was psyched to get back on dirt after several weeks of riding only on the road.

I Made the commute to Wakefield in a respectable 45 minutes (still can’t believe people do that every day). Warmed up for 20 min and lined up. I started blathering to Evan, pre-gaming with excuses as to why I would do poorly when the siren sounded.

We plowed up the gravel, I didn’t feel like I would die which was new for that start. I Was in a relatively good spot for much of lap one. I rode close to Kent for most of it, sometimes behind, sometimes in front. I did some friendly encouraging as some guys pulled away from us.

Then I ate it on a very easy flat curve in the straightaway along 495. The fall was fast and hard. I smacked the crap out of my knee and was bleeding. A blade of grass was stuck in the wound, I kept looking down “is that bone? is that bone?” no just grass, it didn’t hurt that bad. I caught back up to Kent and one of the other 5 people who passed me after I bailed. 

After lap one, I started feeling tired. Not the ‘wow this is tough tired,’ rather the ‘yawny- I have no energy for this’ tired. I managed to stick with Kent for about 1/3 of the second lap. He egged me on with words of encouragement along the creek but I was cooked, and then I just cracked and dropped back. I blundered through the woods, and fell again on a switchback, SUPER lame. I just rolled off the bike and onto the ground like a goofball.

At some point I took off my super dark glasses because the woods sections were to dark for those. In a shaky ungainly way, I stuck the glasses into my rear jersey pocket. They’re gone now, if anyone finds some nice Smiths on the trails at Wakefield, hook me up? I rolled through laps 3 and 4 at an ‘endurance’ pace and finished happily in lucky 13^th after 3 falls, a lost pair of sunglasses, a bloody knee and pleasant cruise through the woods.

I think it might be good to skip the Coppi ride next time, but then, what would my excuse be? Did I mention that I had a lot of fun? It was great riding with fellow CBers as well as the usual folks out there. Next week I’ll hit Killroy’s post race. 

Matt Donahue 2006