Lesson Learned at Maybury, Maybe!

Ok so I know better then to try and race on sub par gear but I really don’t have any extra cash to spend and riding with a worn out drivetrain caught up with me. I had to change my rear derailed last night to the low end SRAM 4 because my SRAM 9 crapped out. Also my cassette has been giving me problems for over a week and I though I could make it through one more race, WRONG! The first 5-10 minutes of the Maybury XC race went as planned and then my race was a total disaster! Maybe the worst race I have ever had! My start was almost like I wanted it to be leading everyone out to the bottom of the climb then going into the singletrack at the top of the climb in fourth place. I stayed right with the leaders then made a sweet pass through the first rock garden that the others rode around. So now I’m in 3rd and right on the wheel of the 2nd place racer. Then my first mistake, riding to close and not being patent. (Well this was my second mistake; the first was making sure my drivetrain was in top shape so I had a chance to compete.) So I went wider in a corner then I wanted slid in the mud some which was fine until I high sided and slammed to the ground. (As I write this my butt and hip really ache and the pain and tingling is going down my leg. I guess I hit even harder then I thought.) I didn’t lose any places at this point but it took me out of my rhythm, my hip and butt hurt and I was real mad at myself for crashing on a trail I know so well. Then I was just was too tired to hold the pace because of not being fit enough and sick all day yesterday. I had this illusion and hope that if I survived a hard start I might pull out a good race. Not much climbing at Maybury but you are “working” hard the whole time. Crispy told me, “Bryan I know you are frustrated and disappointed with not feeling well this week and not sleeping much. So just go out hard and see how long you can hold it. Whatever happens happens.” So I did. I gave it my all on the start and first lap but new I was in trouble very early in the race. I never planned on winning but thought if I rode smart I could squeak out a top 3 finish somehow. Like I said in the back of my mind I thought and hoped I could make up for my lousy week and lower fitness with good singletrack riding. I didn’t! So I faded back to 7th or 8th place with the other riders gaining every lap with my butt and hip getting more painful from the crash and part of me decided I was done racing. I would NEVER just quite so I would limp in for the rest of the laps to finish and maybe, just maybe get a second wind on the last lap to catch back up or not lose more places. Then my rear cassette and hub started making real bad noises and using them one to many times came back to haunt me. My drivetrain blew up. Busted derailleur hanger, bent and busted derailleur, twisted chain and this all started with that damn loose and jammed cassette. Now I was done. My first mechanical DNF ever in 10 years of racing and my first DNF ever period! I think it was bad karma following me, not for voicing my opinion on things I didn’t like about how this race was set up but for being so obnoxious about it. Maybe I learned a lesson, but probably not. I am very frustrated, irritated and angry with myself. -Bryan