Mansfield 8H Round 2.... fight.

My wife made me shave that beard off yesterday...

 

Here we go.

Back at Mansfield this weekend with another round of "who thought it'd be a good idea to ride a the massive hill before you get to do anything fun in an xc race"... or otherwise titled "every XC race I've done".

Over the winter I swapped my frame from the Kona Big Unit *I think I bought it more for the name* out for a Niner One Nine, and have moved to a 34/18 up from a 32/19 setup. The move hasn't been that bad so far though I do notice there are more hills that I can't clear as clean as before, but I'm noticeably faster everywhere else. I'm also in much better shape right now, and have no problem jumping off the bike and running up a hill with it on my shoulder. So I guess I can just look at everything as a CX race... right? Right.

Also the bike feels totally different and so much more rideable.... I've been doing some really silly things on it and getting away with it.... I want to claim skill building over the winter.... but its really how good the bike feels. I finally feel dialed in.... only took a year and a half.. fuuu..

The Goal:

Sub 35min laps

Reasons I Can:

I should be able to do this. Last year I was running high 30s times, then I crashed, and started pulling low 40s. The course also seems shorter.. I donno if that's true, but I'll know when I pre ride on Friday. Also my riding has changed since last year. I now value the power of momentum, and that you can't be a pussy when you ride a SS otherwise you're only doing yourself a disservice in time lost. You must grind, and you must keep that cadence up.

Skill is also up, I now brake less, and power out more in corners which is honestly almost a second more time in each corner as compared to last year. I move around a lot more on the bike to get weight shifted around in areas where I need, and topping that all off I'm down about 25lbs from when I raced at Mansfield last year.

Finally... I trust my bike a lot, so I'm a lot more willing to take chances with it.

Reasons I Can't:

I'm fighting a really tight muscle behind my right knee right now. I know that some stretching and biking will warm it up, and once the adrenaline starts flowing I won't notice it.... so really minor.

What I'm Going To Do:

This year I'm on a team of 4. There's no reason not to unzip and go balls out. I need to attack that first hill like its going out of style, and then I need to recover by spinning out at the top. I've had a bit of time off the bike to recover from the savage beating I gave them last week. They don't feel fresh, but they do feel good. I'm pre riding on Friday so I know what to expect.

I also expect myself to take all limiters off much like P2A and just go for it. Barring mechanical issues, I should be able to go all out and recover before my next lap by hydrating and eating properly.


Gold Star: All Laps under 35min.
Silver: Half laps are under 35min.
Copper: 1 lap is under 35min.
Angry: No laps under 35min.

Really been looking forward to this race. Hopefully no issues all day and no problems. The Fall 8H was rife with some bad news and ambulance trips. Hoping this one is clean and fun for everyone.... okay not so much clean, but fun.