Double Weekend Fun!!!

Saturday-West Va Road Race Series, Davis WV
Sunday-Massanutten XXC, VA

I don't do many road races, mostly just I don't like drop bars or riding close to people like these require or the thought of getting road rash or even worse!! But I need to pull a few double race weekends, and this is good op. So JP has a good knack to put together a 'road' bike out of what's laying around the basement and made a bike I used in the Dirty Dozen last year. It's a trek carbon 26 mtb frame, it will fit 700 rims and road tires, but has flat bars on. I ask the race director if gears or handlebars are in the rules, he says, NOPE, this is an 'anything goes' event. Super Duper! Off I go with high end disc brakes to a real roadie race, I think I will fit right in:-)

I chose to do THIS road race not only because of the laid back nature, but also I saw and heard the course was good and hilly in it's inagural year last year. I enter the open women fast group, there is a CAT 4, but whatev, I'd rather go for it. So off we go DOWN a somewhat gravely hill to get to the start......typical west virginia thing to do:-) We start in our groups, it was all I could do to stay on the back on the women group. I fell behind a few times, catch back up until we reach the first climb. Everyone just split up badly and from then until the last final long grunt climb, I was alone. That was ok with me! I ended up last of the fast group by 10ish minutes or so(?) but did beat a few of the cat 4 girls so being on a mtb & knowing I still had a hard race to do Sunday yet, I was ok with that.

Thanks WVMBA and wonderful town of DAVIS, WV for the always good time in your awesome backyard!!

Right after catching some sweet Hellbenders Burritos, we start the mountainous 4 vehicle caravan drive to Massanutten. We got a nice condo deal to squeeze 7 of us in for the night. In the past, I've only done the Mass XC, it's a USA Cycling so often crowded and with Pros. This year I wanted to do the XXC. I wanted the extra miles, and I incorrectly thought the fastest girls would be in the XC. Ooops. Just so happens this year the XXC got a little more attention and the women cat was loaded. Oh well, off we go anyway. Now I have ridden/hiked here a lot and I knew the trail was going to be god awful rocky and require some hike a biking but I REALLY underestimated this aspect!! After completing the backcountry out & back that was just gnarly and unrideable for quite long stretches, I finally reach the event area, I see JP and some guys standing there already changed. I am SO happy this is over! But I am very confused as the mileage my garmin is saying does not seem right. I yell to JP AM I DONE??? He yells back NO! go back UP the mountain again! I gasp!!! I am exhausted and beat, haven't seen another girl ALL day and really not wanting to slam over these rocky downhills for another hour, but up the mountainous switchbacks I go trying to be happy! Up and then this time straight down the DH course, but then some rocky singletrack seems to loop around FOREVER before FINALLY popping to the last DH and finish. Holy crap, that was long and rough. I was glad it had not been an all out pedal fest, the terrian here is adventurous to say the least and I am glad they put it in the course!

Thanks to MASS, WVMBA, etc for another cool event well worth the drive from Pgh!