Mountain Bike Nationals

Bicycle Nationals just took place in a little overpriced ski town in the Flannel Capital of the U.S. I had never been to a real live NORBA before, so it was pretty neat getting to see the pages of Mountain Bike Action (I only look at the pictures, I don't read the articles....honest) live and in person. Ryan Trebon is actually taller than he looks, his seatpost is higher than it looks, and he goes faster than you could even dare to think. But I spent the week in a house full of more humble and average-heighted professionals (goon-balls, really...but that's off the bike.) And it proved to be an absolute blast.

Start of the U-23 women's race.

I raced the U-23 race (got 3rd to Jamie Dinkens and the forever natty champ Chloe Forsman) and the singlespeed race a couple days later. There were something like forty dudes entered for the latter, and two girls. Lame. There were also only four pro women entered in the dual slalom. Lamer still. I fully appreciate the, as a collegiate racer pointed out once, "forty million to one" rato of guys to girls in this sport, but I do not appreciate showing up to a national championship and seeing hardly any competition. Elizabeth Shorgrun beat me like woah, and after racing three laps on her 32-22 (yeah, those climbs were steep...) she stayed on the singlespeed for the women's pro race and finished 23rd in that. She's a super badass, and if she'd give just a smidgen of her badassness to the next twenty women around her, we would have had a much more interesting race that day. Half empty podiums suck, is all I'm trying to say.


Moving on...fellow SECCC rider Johanne won the expert 19-29 women's Super D, Housemate-of-the-week Travis Livermon won the men's singlespeed race, Sam Don't-Worry-About-His-Last-Name won the Naked Crit, and Ryan Woodall had one good-looking mustache in the pro men's shorttrack. Good job, friends. I'm proud.

The only thing that didn't really win this week was the Otter Creek Porter. I was told I had to try it, which I wasn't opposed to, but its about as average as I am, which is very. I remember hiking up past Sterling Pond somewhere off the Long Trail in Vermont a couple years ago, getting to some shelter, and having a group of ruggedly good-looking, guitar-playing young men off me and bff Sarah some Long Trail Blackberry Wheat (this memory may have been embellished). Normally not a fan of the pussy beers, I was blown away: holy cow, perfect experience. So there's a special place in my heart for local Vermont brews, and Otter Creek kind of weasles its way in there by default. But I'm still in search of the world's best porter. I'll keep you updated.

But overall, USAC Mt. Bike Nationals was A-Ok. I'm pleased with my result in the U-23 race, and it kind of makes me ambitious for next season. I think I might get serious about this. I made new friends, old friends did well and made me proud, I spent too much money eating out but it was worth it, I didn't see any moose, dang, I rode the course backwards one day and liked it better that way, I read my book a lot, etc. It was a good week.

And now its back to the ol' work routine. One more SERC race this weekend, and then I'm kind of on my own for entertaining myself bike-wise. Weird.