"I got in a good warm up riding as easy as I could over the entire course. There were only a few areas where I was concerned. Otherwise it was very rocky but very rideable even for someone fairly inexperienced. Two weeks ago I switched to 650B wheels and the dry course was perfect for my Slant 6 rear. I got in a decent warm-up about 30min before my race. My legs still felt slow and heavy though. This is not good since the first 2.5 miles is uphill, the Super D course actually.
At the start I was in the back row of 16 for my age group and we
were first off the line. I was last, but a crash happened when the
course funneled down taking out 4-6 riders. On the climb I managed to
catch up and pass two people. Before the top of the climb some juniors
and maybe some 30-35'ers had caught up. I was fast in some sections and slow in
others for a while passing and catching. There were a number of people
off to the side of the trail at very spots for various reasons; crash,
flats, heat stroke, broken frames, etc. I crashed a handful of times in
the most technical part of the downhill. Others were crashing all
around me.
About half way through the
lap my rear tire started to feel a bit soft. I stopped once to check
and it was reasonably full. At some point on the downhill I hit a rock
just so that it unseated the bead on my rear tire from the rim at the
valve stem. I tried moving it back into place and used my 1 CO2. I got
the tire inflated and rode on, but air kept escaping. I realized once
the CO2 was totally gone that my day was done.
Back at my car I tried refilling my tire with my floor pump but it still would not hold air for a while. Eventually I got two loud pops and I realized the bead had come off in several locations. With the tire seeded back on I then discovered a hole in the tire. It was near a nub right on the seam in the tire. This could have been what made me lose the air that enabled me to pop the tire off. I got the sealant to stop it somehow. I was able to exchange the tire at the Kenda tent for a brand new one. Too late to salvage the day.
Back at my car I tried refilling my tire with my floor pump but it still would not hold air for a while. Eventually I got two loud pops and I realized the bead had come off in several locations. With the tire seeded back on I then discovered a hole in the tire. It was near a nub right on the seam in the tire. This could have been what made me lose the air that enabled me to pop the tire off. I got the sealant to stop it somehow. I was able to exchange the tire at the Kenda tent for a brand new one. Too late to salvage the day.
2014 championship is back at Bear Creek next year. Maybe I can make it back there and get a top 5 next year."
Nice job Sean. The team knows you are looking forward to CX season!
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