Friday, May 23, 2014

Midweek Race Series #3 - Race Report

Midweek MTB Race Series – Race #3
Riverview Trail (Heber, UT)
May 20, 2014
Steve Warner

This race was in Heber, Utah what typically would be a 45 minute drive from my office. I left work at 5:00pm with the plan to arrive at the race at 5:45pm ready for the 6:30 start. I hit I-15 heading south through Utah County and planned to go up Provo Canyon to reach Heber. However, after a few miles on I-15, traffic completely stopped due to a freeway closure. I sat in traffic and inched forward for about 45 minutes, finally exiting the freeway and making my way up Provo Canyon. Traffic was moving now, but I had about 30 minutes to get to Heber. I pulled into the race parking lot at about 6:22, threw on my race plate, put on my shoes, grabbed a water bottle, and raced off to the starting line. I got there as they were starting the Pro Men just in time for my Sport 35+ Category to start a few minutes later.

I had not pre-ridden the course or knew much about this trail system, but I asked my friend Brian to describe the course, so I would know how to allocate my energy with respect to climbs. The race started with 800 feet of climbing over 2 miles. It was a little shock to the legs to start this way without warming up, but I got into a groove and was able to grind the climb out without much problem. The next 2 miles were a traverse across the side of the mountain followed by a 1 mile descent with 14 hairpin turns. The 8 mile course finished with a 2 mile section that was relatively flat followed by 1 mile descent to the finish line.

I placed 35th out of 51 riders in the Sport 35+ category with a time of 49:09.

Special thanks to Serfas (tires and shorts), GU (Roctane Gel and Drink), Stan’s (sealant), and ProGold (chain lube).





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