ICUP Red Rock Desert
Rampage
St. George, Utah
March 7, 2015
Steve Warner
This was my first race of the year. We have had a very mild
winter in Utah, so although still not at the fitness level I would like, I have
been able to put in a dozen or so rides leading up to this race. The race was
in St. George, which is about 4 hours south of my home in Sandy, Utah. I went
down with my wife and four kids to make a fun family weekend out of the race.
We drove down on Thursday evening and stayed at a condo within riding distance
of the race start site.
I pre-rode the course on Friday, a 6.4 mile loop with 900
feet of climbing split between two different climbs. However, as I headed out
on the loop, I noticed a horrible noise coming from my drive train. My friend Brian
was able to help me identify the issue coming from a pivot bolt in my rear
suspension that had worked its way out enough that it was rubbing on the chain
ring of my cranks. It was in a tough spot to tighten. We first thought we
couldn’t do it without removing the entire crank for which we did not have the
tool with us. We were able to remove the bolts on the small chain ring and move
it out of the way just enough to fit an allen wrench in there to tighten things
up. After a significant delay Brian and I were off for the pre-ride.
The race was Saturday morning and I was again in the Sport
Men 35+ category, which did two laps of the race loop. The weather was perfect
and the course was great. I placed 23 out of 28 riders in the category in a
time of 1 hour 17 minutes. I have aspirations to continue to improve, but there
are a lot of fast riders out there.
I appreciate all of the sponsors we have at K-Blue Racing
that allow me to try new gear and perform at the best of my ability. Special
thanks to Stan’s NoTubes for my set of ZTR Crest 29er wheels and sealant. Awesome
set of wheels. Crank Brothers for my Eggbeater 3 pedals, which have never
failed me. Lizard Skins for my lock-on handlebar grips and full-finger gloves
that are just the right comfort for springtime riding. ProGold chain lube and other products keep my
drive train clean and quiet and my bike looking good. Thanks also to GU Energy,
Polar Bottle, Geigerrig, Yakima, POC, Native Eyewear, Serfas, and everyone else
behind the K-Blue team.
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