Sunday was the Test of Endurance, a race near Corvallis, OR. Going in to this race I was worried to say the least. I just hoped to not come out shattered, with the Creampuff coming up I wanted to see what the legs were up to. They behaved alright, my fitness not being what it used to be and my legs feeling a bit dead. To say I don't have race legs is an understatement. In the days leading up to the race I joked about just sitting in and having a good day of riding, knowing full well that when the race starts I would punch it and see what happened. Well I did just that, and the group splintered I stayed near the front for the first half of the first lap, then I decided that it was time to settle in and pace it out a bit.
The weather called for a few showers, the day before it poured buckets all day long, so I knew I was in for some mud. Good thing I was running Nanoraptor tires, they work great in the mud. ha ha cough sputter. Probably the worst tire, but then again I don't think any tire really mattered with the mud that was encountered. When it was raining steady the mud was alright, when the sun came out for 20 mins caked up, then it rained again. The weather was as confused as a 13 year old girl on the cheerleading team who is really a tom boy. Pardon the pun. The fact that I didn't have a fender and no glasses wasn't working in my favor either. To say I had to deal with some adversity is putting it lightly. The kind of mud that there is no stopping in, no using the front brake unless you want to crash, just mud surfing and a whole lot of body English to keep it up right. Check out my flickr. Or the OregonVelo site for more evidence.
As for the course, I would have liked a bit more single track and from a Single speeders perspective there was a lot of rolling to flat road sections that made it monotonous at times. The director and the vibe were great and the certainly, unlike a lot of other races, honored, recognized and took care of the single speeders. We had our own raffle, awards, etc. They said that they are continually adding trails to get around all the road sections, and add more single track in the future. I don't know that i will go back next year, as I like to keep finding new events and courses to ride, but the race is well executed. My hats off to them for making it happen in such adverse weather conditions.
I finished under the time I set for myself so i have to be happy about that, but I would have like to feel a bit more powerful. nuff said. as always keep pedaling. To those who gave encouraging words thanks so much. I will leave you with this parting shot.......
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