I didn't race this past weekend due to the house, but last weekend was the first Michaux race of the season. I had originally planned on going to Dirt Sweat and Gears in TN, but time was tight and the idea of taking 4 days away from the house was not going to happen.
Preparation for the race was spotty, but I made it to the start line on time. I was excited since Dain at WTB had sent me some new tires for the season and I was go to run the biggest tires had ever fit into my frame, some WeirWolf 2.55's. They are relatively light and the volume was just what Michaux calls for. These are my favorite races. One 43 mile loop of the most ridiculous terrain you can imagine. At one point we were literally riding up a creek. No path, just the stream bed. Very tasty stuff. I'd had a pretty good run in Michaux for the past three years. I think only one flat in 8 races. No mechanicals. This time my card was punched and I found myself with a punctured front tire in the first piece of singletrack. I thought the hole was small enough to seal up with the Stan's. Lesson one of the day was to just change it and don't waste time. I sat there turning the tire this way and that, adding air and hoping it would seal before too many people passed.
Exasperated I eventually pulled the tube out of my back pocket and realized that I had been duped by a Chris Scott. I had packed the tube he had given me as a backup at the Dragon's Back. A 700x38-45. Trying to match that to my new set of WTB Weirwolf 2.55 tires didn't seem like the best choice so I dug out a full sized 29er tube from my seatpack. Since it was early in the race I ended up being passed by a large number of people, which meant I had some passing to do, in the narrowest singletrack on earth. The good angle to the situation was the people I got to see, that I normally don't see at the races, and I got to pretend that I was riding with them for a bit. Apologies go out to the people I passed in sketchy sections, but I have to admit it's way fun to pull stupid lines.
I didn't bring my A game to Michaux, and the first puncture was a result of rough trail and a line not carefully chosen. Same goes for the second flat. I had just worked my way into 5th place at the infamous Graves ridge section when I flatted again. This time the rear. Another puncture I thought would seal up. I put a lot of effort into making it seal since I knew all I had was the Chris Scott gag tube. The result was a flat tire, no more CO2 and a sign pointing in the direction of the 25 mile loop. A little discouraged, I sort of sat there and stared at my stupidity when Ryan Leech rode by, offered me his pump and left me with the ability to keep riding. Shit! Just when thought I had an out. Pumping up a 700c tube inside of a 2.55 monster tire ranks up there with the awkward feeling of being the first to test a freshly tied rope swing. Or biting into a medium cooked hamburger that's still pink and gooey on the inside. The tube was firm before it even touched the sides of the WeirWolf tire. I imagined the 700c tube to be stretched as thin as Rip Torn's hair.

I stared at my tire for a bit, and wondered how I was going to get that excuse for a tube through 30 more miles of rock, and I hadn't even gone up the stream bed yet. After a minute of contemplating heading home, Mike Keefer came by me and I figured I wanted to ride any ways so might as well go with Mike. After a few minutes of chatting and talking family and life I figured I might as well try and make some money back. I was about 25 spots back from the cash, so what the hell, and I always like the idea of fighting back. Plus it gave me the opportunity to catch Topher who was somehow running as 1st single speed.

Again, the race was on. I grabbed a tube at aid station 2, after the 2mile Deadwoman's Hallow climb. Dropped off the back of the ridge and continued realing people in. By the time I got to the 3rd aid station I learned I was in fourth, with 3rd only about 2 minutes up. That was encouraging and I thought I had about 10 miles to go. Unfortunatly the information wasn't totally accurate, and three miles later I was at the finish line. Oh well. 5th wasn't bad, got my entry back and got to do some great riding.
This weekend I'm heading to the Shenandoah valley for a two day out and back 160 mile mtb ride. Look out...Peace out...