Ft. Custer Time Trial

Today was the 5th and final race of the Tailwind Time Trial series. This is the 13th year this best 3 out of 5 race series has been running in Michigan. Since I had 2 races under my belt I made it a point to enter and make a go at an overall series award. I decided to run my full-suspension rig in the 50+ Expert group and my singlespeed in the SS class. What lacked in this decision process was trail conditions and tire selection. Heck, it never even crossed my mind. The last time I rode Ft. Custer it was wet and tacky. A rain-free month later and I assumed this was a non-issue. DOH. I soon discovered an abundance of powdery, dry sand. I went with a Geax Barro Race semi-slick and went down hard on the first corner within a quarter mile of the start. I found myself on the edge fighting it the entire 14 miles. The trail was the standard Red loop and Green loop although half of the Green loop had been reversed. I struggled and came in 3rd with a time of 1:08:xx.


After the geared race I rode down to the lake and jumped in. It really helped cool my core down and I made my way back to my car, changed clothes and swapped out bikes. All I could say about the singlespeed is that it was a completely different experience. My legs didn't feel very fresh and I had to walk a couple of climbs. Otherwise, it was awesome. The big tires floated through the sand and I could dive into the corners without fear of sliding out. I lost time on some of the long flats but still finished at 1:10:xx placing 8th in the Elite/Expert SS Class. We hear it all the time but I'll say it again, trail conditions and tire selection are important factors to consider as part of your pre-race stategy. What a great day of racing! Gnarly can be a good thing.