Ruby XC - USAC Series #4

OK, OK. I'll get the ball rolling on today's race while it's still fresh in my head. Like the Bloomer Park trail, the Ruby Campground trail just plain confuses me. Simply put, I never really know how to ride the trail fast and clean in one continuous effort. Today I did neither, although I was happy to walk away with a lukewarm feeling of satisfaction. My first mistake was driving back from the West side of the State very late last night and failed to pack up my stuff the night before and also check out my bike. Remember, always pack the night before. DOH!
I made it to the park in time and riding conditions were great. Ruby is a great trail to scope out the day of the race as you can pretty much ride the 5.27 mile trail in a half hour. I didn't ride the whole trail but chose to pre-ride several sections. My biggest mistake was failing to check-out the water crossings, entries, exits and the depth. It turns out the water was deep and the crossings were basically unrideable.
Sport riders wading the river:

Three minutes into my semi pre-ride and my wide-ass SS handlebar clips a tree and forces my face into a neighboring tree. Stoopid move.

No problem. I ride on and discover my BB5 brakes are not working. The pads were contaminated with something and they weren't working. I figured I just wouldn't use the brakes. AMIRITE?

Anyhoo, we line up and there are a whopping 5 riders in the 50+ Expert men. We start out and it's Calvin Stewart taking the holeshot with Big Gary in hot pursuit. I fell in at third position and we stayed together until the first big climb. I jumped off and ran like hell. I did this on almost all the sharp, steep climbs as it was much faster that I could ride them. The 32X16X29'er set up was great along the river but it was a bear on the climbs. At the first river crossing I rode in and came to an abrupt stop midway (I blame it on a boulder the size of Delaware) and proceed to fall over in the river and mash my shin onto the sharped edge of another submerged boulder but I pressed on.

I quickly made the decision to run the river crossings.
La Ted unclipping:

Lap 2 was feeling good and I was actually getting in the groove when I started lap 3 I noticed my front tire getting squishy and bailed out of the trail near the start/finish and asked Robert Linden if their was a neutral support tent that might have a 29" tire. Nothing. I cannot believe I did not have a spare or levers or CO2. The announcer on the PA system then makes a plea for a 29'er tube. (Insert cricket noises here). Nothing. So I run up the first hill to where Jenni was stationed and she said she would go check her car for a tube. I sat down on her cooler, look down and start to eat the wild strawberries at my feet while I sheepishly watched other racers riding past. Jenni returns promptly with a couple of CO2's, levers and a patch kit. No tubes. I grab the stuff and head back down to the main area where my bike was. Phil and another guy (not sure what his name is but he's my new hero) had found an extra tube for me. Awesome! I swap it out and off I go. It was difficult to get the rhythm back after a 20 minute break but I was happy to be 2 laps closer to getting this "EPIC FAIL" debacle over with. Laps 3-4 were uneventful which was fantastic although it still feels like I'm riding in circles. Tight course! It's events like today's that make up for all those uneventful races where everything goes off without a hitch. Planning and preparation cannot be stressed enough. The team compound and support was top notch. All in all, it was another successful Greyhound experience. Great job everyone!