WORS Cup

Can you believe in WI we have a Mountain bike stage race. How cool is that?

There is a Cross Country race one day, a modified downhill and short track the next. You get an overall score for doing all the races. How cool is that?

I wouldn't know. I only did the one on Saturday. It was enough.

I now have my top 3 hardest races list.

#1- Buzzard Buster, a couple years ago.

Not hard in the sense of trail conditions or effort required but the amount of pain I went through. I had this idea I would just ride as hard as I could for the 30 mile race (rookie move). I started cramping and ran out of water half way through. I was cramping so bad when both my legs would lock up tight all I could do was look for a grassy spot to tip over in. I did that over and over for the next 15 miles. Hirsch still reminds me of that day and how I looked. I remember crossing the finish and lying down face first in the grass unable to move.

#2- Smokin Spoke, Rhinelander, last year.

That was a hard race. Lots of effort and a long XC race. Not the flat, fast marathon we all expected. Felt OK during the race but man that was a long hard effort. My thoughts afterwards,

I am just getting over the pain in my body from Sunday and it is Wednesday. When I got home I had to use my window opening to lift myself out of the car. I had to use the cruise control everywhere because i was too tired to go the speed limit. My ankle pain came back but it is getting better and I think my back would feel better if someone would just punch me a couple times in my lower back.

#3- WORS Cup '08- While I know many may not agree and think this wasn't so bad, it was for me. Lots of effort. Lots of rocks that I normally love were pushing me around. The downhill switchbacks had me gripping for all I had. I was just tired by lap 3. I couldn't control the bike anymore. I couldn't find another gear to shift into. It was a grind and I was spent. I couldn't climb. I thought I was going to tip over from going so slow. I think I just balanced a couple times mid hill.

The course was awesome though. It may be one of the best. It had all the aspects... climbing, singletrack and singletrack climbs, rocks and roots, switchbacks going up and down, obstacles, twists and turns, sun and shade, pines and ferns, spectator viewing. I was thinking before the race it was a great place to ride but to race was going to hurt. I was right. After all the racing I cramped 400 yards from the finish. I knew it was just ahead but I had to get off and walk to try to finish. I thought I could make it earlier and pushed through for as long as I could. Eventually the monster took over and I had to get off the bike. I got back on and I started my coast in to the finish and got passed, then got heckled by the BigRing crew, then gave the cranks a shot, the bike jumped, I went for a finish chute pass, got a wheel ahead and got pushed into the barrier, crashed into the scorers table, pulled my bike across with another bike stuck in the spokes for 45th, a millisecond ahead of 46th being dragged by its derailer inside my chain. Man did that hurt.

So that is my top 3. Hopefully it doesn't change but I feel it will.

Last thoughts on WORS Cup. I need to ride more. That is the only way it isn't going to hurt so bad on lap 3.