DNF and Stupid Rookie Mistakes

Kelly had been telling me all week that Tom Skilling was reporting rain for Southern Wisconsin on Sunday. I told her that I am a Brant Miller fan, Tom Skilling’s brother was a crook, and weather.com was only reporting a 30% chance of scattered storms. On the way up to Lake Geneva there was a slight drizzle, but by the time we reached the resort the rain had stopped and the course was dry and in great condition. I got signed up and headed out to check out the course before my race. Rookie Mistake #1I thought I had enough time to get in a lap before my race, but ended up missing my start by about 30 seconds. So I was off on my own chasing no one up the first set of climbs. Stupid mistake, but I was glad to get in a pre-ride lap to check out the singletrack and the gnarly rock garden. I entered the first singletrack section I was heading into a downhill turn and grabbed my rear brake, and the lever went all the way back to the grip. Rookie mistake #2, my rear brake cable was loose and I lost all power on the Avid Mechanicals. So after a couple of minutes of getting my tool out and tightening the cable I was off again. At this point I began to feel a few sprinkles, but I was hoping the Brant Miller wouldn’t let me down and the rain would hold off. A few minutes later the rain was coming down harder, and the rooted rocky sections were becoming slicker. After the first lap the rain was really coming down, and the whole course was becoming a greasy mess and was becoming really difficult for me to ride the off-camber singletrack sections. Towards the end of the 2nd lap there were sections that took all my effort just to walk up, and I was really wishing I had my toe spikes. As I came up the last hill to finish the lap my bike wasn’t rolling (big problem for a bike), and the 1st generation Fisher Paragon 29er with minimal tire clearance was so packed with mud I decided to call it a day. I was a little disappointed I didn’t continue, but the thought of hauling around a 26 lb bike with an extra 20 lb of mud didn’t sound that great.
So I am off to North Carolina tomorrow for 5 days of road riding. I am really excited to ride on some hilly roads, and get in some long miles in a beautiful part of the country.