Mudslinger on the singlespeed - Angela's race report

The drive out was scenic and bothersome. The closer to the venue I got, the denser the clouds grew and the more abundant the rain. Oh well, I was glad I’d brought my rain slicker. It was a good thing Hugh encouraged me to bring my winter gloves too, because they were ideal. I got very muddy, wet and even hot while climbing, but never cold. Had I been out there another hour and a half that might have been different.

I took a wild guess at what gear to use for the event. Assuming the hills weren’t as steep down there as they are up by Browns Camp, I went with a 32/18. This might have been a good gear for John Lin, but not me. There was a lot of climbing. Doesn’t it always seem there is more up than down? Well most of this up was on logging roads, which are in good shape and appropriately rough without being treacherous. There was some single track and included more climbing, before descending on road and single track followed of course by more climbing. I don’t mind the climbing, but I found myself wanting two things, more single track and a different gear. I should have put a 20T on my bike, and if I am going to do all that climbing, I want to look forward to riding some flowing single track even if it is a true canal. The single track was pretty much what you would expect after of month of record rainfall, wet, slippery, and the mud expanding in width and depth with every tire penetration. Fortunately there were very few hazards that throw a rider off her bike or off course. At times it was hard to ride with speed either because of the mud, or because of the riders in front of me. I am sure this wasn’t the case for the pros and cat 1 racers. I got mixed up with some cat 3, which is fine while climbing, but not on the single track, so I busied myself passing and saying to those riding well in front of me, “Stay aggressive.” Sometimes it helps to keep the passing going. So I had planned to ride two laps with the cat 2 women, but when we started climbing the logging road for the 2nd lap, I decided there was not enough single track to make it worth it. If I put a bigger gear on my bike I certainly would have gone, but as it was I had an out, to finish with the women’s single speed category. In the end my time was 1:23, but they added a 4-minute penalty because I switched categories. Just the same I got 2nd place. Behind Lisa Belair. I would consider doing it again, but only if more of my team and friends joined in.

A few thoughts I had while racing the Mudslinger were that it would be a great race for those somewhat new to mountain biking. With much of the course on logging roads, the technical demands are nominal, apart from the mud, which is going to be a series factor for everyone when there is record rainfall. I thought of how excellent Echo to Red is and how lucky we are to be able to ride and race out there so early in the year. It is really such a great and beautiful event. Then there was what I consider the dream course of the Capital Forest 50/100, which I did last September. That course was 75% single track, at least that is how I remember it, and it’s all down hill. Okay not really but the last 6-8 miles are on single track that is sweet, sweeping and at times steep! It is a course that is totally thrilling and all the climbing is worth the amazing single track descents. As for the Mudslinger, I’ll have to give it another try under improved conditions