The Pirate Vessel FT3

Arrrghh, ye scurvey spandex wearing mutineers! Show yer ugly mug or its the depths of Sly Park lake for the lot of you.

Talk of high seas mutiny aside, 'tis Tuesday and time to ride. The sun has broken through the death grip of clouds and rain and the dusting of snow should be gone by tonight. The count down is on to the 24hr race, Sea Otter rolls out later this week, the road scene is still rolling, and races were entered over the weekend. Can't imagine why it is hard for us to find time to ride...its not like everyone also has jobs, a wife, and kids. Those pro's have no idea what a real cyclist is all about. Tonight is the three week count down to the Cool rendezvous. That being said, there has been a bit of pre race chit chat missing. I will be keeping my training secret from now on, but am game for any wagers on fastest lap, best avg, fastest 5th lap etc.

Tonight's Ride: I have to attend a late meeting but will be doing the Mosquito roll up and will need a ride home please.

Mosquito @ 5:45...Exit 54?

Weekend Recap:
Bambi, NoCar, Xteric, RG, and I all rolled on Sunday for a great Pollywood session. We hit it early to get in under the storm and we did. Not a single drop of rain and some great trail conditions was our reward.

Napa Dirt Classic:
Cap'n threw down - race report below

Surprise, surprise, there was a downpour well underway by the time we arrived in Napa yesterday morning. Luckly the rider from FT3 who made the trip to Napa was no stranger to such events. After going through the tough decision process of determining what to wear, I chose knee and arm warmers + vest since the weather of Napa is a bit warmer than the temps in Pollyworld we are accustom to. The warm up was short and included a preview of the start of the course which proved to be very wet and muddy. This was not sticky mud but rather wet slopppy mud, much like the downpour laps of cool. I toed the line with several other Cat 1 racers, all age groups lumped together, no way of telling who's who. We took off on the uphill start and by the time things got sorted out I was sitting pretty well, between the top five or ten. The whole first half of the race is very fast, with a few short climbs. Eventually it puts you in the trees for a windy tour of the Napa single track, this was sweet, not too muddy, just slick with lots of leaves on the ground. During this section the riders got bunched up a bit and some guys were getting all PPP about wanting to pass. I totally kept it together, stayed mellow, rode my own race, I think one rider went by me, but we were all together and I knew the climb at the end was going to take it's toll. There is a decent into a valley after the single track, and I battled with a fast DH'er down that but once the course turned upward him and several others were off the bike and walking. This last climb is classic, super steep, with a taster at the beginning, then a longer second part - all small ring climbing - think top of rock garden - and then it backs off a bit but keeps going uphill. I was able to stay on the bike when a lot of riders were walking, tackling the steep climbs with full force making the low back hurt. It was carnage up there, my smart racing paid off and I cleaned some clocks on that climb. I think by the top there were only two riders in front of me, I passed at least five. Atop the climb there was a slight uphill section and I was beginning to recognize that the end was near. The legs were burning and I was digging deep but for the moment nonone was in sight. Closer to the finish, on a technical decent followed by a super slick mud section and a couple riders showed up behind me, one fairly close and two others chasing. I decided then and there that all my work wasn't for naught and I dug deep and barrelled across a wet meadow toward the finish. As my tires hit the pavement, I realized they moved the finish and now we had to sprint a parade lap around the asphalt track before the finish line, alas, cross skills prevailed and I dug deeper and noone got by. A glance at their number plates told me that none of them were in my class...oh well. My friend and carpool partner Brian Rouse, who was in fact in my class, we believe won our class. He said there was one other guy in our age group near him, but amazingly he also said he hadn't been there long before I got there, and that there was an empty gap between us. We didn't stick around to find out what really happened, it was still raining and now we were freezing. In the end, I felt like a veteran racer out there, I used my energy wisely and raced a smart race and possibly got a good finish. We'll see.

-Cappy

Until We Ride:
LOtB