The Showdown at Usery Race Report

The Showdown at Usery Race Report 

Here is the course recorded by by Suunto Ambit2S. I tracked my HR and distance on the watch. 

The race was as many laps as you could do in the eight hours, starting at 10 am and stopping at 6 pm. I teamed up with Shane McCarthy to create a duo male team. My partner took the first lap, and from there we traded off doing laps. I felt great at the start. Had a good breakfast and set up our pit area a few hours before the start. I have ridden this course numerous times, so I knew what to expect from the terrain changing to the elevation gains and drops as well as any obstacles. A three days out from the race, it good steady downpour occurred, helping the course out.

Lap 1

My first lap I had a difficult time keeping my heart rate under control. I didn't push my pace too hard, being just the first lap. I guess it was just a ton of adrenaline working its way out. My body felt good with no issues yet and focused on staying hydrated. The temperature reached in the mid 80's for the high that day.    

In between my first and second lap, I was able to watch from a distance the kids race. Both my son 9, and daughter 7, were in the race. The kids course was a half mile out, a half mile back. I was stoked to see each one of them take first in each the boys and girls division.

Lap 2

During my down time from my first lap I adjusted the height of my seat, raising it about an inch. Once again I had a hard time controlling my heart rate but felt a little more comfortable on the second lap.

Lap 3 

Before heading out on my third lap my left glute was super tight and giving my problems on some of the shorter climbing portions of the loop. I went over to a massage table and had it worked on for a bit. It was still tight, but help loosen it. The food and hydration I was consuming during my rest breaks were staying down. The third lap I started just as the sun was getting lower in the sky making for some tricky vision of the trail at times. Focused again on keeping my heart rate down while trying to still get my lap finished in under an hour.

Lap 4

As I rested up for my fourth and final lap, my team mate and I talked briefly. If our team crossed the finish line before the end of the eight hours, we would have to complete another lap. With as bad as I was physically and mentally, my team mate had a plan to not cross the line until after the time limit. With under 5 minutes to go, I was ready and pumped myself up to get the last lap for our time done. By now the sun was down and I was using my lights. The temperature also dropped making the trail cool, as the desert does once the sun goes down. I had a hard time taking a hair-pin turn and ended up laying the bike down and skinning up my knee and forearm. I jumped up fast and tried to shake it off, getting back on the bike and off on the trail. The trail looked very different being lit by only the headlight. I adjusted the light a few times to place the beam exactly where my eyes were focused down the trail. I passed a few riders still on the course but focused trying to keep my speed up as I now finally had my heart rate under control. 

Our duo team of Shane McCarthy and myself took 9th place in the male duo division.  Shane did a great job.

Very excited to have finished this awesome race and look forward to totally improving a bunch for doing the race next year.

The inaugural race put on by local bike shops Two Wheel Jones was a hit by riders from all over as well as very well supported by family, friends and fans of mountain bike racing.


A big shout out and thank you to my supporters
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