Test of Metal

[trevor]

Another year, another Test. Tom and I circled the 67k race on our calendars as a weekend to aim for.
The forecast called for 10-15mm and to be honest I was kind of dreading the race. 3+ hours in the rain pushing your limits can be rather hard to get mentally up for. The closer we came to Saturday the more I was coming to grips with just getting at it. A day on the mountain bike, even if it's in the rain, is still a pretty wicked day.
Well, the weather Gods were kind. 14 degrees, overcast and dry. Ideal racing conditions. I had a few split times I would be watching for to see if I was on track to meet my goal of a 3:15/3:20 finish time. I did a 3:26 in 2013 so shedding time would be no easy feat.
The first leg of the course went super well. I found myself in a group that I was able to sit on to but not having to work too hard to keep the pace. I had to close a few gaps to keep in as riders got popped but during this section you really reap the rewards of being with others, especially if they're keeping a good pace. I descended well and came in to the Roller Coaster, a stretch of trail where the locals heckle, cheer, and bang pots and pans. There was even a bag piper this year. Awesome. I kept it rolling well and was a few minutes below my goal split at this point.
Coming out of the trail and on to a paved section my chain dropped which caused me to hop of my bike and lose contact with my group by a few hundred meters. I worked hard to get back to them and just as I was making contact I endoed coming in to the next trail section. It was a yard sale. The spectators didn't know whether to help or call for help. I gathered my ego off the dirt, checked my rig, and got going again. Needless to say I was between groups now and had to just get dialled in again on going fast.
Coming in to the feed zone for the first time I was again a few minutes below my goal split. I grabbed a wheel and tucked in again to conserve energy going in to the hardest part of the day, 9 Mile, a long slog of a climb up a logging road. At this point I realized I had lost some air in my rear tire when I crashed. I was debating whether I should use some time to deal with it or if I should just plug away. The pace was good and I felt strong so I decided to keep it going. This climb killed me last year so I was focused on keeping the HR high and if it was going to be a factor in me attaining my goal time then it had better be a positive factor. I managed to stay with a group using them as a bit of a mental goal to stick with them over each crest. At the summit I was on track again. Some volunteers had a pump so I jumped off and spent a minute topping off the tire issue.
"Fast and smooth" became the mantra as I descended the fastest sections of the course. I knew I was riding well and I just needed to stay focused and keep putting the pedals down all the way to the line. A few riders were clearly pushing it too hard as I passed bikes and bodies down the Plunge.
The second time through the feed zone and again on track. Crumpit Woods is deadly. You are spent, in the final stretches of the course, but you have some climbing and descending you need to tackle still. I found a few smooth wheels through the remaining sections of trail before I opened it up along the final 5k of pavement.
3:16 and shattered.
I love the Test for a bunch of reasons. The atmosphere at the start line. The first 5k winding up streets with crowds of people lining the course. The variety of terrain you cover. The ability to compare your time over seasons and with others ("hey, what's your Test time?"). And the surprises each undertaking brings. This year was no different.
Tom put up another impressive time but couldn't rebound from being taken out early in the race. I'm sure he'll post his recap after he's burned off his angst via a few good rips this week.
All in all good times. Taking 10 minutes off from 2013 feels good. But can it be repeated in 2015?

[Tom]

I like how you're already thinking of 2015. Hooked.