MTB Race – 2007 Maybury XC – A Muddy Good Time

August 26th, 2007

As always, just my luck…one of the driest, hottest summers in Michigan history and the biggest rain storm of the year happens the entire week before my race. Of all the CPS race venues, I probably have the most experience riding here, so I was hoping for a good race, this just figures I guess. It rained right up to the start and it was a muddy mess on the track, the new section in particular was pure frappy slop.

They cut it down to only one lap from two, which sucked. Didn’t start well so I was stuck behind a pack of pansies who were afraid to corner in the mud. Finally on the new section where the mud got really ugly people pretty much got tired of eating dirt and just started giving up and walking even the straight sections. This allowed me to leave them behind and make up some time. I’m sure I would have made up even more with a second lap but that’s just the way it went. Overall I was happy with my riding, mud handling was good, and I managed to climb The Last Hill in its entirety without touching down. I was spinning slowly and half sideways by the top but I still made it.

I thought the bike held up well to the conditions – my cheapo brakes never failed and my rear derailer was still shifting right up to the end – how I have no idea as the entire thing was encased in mud. The front derailer stopped working almost immediately but I didn’t really need it. Riding the Hanson Hills earlier this year taught me a lot about mud bogging which really paid off today.

Doug Maybury 2007 Climb