Nearly closing out the 2023 Revolution Enduro series was a stop in Snowmass. Coincidentally, I'd been to Snowmass during an enduro race several years ago and thought it looked like fun, so it was great to come back here and race. This stop featured 4 stages Saturday and 3 Sunday. I pre-rode Friday, so it made for a full weekend of riding. Overall, the stages were solid, if a little hard on the body.
Preride:
Friday I had a chance to ride a lot of the trails. It was great to get a feel for the type of riding they have in Snowmass. The resort hasn't seen much rain, so it was pretty dry conditions with dusty, soft corners. I wasn't able to preride stage 5 or 7. Stage 5 had a series of jumps that would have been great to be able to take at speed. Stage 7 was so bumpy and ridiculously steep no preparation would have helped me go much faster. It was so dusty I got some alcohol wipes and cleaned my rotors and pads between race days, which really helped.
Cleaning the pads and cassette
Day 1:
Total ride time: 3:30 hours
Total ride: 25.5 miles
Total Vertical: N/A due to lift access
Day 1 Strava
Stage 1: We started out on a pretty fast stage with some roots at the top, a short chunky rock garden in the middle, and ended with tight corners that felt pretty good. It definitely took a bit to get into the groove, but I felt fast at the bottom and my position reflected it!
View from the top of the chairlift
Stage 2: The top of this stage had some fun jumps that you could just absorb and take fast. In the middle there were some rocs that were so covered with dust from the dry conditions that it was hard to tell where the dirt started and the rocks ended. There was also a lot of opportunity to pedal at the bottom. I had a GD bug in my helmet for about the first minute that was distracting. While I came out slower than I'd hoped, I was feeling great.
Stage place: 18/27
Stage 3: This was s full mountain stage that started out with some really loose corners at the top that required a lot of braking. My forearms were pumped up 2 minutes into the stage. I felt pretty good in the corners and din't blow any of them. Once we got past mid Mountain the trail became really under developed with flat, slick corners and brake bumps everywhere. My arms were on fire by the time I got to the end. I finished that stage wondering how to make my front suspension more supple.
Stage place: 14/27
Stage 4: I'd preridden this stage and was expecting the 3 or 4 big features. There was a big drop in the middle with a ride-around that I ended up taking and didn't feel like I lost a lot of time. At the bottom was a big double I was able to clear and felt pretty good about. Unfortunately, my time was the worst of all the stages.
View from the transfer to Stage 4 and 7
Stage place: 19/27
Day 1 place: 15/27
Day 2:
Total ride time: 2:50 hours
Total ride: 20 miles
Total Vertical: N/A due to lift access
Day 2 Strava
Stage 5: Stage 5 started out with a series of jumps that it would have been really cool to be able to jump fast. I hadn't preridden this stage, so I didn't take the jumps as fast as I could have. The bottom was more fast and loose corners and a little chunk mixed in. I had a couple corners that felt on the edge of crashing and made me think I should take all corners out of control and see what happens.
Lined up for the first stage of Day 2
Stage place: 15/27
Stage 6: This was a stage of 2 blue trails that were a lot of fun and had an overall higher top speed. Had one corner I locked up the rear wheel and saved a fall. Came off feeling like I finished in a higher spot than I actually did.
Last gondola ride of the day on the way to Stage 6
Stage place: 17/27
Stage 7: This stage I did not preride but it wouldn't have mattered. It was fast, loose, and chunk with some steep loose corners. It ended in this really steep chute that was just a brake-fest. This stage was not a lot of fun. I rode back to the base knowing I'd lost a lot of time and feeling pretty dejected.
Stage place: 17/27
Overall, this race was an exercise in not being able to tell how I was doing stage by stage. The stages I felt good in were the ones I finished poorly. At the end of day 1, I was in 15th and the guys around me were also very close. I had an opportunity to overtake 14th, but a similar opportunity to lose a spot. Which is what I did. I did finish stages 2 and 4 really excited since I took on some big features and pedaled a lot. I just need to combine that excitement with the technique to go fast on the rough stuff and put together some better times.
Lined up for Stage 7
Results after Day 1:
14 - 27:40
15 - 27:43 (me)
16 - 27:46
17 - 27:50
Results after Day 2:
15 - 45:01
16 - 45:18 (me)
17 - 45:26
18 - 45:51
One more race to go before the end of the season and some serious, "Do I want to do this again next season?" conversations.
Garmin Battery charge was on point
No comments:
Post a Comment