The results were released for the Princeton brevet, and I finished in 10:39 (along with four other riders). What I thought was the lead group finished in 10:19 (four of them as well), and two other riders finished in 9:49. The 10:19 group must have done quite a bit of lolly-gagging at the controles, since they blasted by us on the final leg. I suspect that without the navigational mis-cues, Todd and I could have finished somewhere between the two groups. 9:49 would have been a pipe dream, given my average speed on the last leg. A week later, though, and I am still quite happy with my ride. I felt pretty decent riding to work on Monday, and by Wednesday, my legs felt just fine. With better positioning, I could knock out the back pain, too (though I didn’t experience any problems off the bike, which is good).

As for the future, I think I’ll be registering for the Wilderness 101 this weekend. This should be quite the adventure on the Redline. I’m currently waffling about purchasing a suspension fork–several folks have said that the race will be at least a bit easier with it (meaning easier on my body), but part of me wants to be a curmudgeon and ride rigid. We’ll see, I suppose. I’ll probably also consider disc brakes, and different bars (like the Titec H-bars). The new bars will likely be the first purchase–with nearly two miles of elevation gain, I’ll be spending plenty of time out of the saddle, so multiple hand positions will be a requirement. As for my “training,” perhaps a few five or six hour rides will be in order, but that will be about it. I should, however, spend more time on a few more technical trails to get ready for the State College rock gardens.

Posted on 25 April 2008