My first race: Squeezer '06

After my first summer of weekly mountain biking, I decided I was ready for my first race. The guys that started me out suggested that I do it the previous year, but I definitely did not feel ready.

I signed up and felt a bit nervous. I did not know what to expect. I went around the course (which is local) with a guy who had done the Squeezer race before. They change the course a bit every year, though, and do not reveal the course until the day before.

The race was timed electronically, with transponders on our ankles. This race was timed in waves of 125 riders. The race had 894 people completing it, although over 1000 had signed up. I was placed in the fifth wave, plates 501 to 625.

My goal was to place in the middle somewhere, and complete it in under 2 hours. I figured that I couldn't really expect much with my 21-speed Schwinn.

The start made me really nervous. The race started on a downtown , one-way street that was closed for the race. It would then proceed down into the trails, which began not far from downtown St. Catharines. We were all crammed on the street, where the race was to start. A parked car, which was not supposed to be there, was going to make it difficult, as the people on that side of the street would have to maneuver around it.

Well the signal came for us to go. I began and seemed to be going all right. Except when I came to that parked car. I tried to squeeze past it, but I tried to squeeze too much. My handle bar clipped the car's mirror and I crashed. Man I was pissed. I got up and tried to get going again, only to find out my chain had fallen off in the crash. I tried to put the chain on, but it was jammed near the bottom bracket. I finally got it out and put the chain back on the crank.

Needless to say, I was the last one to leave from my wave. I rode with the adrenalin of one angry rider. I must have passed a lot of people on that first stretch, just on rage alone.

The first part of the trail after a big descent, is a gravel double track. This was a good place to get ahead, so I got past as many people as I could. I knew the area, and the trail would change to single track.

I found it frustrating when I had to follow riders for a long time, even though I knew that I could ride faster. I used this opportunity to gain composure from the shaky start.

The race continued to a section of uphill through pine trees. There again, I encountered what seemed to be less experienced riders (than me!). I saw that their back gear was somewhere in the middle, where it obviously should have been in the lowest gear. They were walking up the hill and not moving out of the way unless I started yelling "coming through!" At this point I had lost my patience with slow riders.

I definitely found the environment a real eye opener. I wasn't use to this on my regular rides, when it was just me and the trail.

Finally, another chance came to pass more riders. The trail went back to road for a bit, even though it was a steep uphill. Nevertheless I gained more spots by passing people up the hill. I saw even more people walking their bikes up the hill in the wrong gear position!

The race continued through some local vineyards. It was a mucky mess though, and very draining. It felt like driving with flat tires.

Returning to the trails, we hit a spot called hog's back that is a fairly steep, long uphill followed by a really steep downhill. This area was very muddy, especially because of the amount of riders that day. Everyone was walking up this hill and some where even walking down the other side! I had a minor crash at the bottom, but I did pass at least 10 walking riders.

The race returned for another uphill road, this time an even bigger one. I only passed a few riders that time. I approached the mid point: 15km (9.3 miles). I took an energy gel, since I heard it was good for energy. I had never tried this before and almost threw it up, it tasted so bad.

Soon after wards, it was time for crash number three. There was a trail that split into two with a tree right in the middle of it. It was downhill again, and I slid down and hit the tree with my shoulder and then my helmet. Glad I had a brain bucket on.

At this point I felt pretty good. At a checkpoint they were giving out bananas and water, but I just rode through. The rest of the race uneventful, but tiring.

The last part of the race is a killer uphill back up to downtown. My favorite moment was passing a guy up the hill. He had a really nice specialized bike, and I had my department store 21 speed.

Overall I don't think I will ever learn as much as I did that day, about racing. I placed 447 out of 894. Right smack in the middle of the pack as was my goal. I also did it in 1:53:03, also better than my goal of 2 hours. What really pleased me was that I placed 35th in my wave out of 125, which means that I passed about 90 people from my shaky start to the end.

I can't wait till next year, when I can use what I've learned. I have set a personal goal, all things being equal, to place 100 spots better each year for at least the next two years.