I was a little terrified going into this weekend. Even getting to race OP was an on-again, off-again ordeal for the better part of 5 months, and when the dust settled, I was lucky enough to end up racing with ScottM. Thanks for the invite! The only problems with the situation: Scott lives in Tucson, which means he's been riding tons (I read his blog, I know these things), which generally means a good bit of fitness, and that he won the Co-ed Duo category with Lynda last year, and, well, I'm no Lynda. So even with the mantra of 'Attach your ego to the execution of the race, not the outcome,' I still felt like I had some pretty big shoes to fill.
And if there's one thing I hate worse than losing, it's letting people who believe in me down. If I screw up my own race, it's my problem to deal with. If I screw up someone else's, that's a whole different story. In hindsight, this was probably a good thing because it actually made me race smart, rather than my usual go-for-broke strategy of survival.
Everyone had told me that duo racing was harder than solo. These people are wrong. Equipped with the luxury of the circus tent shared with DaveB, a spaceheater, a lamp, and the best-est camp chairs ever, it really wasn't too much to ask to go out and hammer out a lap ever 1:15. Plus, there was always someone to talk to. Thanks Paula! And thanks for actually taking pictures, since I apparently didn't take any.
I lucked out getting to ride the lap with the highest wind on my first lap. My front wheel would literally lose traction and slide sideways on a whim. And then it poured rain during my first night lap. This was all good because once the wind died down, my lap splits naturally came down, and once the rain stopped, my transitions naturally sped up because I didn't have to rip all my wet clothes off, dry off and find new and dry sets of everything.
Plus, the rain turned the loose dirt on the 500+ corners into super-hero dirt, which is mucho-bueno for those of us who still haven't quite figured out the skill of navigating a bike around a corner in a timely manner after 20 years of riding.
In the end, Scott rode fast, I rode consistent, our bikes didn't break, we didn't stop, and we got to pull the plug at 18 laps. Of the 9 transitions where I was headed out, I only blew one of them because I was busy socializing around the space-heater. That's not bad for a situation for those of us (me) with a bit of ADD.
Racing as a duo is definitely hard, but knowing that someone is counting on you to not give up and is doing the same for you is pretty neat. I think next year I may give the 5-person Co-ed category a try, and make sure that my camp has a microwave like Lynda's did this year.
First race of the year. First solid race-execution of my life. I think 2011 is going to be good.
Eszter! You ARE @#$KIN' AWESOME.
I adhere to, "It's the journey NOT the destination"..sorta like Lynda's mantra..?
LOL!
You rock girl!!
Buzz
Posted by: Buzz | February 22, 2011 at 08:39 PM
Hell yeah!! Way to start the year off solid!!
Posted by: Carney | February 22, 2011 at 09:55 PM
Man the duo's i've done, just dug myself into a hole not wanting to let my cohort down
Posted by: Cellarrat.blogspot.com | February 22, 2011 at 11:31 PM
Duo racing is a blast! That 2nd to last pic is a keeper.
Nice job coming from the snowbound north!
Posted by: Dave Harris | February 23, 2011 at 11:07 AM
Congrats. Good Karma with a drunkcyclist jersey in the 2nd pic too.
Posted by: JKS | February 23, 2011 at 01:24 PM
Highly impressed with your consistency from lap to lap. Great job and mad respect from the 3rd place Coed Duo Team!
Posted by: Jill | February 23, 2011 at 05:15 PM
Great job Eszter, bodes well for a big year (Worlds?). Agreed about pairs being much easier - especially if there's a space heater / cool river (depending on hemisphere)nearby!
Posted by: Ed | February 23, 2011 at 09:32 PM
Awesome.
Funny, I was worried about letting you down, esp. when I got sick. Mountain biking is so individual that racing on a team is a little odd, but it sure worked well in this case. It was a pleasure riding with you.
Oh and I don't remember any blown transitions... maybe 3 seconds that time when they didn't call #330?
Posted by: Scott Morris | February 23, 2011 at 11:07 PM