Brake checked in the first turn, I accelerated towards the opening. Mike on the left with a quick follow. The field was diluted by the first mile. Position is key. I pegged the bump in the field and rolled out front. First to the single track. My heart rate retaliated so I went harder. Gaps formed, trees passed, three of us broke.
Inflicting pain was the name of the game. The flats proved to be my strong point as the 36:16 complimented 20+ mph. Mike took the reigns through the end of lap one and beyond. I ponied up and did my share through lap 2, 3, and 4. The gap was granted as we entered lap 3. I wound it up after the feed zone and almost paid the price as I rounded the hair pin into the single track. I kept it steady but at that pace your bound to have slip ups. It was an effort that stuck as well as Marko did to my wheel. Our Siamese train grew a gap through lap 3 that stuck as I recovered from the bold moves. By the time we reached the final miles it was apparent that we were both fatigued but continued to hit every corner on cue and every lapped pass clean. A sense of relief came over me as I exited the final stretch of track and sprinted for the line four seconds ahead of my counterpart. In retrospect I was nearly a minute quicker than in 07 on a very similar course. Mentally, my fitness feels like it’s multiplying by the week. Hopefully I can bottle it up and take a little with me out East.
