“Fair Hills Classic”

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Today was the Fair Hills Classic down in Maryland. Seemed like an interesting event featuring a single 27-mile loop. Me and 2 members of the MTBNJ Cycling Team, Ben and Freddy, hit the road to check it out. We started our trip early in the a.m. in order to get down there, register, and warm-up before the 10:15 start time. Once down there, we met up with a few more friends and another MTBNJ rider, Chuck. A brief warm-up on the course made me realize 2 things. A)It was going to be HOT!! B) The course was FAST!! Sweet jesus was I so not wanting to be right about either of those things, but I was.

My race went ok. Not knowing the course at all started to get the better of me as I made tons of stupid mistakes riding off the trail and not attacking when the course suited me. I rode in a pack for a while, then rode off the trail and got passed by some dudes. I chased those guys until I got back to where I was. I rode for a bit with a pro singlespeeder which was nice because I at least got to follow his lines. Eventually the heat got to me a bit and he dropped me, but I managed to hold my spot to the end. I sprinted to the line against some guy that ended up not being in my class, but it was pretty exciting. I ended up 9th out of 30 something with a 2:14 race time. Not my best result, but it’s good prep for the 40 in a few weeks.

Freddy ended up on the podium in Sport Single speed and was awarded a super-blingin’ glass for his efforts. We stopped at the Iron Hill Brewery for lunch, and even though I don’t drink, it was a super-cool experience. I was however more excited about going across the street and getting some cupcakes!! What better post-race food? FYI, there were no Taco Bells, I think we all know how I feel about the Taco Bell!!

Good race, very well organized. They had food, expo booths, stupid fast results, water-ices, and feed zones every 5 miles in the woods. It was well worth the trip, even for a dirt-crit

-Jim.