Today was The Root 66 Mount Snow Classic, this is the same Mount Snow that will be hosting the Kenda Cup in two weeks time. Mount Snow is pretty horrible, but it is also incredibly awesome. Each year they change the course to make it horrible in new and exciting ways. “You got the right gear?” was the question of the day. “No, no I don’t, you can never gear right for this course” was the answer of the day. How can you gear for 1000 feet of climbing in a 5 mile lap? You gear low enough to climb “comfortably” and you’re left with the feeling that you’ve dropped your chain when you try to pedal out of a downhill corner, It’s a Ski Area race, straight up, straight down. The climbing is steep, punchy and uneven. The traverses on the new version of the course were wet, grassy and boggy. The descending is insane, an uncontrollable free-fall down the side of a mountain, full of criss-crossing roots and slimy rocks. I would describe it in more detail, but you really have to see it believe it. Or disbelieve it. 
I’ve been running the new 29-3s for the past few weeks, the 2.0s front and rear to some success. It’s a versatile tire which excels in most conditions. Mount Snow conditions are not”most conditions”, therefore I went with the 29-3 2.25s front and rear, running 25 Psi. It was the right choice. They are monster truck tires and they make my Superfly SS feel like my Free Ride bike. I’ve been off the race circuit for over a month, with all that get married business, so my fitness was highly questionable, I have been on the mountain bike a lot so my skills are good. I wanted to enjoy the descents at the very least. This was a sound plan, I couldn’t climb to save my life (I did get some good running practice in for SSWC09) but I descended Mount Snow like I never have before, it felt great. So great that even though I was well off the back of the race, I still rode/walked up the hill for four laps just so I could rip the descent again.
I usually run a 32 X 22 at Snow, this time I ran a 34 X 22. Hey, if Jesse can do it, so can I right? Wrong!
In the end it was one of those days where you don’t bother checking the results, but it was a good workout and a ton of fun in a sick, sick way. I stand by my claim that mile for mile this is the toughest race out there. Meanest, “I have to go up that, are you kidding? climbing — nastiest, break-your-face descending. I was lucky to come out alive and with a smile on my face, not that you could see my face through the mud. The mud: you know it was a good race when you find two pounds of mud in your shorts afterward…at least I hope that was mud.
Hopefully Foley will get his report up soon. He won the damn thing and I can’t wait to find out how.
That’s me riding my Superfly up to my lovely bride. We’re bike-people,
our wedding photographer was a cycling photographer. It made perfect sense.
