Keeping it Simple: ...its only 11:15 and you're home already???

Well, today was, for lack of better words, totally frustrating! Driving out to Granite Bay for the TBF MTB race, I was reminded of Bill Murray in Caddyshack playing golf, "...oh yeah da' heavy stuff won't be coming down for a while yet...." It was raining and blowing. Personally, NOW, once I am on the bike and warming up I am good to go, its that whining period as you pick up your bib number, put the number on your bike, get ready, etc.... That's the hardest part.

So Marja, in full rain gear with the mutts, heads down to let the dogs go nuts toward the lake, Scott and I head out to preride the course and warm up....needless to say we are the only ones out there.

The start rolls around, the rain has actually stopped for the time being but its windy, and after shedding the rain cape, I am shivering, but no worries as once we are rolling I will be toasty.

I should have known from the start my day was going to be interesting, he gun goes off for our start, I am in the second row, so the wheel in front of me drifts WAY back into mine (still my fault) and the guy next to me comes down on me at the same time, my foot slips and I look like a goober....I get back on and slip again...no this isn't my first race, but wow I am looking sweet! I quickly spin it back up and get up into around 10th as we spin like mad down the start chute (big single speed class today)..we dodge and weave, hop up on the levy to head back to the single track/dirt and finally start racing..... We make it out to the first climb and there really is no where to pass, I make it past one guy and sit in as we snake up the climb. After the climb there is minimal places to pass, and of course where one could pass the "Davis Bike Club" guy speeds up and doesn't let two of us through. Finally I pass him on a wide open short climb, where he responds by passing me out of control on a descent, the slows into a climb....I pat him on the back and ask, yes I was positive!!! I swear, to keep up his speed if he is going to pass, then we hit a steep but relatively short climb right after that...."Davis Bike Club" guy is no where to be found...

I am on Kirk's wheel now (fast, so I am content) and cruising along through some fun twisty single track, as we pass a couple of experts (geared) that started ahead of us I slug through a deep mud bog and suddenly my rear wheel locks up...I figure its mud caked on my rotor so I go to feather my rear brake and the lever is solid, i.e. the pistons are fully out and locked on the rotor.

SO I hop off in that panic of "okay, fix it and keep racing"....knowing what it was I dump my GU2O on the calipers, but they are locked....rider after rider passes.....Scott stops, realizes he doesn't have a tool to help me so I bark at him to race on! Now I mellow, thinking no worries, we'll fix and just finish out the race....hmmmm...not gonna happen.

Then it hits me.....the dreaded 3 letters in the English language I hate the most when put together after my name....Not SOB, I can deal with that, its even worse. I remember each and every time I have had these letters after my name. Sea Otter 2003, Iron Angel 2002.... I avoided them at the CX race at Discovery Park when I was sick by coming in almost dead last (not sure how I was not dead last).....to me Last Place is better than this....

DNF

I started hiking toward the Start/Finish area, my rear wheel would not move an inch. Thinking about it, it is my fault....should have lubed the pistons a little more. Simple really. Even though it was a mechanical, and I could not do anything on the spot, I could have prevented it....damn hard to swallow.

Oh, for those who don't know, DNF is "Did Not Finish." EEEESSSSHHH, hurts to even type that.