Landmine 2018
Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2018 5:36 pm
After TVR and Domnarski, the headbanger's series stood as follows:
Chris Busick 378
Brian Anderson 312
Jeremy Cratty 288
Edson Boaron 200
Esdras Pechim 190
Vladimir Capka 190
Remaining races are Landmine and The Freetown 50. If I could come out of Landmine with more than 200 points than the next guy,
I wouldn't have to race Freetown. This is important because I'm under some pressure to do the KT50 Next Saturday, and Freetown 50 is the next day.
It would be stupid to do that. But people who know me were concerned that this is what I was going to do and that it might jeopardize my commitment to the KT50.
As of Thursday night, things were looking good. Brian and Cratty weren't going to go to Freetown, so I just needed to finish in the top 10 and landmine and I'd clinch.
Then Esdras Pechim registered on Friday. Now I had to beat him by at least two placed to clinch. HAHAHAHAHA, like that was going to happen. Last Year's Landmine results:
Jim Frame (Corner Cycle)
Esdras Pechim
Kenny Fries (Scottee's Westport)
I'd beaten Kenny before, but the other two were out of reach. The banter on the start line didn't help. Someone was heckling Esdras from the sideline. Oh great it's the MTB god. Is that a motor in the downtube? What do people say to me on the start line? "Are you Chris? Is you wife here? I love her pictures!"
The started everyone under 49 at the same time, so I had no idea where in my field I was after the whole shot. I was on Dan Desmarais's (Scottee Westport) wheel and I didn't see any other Scottee's go by so Kenny was behind me somewhere. We were strung out in a line on the straight single track which was fine with me. There weren't any gaps so I wasn't losing time until Tim Pastika (the eventual 19-29 winner) mad a pass on some poor "I love Boston" guy and nearly took him out.
Now there was a gap. Dan and I passed "I love Boston" on the climb, which hurt like hell. I stayed on Dan's wheel, remembering Pare's advice to "use the draft as much as possible at landmine" He was closing the gap to a group being tail gunned by a corner cycle guy, but then couldn't close it anymore and started to fade. I went around him and yelled to hop on, hoping I could use him again later, but he was blown.
I nearly closed the gap when a corner cycle guy jumped back onto the course from the side. He then started fiddling around trying to get his pump back into his pocket. (I think this was Jim Frame) I stayed behind him hoping for a nice draft when he got his crap together and I wasn't disappointed. He closed the gap and got us in contact by Feed Zone 2. There we passed Kathleen and Christin Router who were pulled over on the side letting the testosterone train roll through. So this was good, I was back in contact with the lead group, or at least a big fast chase group. But this was bad, because I was blown and we were only 23 minutes in. When Jim suddenly pulled over to the side again it left me with a gap I couldn't close into the wind and I was on my own.
Then Colin passed me, which was pretty discouraging, and a sign that taking 2 months off the MTB and putting on 10 lbs wasn't helping.
At this point I started doing logistics for next Sunday. For the headbanger's the Freetown 50 is only 50K. I'll bring the hammock up and nap after the KT50. Maybe if I brought Andrew's car to work, Mo could use that to drive to my house on Friday. Then he could come back with me on Sunday and I could drop him at his house on the way down. We'd have to get up at 3AM, but maybe he'd drive a couple hours so I could sleep... I wouldn't have to commit to this until I saw the final registration for Freetown, if Esdras wasn't on it, then I'd be good. Maybe I should just register for Freetown so he won't try. Maybe if I register for freetown it will just encourage him...
18 miles in, I pop out of some single track into a small field, go around a corner and there's Esdras, walking back on the course with his bike on his shoulder, and his rear tire blown completely off the rim.
Me: "Oh no! That's terrible! Are you ok?"
Esdras: "Yes, I'm ok"
Me (after getting out of sight): "YES, no freetown for me!!!"
And then all the stress was gone and I could just race. I saw and picked off a Corner Cycle guy who turned out to be David Dornaus. Then Piro came by me.
Me: "Rich, what took you so long? I was starting to get worried that something happened to you"
Rich: "Really?"
Me: "Yes, I'm not going fast enough today to hold you off for so long"
Rich: "I'm tired"
I held his wheel nearly to the final bridge, where I said "hi" to Katie and rolled into the finish.
All I needed now was to be in the top 10. I think I was about 5th or so, but didn't know. I punched in my number to get my result and WTF!?!?!? 2nd!!
How did that happen?
Turns out a lot of other guys dropped out, including Jim Frame.
Thank you Stieger and Condon for the recon last week. If you don't know the 2nd "half" of that course, you'll despair that it's never going to end.
Chris Busick 378
Brian Anderson 312
Jeremy Cratty 288
Edson Boaron 200
Esdras Pechim 190
Vladimir Capka 190
Remaining races are Landmine and The Freetown 50. If I could come out of Landmine with more than 200 points than the next guy,
I wouldn't have to race Freetown. This is important because I'm under some pressure to do the KT50 Next Saturday, and Freetown 50 is the next day.
It would be stupid to do that. But people who know me were concerned that this is what I was going to do and that it might jeopardize my commitment to the KT50.
As of Thursday night, things were looking good. Brian and Cratty weren't going to go to Freetown, so I just needed to finish in the top 10 and landmine and I'd clinch.
Then Esdras Pechim registered on Friday. Now I had to beat him by at least two placed to clinch. HAHAHAHAHA, like that was going to happen. Last Year's Landmine results:
Jim Frame (Corner Cycle)
Esdras Pechim
Kenny Fries (Scottee's Westport)
I'd beaten Kenny before, but the other two were out of reach. The banter on the start line didn't help. Someone was heckling Esdras from the sideline. Oh great it's the MTB god. Is that a motor in the downtube? What do people say to me on the start line? "Are you Chris? Is you wife here? I love her pictures!"
The started everyone under 49 at the same time, so I had no idea where in my field I was after the whole shot. I was on Dan Desmarais's (Scottee Westport) wheel and I didn't see any other Scottee's go by so Kenny was behind me somewhere. We were strung out in a line on the straight single track which was fine with me. There weren't any gaps so I wasn't losing time until Tim Pastika (the eventual 19-29 winner) mad a pass on some poor "I love Boston" guy and nearly took him out.
Now there was a gap. Dan and I passed "I love Boston" on the climb, which hurt like hell. I stayed on Dan's wheel, remembering Pare's advice to "use the draft as much as possible at landmine" He was closing the gap to a group being tail gunned by a corner cycle guy, but then couldn't close it anymore and started to fade. I went around him and yelled to hop on, hoping I could use him again later, but he was blown.
I nearly closed the gap when a corner cycle guy jumped back onto the course from the side. He then started fiddling around trying to get his pump back into his pocket. (I think this was Jim Frame) I stayed behind him hoping for a nice draft when he got his crap together and I wasn't disappointed. He closed the gap and got us in contact by Feed Zone 2. There we passed Kathleen and Christin Router who were pulled over on the side letting the testosterone train roll through. So this was good, I was back in contact with the lead group, or at least a big fast chase group. But this was bad, because I was blown and we were only 23 minutes in. When Jim suddenly pulled over to the side again it left me with a gap I couldn't close into the wind and I was on my own.
Then Colin passed me, which was pretty discouraging, and a sign that taking 2 months off the MTB and putting on 10 lbs wasn't helping.
At this point I started doing logistics for next Sunday. For the headbanger's the Freetown 50 is only 50K. I'll bring the hammock up and nap after the KT50. Maybe if I brought Andrew's car to work, Mo could use that to drive to my house on Friday. Then he could come back with me on Sunday and I could drop him at his house on the way down. We'd have to get up at 3AM, but maybe he'd drive a couple hours so I could sleep... I wouldn't have to commit to this until I saw the final registration for Freetown, if Esdras wasn't on it, then I'd be good. Maybe I should just register for Freetown so he won't try. Maybe if I register for freetown it will just encourage him...
18 miles in, I pop out of some single track into a small field, go around a corner and there's Esdras, walking back on the course with his bike on his shoulder, and his rear tire blown completely off the rim.
Me: "Oh no! That's terrible! Are you ok?"
Esdras: "Yes, I'm ok"
Me (after getting out of sight): "YES, no freetown for me!!!"
And then all the stress was gone and I could just race. I saw and picked off a Corner Cycle guy who turned out to be David Dornaus. Then Piro came by me.
Me: "Rich, what took you so long? I was starting to get worried that something happened to you"
Rich: "Really?"
Me: "Yes, I'm not going fast enough today to hold you off for so long"
Rich: "I'm tired"
I held his wheel nearly to the final bridge, where I said "hi" to Katie and rolled into the finish.
All I needed now was to be in the top 10. I think I was about 5th or so, but didn't know. I punched in my number to get my result and WTF!?!?!? 2nd!!
How did that happen?
Turns out a lot of other guys dropped out, including Jim Frame.
Thank you Stieger and Condon for the recon last week. If you don't know the 2nd "half" of that course, you'll despair that it's never going to end.