MNSCS#9, Laddie's Loppet

Most technical course in the series, hands down. Top and bottom photos are from the infamous "Lakeside Drops". It doesn't look like much from a photo, but it's about a 12-15 foot drop that goes straight down to the edge of the lake and takes a 90 degree left. If you manage to not go over the bars before the bottom, you've still got to make that turn or you go into the drink. Naturally, it's the number one spectator spot on the course. The vultures are out in full-force, waiting for the endo. Personally, I think this is the easiest drop on the whole course. It gets a whole lot scarier back in the woods, with steep, twisty drops between trees and over roots and rocks. Fortunately I made it through the paparazzi both laps. I didn't fare so well on some of the other sections. I went sailing over the bars once but managed to grab a tree to keep from killing myself. I spun out on a couple of technical climbs and I got off and ran 2 incredibly technical drops on the backside of the course both laps. There are no style points, so I'd rather run instead of crash.

It's a tough course, did I mention that? Guys were flying, falling and flailing everywhere. I finally got into as much of a groove as I could and got a gap. The lead group was gone, but I didn't have anyone right on my ass, so I could relax a bit on tactics and focus more on riding. It seemed to help as my second lap was much better. I cleared pretty much everything I tried to ride and knew where I was better off doing some cyclocross. I had some issues with my pedals, which cost me some time but at this point the podium was gone anyway. Somebody must have kicked up a beehive, because I got stung at least three times on both legs. Feeling the burn had a whole new meaning. It actually woke me up a bit. I let one guy pass since I knew I'd hold him up but other than that, I held my ground. I was able to finish strong and somehow wound up 5th.

Not bad considering how poorly I felt and rode the day before. I was 90% sure I was going to drive back home on Saturday, I just wasn't feeling it. I got maybe an hour or two of very interrupted sleep in the tent on Saturday night. To make matters worse, there was a power outage in the buildings and the Xcel Energy trucks were out digging and working in the campground at 4:00am. The only reason I even lined up was because I had already paid for it. My plan was to stay upright on Lap 1 and see if I had anything in the tank for Lap 2. Adrenaline is a powerful drug. One race to go, and since Kevin won today, I'm now in 4th. If Ryan shows up at St. Cloud, I'm pretty much looking at 5th for the season. Oh well.

Kudos to the Richards family and Maplelag Resort for the best event of the season. The course is masochistic, but the hospitality is unbeatable. Getting a call-up to the starting line was pretty sweet, too. Thanks to Skinnyski.com for the photos. That otb shot is an instant classic. Glad it wasn't me getting posterized.