runningchunk.com

On Saturday, I competed in a mountain bike race for some reason. The 2013 Great Deer Chase had 15-mile and 28-mile courses, and in my post-RAGBRAI euphoria, I decided it would be a good idea to enter the long race.

Coming down to the actual event on very little training (and having chased only one deer while pre-riding the course), I switched to the 15-mile event. And it was a blast.

We started at the north end of Calumet, to the amusement of the overachieving bar patrons already in their places at 11:00 AM. A pickup paced us part of the way to the Swedetown trails, where the race heated up. There were probably close to 150 riders between the long and short events, but there was plenty of room to get spread out before the ATV trails turned to single-track.

Much of the short course was wide grassy paths, which I didn't really care for since they tend to be soft and slow, at least for a big dude like me. These were the only sections where I really wished for some kind of suspension on my bike, as the clumpy grass over rough soil made for a bouncy ride.

Heading into the single-track sections put a smile on my face. I love the level of concentration that's needed to go fast without hitting a tree or nailing a big rock. Crank a little, look, steer, shift your weight, feather the brakes, slide the rear on that corner. I'd put the clear lenses in my sunglasses, and that really helped see what was going on in the shade. I clipped one or two small trees, but for the most part had a smooth ride through the woods.

Between passing some people and being passed by a few, I was on my own for the last third of the race. I started to consider the possibility of being last, but remembered that I didn't see the dude on the completely thrashed '80s mountain bike. A podium in the Rigid 26er category (completely made up, unfortunately) seemed possible. Before I knew it, I was turning onto the pavement for a three block sprint to the finish next to the Michigan House. My time was 1:20:10, good enough to place 34th of 67 men, and 5th of 6 guys in my age group.

Nancy and Zoe cheered for me, and Zoe helped me eat post-race grapes and cookies. We watched a few more riders come in, and then headed north to the art fair in Copper Harbor.

Back next year? For sure. Somebody please stop me from buying a real mountain bike.