A day at Estrella

Anne and I loaded Yampa and the Niner into the truck at 4 in the morning yesterday and headed to Phoenix. The Dust Devil Series Estrella race was the destination. I signed up for the Cat. 2 race which consisted of 2 long loops at the competitive track. I haven't race anything in Arizona except marathon and single speed races so I didn't know what to expect. What I experience was pretty much the norm. Go out hard and try not to fall off (and hope everyone else fades). This is pretty much what happened. I picked my way through about six or so people in the first couple of miles and then settled in to a good pace to try and chase down the four folks in front of me. I pulled in one person before the course tilted down and then had to wait for the second lap to try and make up some more ground. Midway up the climb on the second lap I caught and passed one guy and could see the next about 200 yard in front of me. I reeled him in close to the top of the climb but he passed me on the first part of the descent. He then flatted and much to my dismay did not have anything to fix his tire with. I have noticed this phenomenon more in Arizona than anywhere else in races. Why don't people carry their own shit to fix their bikes with? I threw the guy my CO2 and took off knowing there was a guy in front of me that I wasn't going to catch but I didn't want to get caught from behind. Of course I never saw my CO2 dispenser again but what can you do? So I ended up holding my position and finishing 2nd in the Cat 2 class but 1st in my age group. I was pretty stoked and really happy with the new bike. The prize was a water bottle, 2 gels, and a 15 percent off coupon to REI. I won't get into what I think about that but I will say at least MBAA gives certificates good for a portion of the fees for future races. It doesn't really cost anything but it is as good as cash for people that might race in the future. All in all a fun trip with a fine Chipotle burrito, some beer and the great fortune of watching the Notre Dame game and the World Series at the same time (well changing back and forth anyway).