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1st Place SPORT
Men Master II 50+
Andrew McDermott - WOODEN WHEELS |
Date: June 3, 2001 Event: Guys Racing - Super Series #3 Name: Andrew McDermott City: Newark State/Province: DE Country: USA Age: 50 CLASS +/or Age group: Men Master II 50+ Category: Sport |
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Team: Wooden Wheels
XC Race Bike: Specialized S-Works M4
Tires: Hutchinson Alligator Gold
Conditions: Sloppy and slick
Email: fud@udel.edu
Did you do anything special (apart from the whole training lifestyle) to prepare for this race?
I did an early morning pre-ride of the race course to familiarize myself with the course and help me decide which tires to run. The 1.8 Panaracers were a bit too demanding for the conditions so I changed to the 2.0 Alligator Gold; my comfort tire.
Did you like the way Guy's ran each category separately to reduce traffic due to the large turnout?
Given the constraints of the course, short lap length and 90% single track, the decision to space the categories 3 minutes apart was excellent. This allowed us to have a mountainbike race rather than a cyclocross event!
Were you happy with your choice of tires?
As noted above I put some thought into my selection of tires and was very pleased with my decision.
What was your favorite part of the course?
The last mile or two was full of twisty rooty up and down.....I liked that a lot.
Were you strong from start to finish?
The first lap and a half I went VERY hard. About the middle of the second lap I started to fade a little. I did a Gu and picked the pace back up. The third lap was painful but I kept a decent pace.
Did you have any interesting experiences during your race (exchanges with competitors/spectators)?
I almost hit a photographer on the course, no, not Bill Deputy. He didn't hear me approaching and stepped out into the middle of the single track looking away from me. I had to call to him to clear the track, he jumped like a startled deer. I'm glad he moved as he was a BIG guy. I would like to say that all the competitors were courteous and cooperative on the trail. Lots of give and take.
When did you put the hammer down?
I was dead last at the end of the little prologue around the grass field. When we hit the climb off the field everybody got in line. I thought.....time to go!....and took an inside, steeper but shorter line. I was 3rd when we hit the single track and the adrenaline was pumping.
Did you have any unusual problems?
Lots of challenging problems like staying on my bike, breathing.....that sort of thing. But I can't say I had any unusual problems.
How would you rate the course?
Great fun! I was apprehensive about all those slick roots prior to the start but was lucky enough not to crash. I thought the course conditions actually improved during the race.
Were you happy with the way the race was run?
A standing ovation to all the people involved in putting on this event. The folks from Guys Racing and all that helped them made a very obvious effort to run an event that had the best interests of the racers in mind.
Is there anything you would like to add?
A big thanks to Don Morrison, Bill Deputy and all the event promoters for making
this race series a reality.