Date: June 24, 2000
Event: Chevy Trucks NORBA NCS#2 XC - Mt. Snow, Vt
Class: Master Men 45+ (Andrew is 49)
Category: Beginner
Length: 1 lap - 6 miles
Time: :57:35
Bike: Specialized sWorks M4 (but the key to making it fast is the Ferrari decal on the head tube!)
Tires: Hutchinson Alligator Gold. They worked VERY well on the sloppy decents.

Did you do anything special to prepare for this race?

No, in fact I was careful not to deviate from my normal preparation.

Were you strong from start to finish?

I've never raced on a course with such long climbs. My strategy was to ride my heart rate monitor. I knew what pace I could maintain from past experience and controlled my efforts on the long climbs by staying in my zone. Consequently the majority of my class were ahead of me half way up the first climb but I caught most of them by the time we hit the top.

When did you put the hammer down?

I took the lead on the second little technical section and then let it rip coming down The Chute. Great fun with the crowd cheering you on.....pumped up the adrenaline.

Did you have any unusual problems with the race?

None

Before I did my pre ride of the course I was surprised to find that we would be doing only one lap. By the time I finished the pre ride I was thanking God for only one lap! The climbs were much longer than anything I've done previously but they weren't difficult. The technical parts were great fun. The decent through the woods with all the muddy sections was wild and fun.....I spent a lot of time laughing. I would have to say I enjoyed the course a great deal.

Race organization was excellent and results were produced quickly.

If you could do the race again would you do anything differently?

I wouldn't change anything. The decision to use the Alligator Gold tires and to ride my own race based on the heart rate monitor were the two significant decisions in riding the race.

Is there anything you would like to add?

See you all at the races!

Thank you Andrew McDermott for the interview!!