Globe Grind

Last Saturday was Arizona's State Championship series number 5 of 8. The venue was located in Globe and I had no idea what kind of trails to expect.

After a scenic drive through some beautiful country we arrived at the venue. The turnout was pretty small,only 5 guys in my category. A short preride of the course was quickly abandoned as hilly dirt roads led to more hilly dirt roads. I finished my warm up on the pavement and lined up for the start.

Temps were in the low 90's and I was happy about this since every race so far this year has been rather cold for my taste. USA cycling dude sent us off and we immediately hit a series of steep dirt road climbs which split the pack up pretty well. The current state champ was off the front and I fell into second place as the Italian Mimmo Fuita was not far behind me. After the steep climbs the road leveled and for the next 15 minutes we struggled into the wind up a mild grade.

Not knowing the course I took a wrong turn at an intersection and fell into 3rd as we began a hilly and rocky 4 miles of atv trail. The hills were steep and loose, most of us were walking them and just for good measure there was nearly a mile of deep deep sand. Riding through the sand was miserable, It was indeed ridable at max effort but getting off and walking was nearly as fast. Considering we were racing I decided to ride it and save a couple seconds rather than walking to save energy.

The long downhill back to the start was a sweet way to end the loop and grab a fresh bottle of water. Speaking of water I should have had more. Going into lap 2 I finished that bottle right away but was able to move into 2nd place again and put some time on Mimmo. It was hot and the course seemed harder than the first lap. I was racing hard (of course) and going into my final lap I started to get concerned about my hydration. I was feeling very hot and the mouth was getting dry and those are both bad signs.

Racing in the desert heat and full sun dehydration can creep up very quickly. For the entire final lap I continued to ride slower and slower as I lost fluids. I was taking baby sips from my bottle in order to preserve it for as long as possible. What I really wanted was to chug it down and then have two more!

Luckily for me I did hold out until the end and crossed the line feeling like throwing up. I drank and drank for the rest of the day and most of the night and made a mental note : "bring more water than you need" for the next venue.

This was a big finish for me and a nice podium spot towards the state championship series. The final 3 races are all at altitude and I am a bit nervous about this. Currently I lead the series but not by much and there are a couple contenders who have me in their sights.

The next race is back in Prescott where I "shit the bed" at the Whiskey 50 a couple weeks ago. And then I hope to return to Ohio for the Mohican 100. Will I repeat the shitting in the bed or will the sheets remain clean?