Oh, this is what XC racing feels like.

I've had a theme this summer of competing in any race I can get into, which basically equates to hitting up every local event. Luckily that also meant competing in the KMC Classic, which was the USAC Colorado XC State Championship race, right here in rocky Colorado Springs. This marks two years in a row the Springs has hosted the state champs (last year it was in Ute Valley Park.)

This year was a hella fun course through Palmer Park, smack dab in the middle of town. If you're not familiar with Front Range mountain biking, Palmer Park is a 730 acre technical playground. I cannot overstate the density and variety of trails in this park. It is really a gem of central Colorado mountain biking. For this course, though, we kept ourselves to the Southeast side of the park, partaking in 5 laps over some of the fastest trails in it's network. We started counter-clockwise up Kinnickinnick Trail to an ultra fast descent down Grandview, bringing us to a dirt road climb/passing zone til we bottlenecked back into a technical climb up Cheyenne, which has always been one of my favorite sections of the park. It's only about a quarter mile of climbing, but navigating up, over, and through the rocks will take it out of you fast, especially with only one gear to work with. At the top we hung a right to take us back onto Grandview Trail, where we climbed up another rock garden, got back on the accelerator and into our first technical descent, weaving in and out of some daunting rocks at full speed, while trying to avoid rather threatening handlebar-high boulders. Pulling a 180 at the Grandview Overlook we headed down the road section, where waves of the Cat1 racers with gears were blowing past us modest singlespeeders. Getting into our aero tuck positions, we took full advantage of the slight decline we had, picking up some valuable speed before slipping back onto the singletrack of Kinnickinnick trail with a speed-sapping right turn before lots of rock-dodging. It's easy to underestimate how important it is to choose smart lines through Palmer Park, but particularly through this section, where the proper line allows you phenomenal speed, but the wrong line can be disastrous. We descended at full speed all the way down to the Start/Finish area at Council Grounds, met by cowbells and cheers from a ton of supportive spectators.

Photo Cred: Tim Bergsten/PikesPeakSports.US

I showed up mentally prepared for 6 of these 4.2 mile long laps, but USAC threw us a curveball and shaved off one lap, which disappointed me, but probably ended up being beneficial. We left the start line at 12:30, right behind a wave of young Cat1 racers. I blasted off and was immediately by myself, giving me a vital confidence boost as I began to catch up and move into the wave of riders ahead of me. On the second lap I could tell I was redlining, so for sake of endurance I backed off a bit and tried to pace myself. This isn't always an easy task when you're sharing the trails with riders that have gears and a totally different rhythm than the one you're rolling with. It becomes a back and forth game of passing them on the climbs, and being passed on the flats. I held my lead til the 4th lap, when Travis Ekenberg caught up with me at the bottom of our first descent. He gave me some intel on Spike Huismann's position, and that lit a proverbial fire under my ass. I had evidently become a tad too relaxed on lap 3, and now I had to pay back my debt. I dug deep and decided it was time to drop the hammer as we approached Cheyenne trail . My legs were screaming at me and my stomach was trying it's hardest to reject the gels and electrolyte drink I had been pumping into it. At the road section Travis was about 30 seconds behind me, just close enough to be seen over my shoulder and keep me pushing forward. My left calf and knee were sending me warning signs of cramping and I could taste the energy gel I had eaten two laps prior making it's way back into my mouth. I continued spinning at full cadence, gambling against my muscles. I called their bluff and they calmed down as I entered my final lap. I emptied my tank over the next 4 miles, putting every bit of remaining power I had into the pedals, as my left leg tried to seize on me. Shaking out the lactic acid and favoring my right leg as much as possible, I kept my pace through the road section. I knew by the time we came into the last mile of singletrack that I had a gold medal in the bag, as long as I didn't get comfortable or careless. I kept hustling through our final descent, coming across the finish line at 1:35:56, with Travis pulling in 19 seconds later and Spike behind him. A podium lineup I could be happy with.

It was a perfectly ridden cross country race. I left everything on the course, and I couldn't have finished another lap even if I had wanted to. My lungs were aching, my legs were noodles, and my brain was intoxicated by endorphins. Finishing with just enough gap to feel confident and still know I worked hard and earned my top spot. I suppose this was the teeth-cutting I had signed up for..

Thanks again to Sand Creek Sports and Ascent Cycling for making this happen!