Boneyard's Wrath: A Mud-Caked Bicycle and a Whole Lot of Hurting

The Meriden Motorcycle Club hosted its third Wrath of the Boneyard for the Root 66 Race Series this past Saturday.  The last two years had the race scheduled during the hottest part of July, and both years the pro ladies did just four laps like the rest of the Cat 1 field.  Obviously, this year's early-season timing made the problem of intense heat a less formidable possibility, and instead of thick steamy air and a "bone" dry course, we were gifted with a cool wet day and super slippery trails.

Unfortunately, a popular EFTA race on the same day was a big draw for a lot of racers, and the numbers at the boneyard were not as high as many would have liked. It's usually tough to get a big crowd there anyhow because the threat of brilliantly bony course usually deters some of the softer riders.  This year, the combined effect of wet and rocky would have probably kept some people in bed, but the turnout was still respectable despite all the loss of racers to the other race.  

From the first time I raced this course in 2011, this one has been one of my favorites.  The course is a smashing combination of brutally rocky shale-strewn trails, punchy as well as grinding climbs, fast twisty pine forest, and one humdinger or a rock garden (aka the boneyard) guaranteed to leave your shorts a little soiled.  Each 4.5 mile lap provides about 500 feet of climbing.  Check out my garmin connect link here to see what it looks like mapped out.  It's one of those races that can start out great and go to complete shit in a matter of seconds (think sidewall gashes and bent rims).  Fortunately, I've finished 3 years in a row. 

I was hesitant about pre-riding the course because I could tell it was pretty muddy, and the thought of getting my bike all gunked up before the actual start was a little daunting.  However, Jon Tarbox didn't have to do much to convince me to take a spin out there to see what the conditions were actually like, and I'm glad I did.  I was able to see where there was and was not any traction and pick myself some nice straight lines through the worst stuff.  Unfortunately, I still don't know any good line through the actual boneyard, but I gave it a good effort each time and did my best to monster truck what I could.  

Before the race went off, Chris Logan (Root 66 Race Series promoter and legend) told me that I could bump down to just 4 laps if I wanted to.  In years past, the hot weather has always made the pro women take the easy route because it was just too miserable out to be racing at that intensity for that amount of time.  One could easily argue that this time the course was too wet and dangerous, but knowing that I was the only one in the pro category, I decided I'd better earn my inevitable "first place" prize.  

Rather than start by myself, I lined up with the Cat 1 women (just like last year), and this gave me the added incentive of staying ahead of all of them which was no easy feat.  Tina Severson is coming out strong this season, and Stacey Barbossa completely kicked my butt back at the Hopbrook race.  I knew those two would be breathing down my neck, and for much of the first and part of the second laps, I could see them behind me.  I finally lost sight of them going into the third lap.  According to my calculations, if I had stopped at 4 laps (and yes, I was given that option as I came through to start my 5th lap), Stacey would have finished only a minute or so behind me.  Dang!  She's fast!  And here I was thinking she was a roadie...  Conversation with her prior to the race helped me to stand corrected. She's a great well-rounded cyclist!

My winner's wallet

Big thanks to Fabian Esponda who organized the race and laid out a fabulously fun course.  I'm looking forward to racing there again next year.  As always, the prizes were hefty and well worth the time it took me to clean my bike when I finally got around to it. 

I wish I had been bothered to have someone take a picture of me after I finished because that was an epic mess.  Luckily, I snapped a little montage of my bike when I got home as an example of what the course looked like when air dried onto every inch of my bike. Also, as luck would have it, as soon as I set about cleaning the plastered bits of forest off the drive-train, it started to thunder and pour.  I promptly tossed the whole mess into my greenhouse.  

Filthy McNasty

Always carry a bicycle pump in your car. 

Unfortunately, that hasty decision lead to my equally hasty decision to ride my singlespeed the next day at Nathan Hale.  That was horrifyingly painful, and I rode like a fledgling fresh out of the egg.  While that ride was also free of flat tires on the trail, my car in the parking lot was not so lucky.  I am fortunate enough to have friends who know how to plug a tire and are willing to take turns using a bicycle pump to inflate a car tire.

P.S. - The sweet video clips are courtesy of Brett Severson.