Bufflands 12 Hour

Alright, now that my internet is working, here is what went down over the weekend. I made it up to la Crosse and checked out the race site on Friday. I then met up with my parents and got some much needed dinner. Race morning we got to the site at about 6:30 and quickly got set up and I warmed up. I rode a bit of the course and it looked like the rain the day before left everything pretty wet, but not soaked, so I ran my dry tires in the hope that it would dry out fairly quickly as the forecast was for hot weather.

The gun went off at 8:00 and the fun began. The Lemond start was really long in order to spread us all out more before the singletrack, so we were all sucking air when we got on the bikes. Things spread out quickly and I rode on my own for about half of my first lap. I kept my pits short at about 10 seconds or less and was riding real strong and feeling great. The course was about 7 miles long and rather tight and technical in spots and fast in others. The best part....there was about 30 (no joke) logs to jump/hop over each lap...they seemed to get just a bit bigger towards the end of the race. I felt real strong the whole race so this training stuff must work!! I only had one bike problem.....I broke my chain 3 times and then replaced it with the chain off of my spare bike. I guess my legs are just too strong....ha. Frustrating, but not too bad. The course dried off a bit as the day went on, but a few spots were still slick. Lots of slick roots and logs to keep you on your toes!!

Even on my last few laps I was feeling real strong and having a good time. I finished my 12th lap at a race time of about 11:15:something, my lap times were around 53-55 min so I just missed going out for a last lap....darn. I finished in 3rd place behind two guys whose names I forgot, but the winner rides for Gary Fisher out of Rochester?? I was happy with my performance, just frustrated with my chain situation. Here's a few pictures....enjoy!

Cranking Away

Don't overshoot these turns!!

Pit Row