Chief Logan's Wrath

It all started with a nonchalant question from George Rogers, “Would you like to be on the WELDNRB mountain bike team? It’s a grassroots team with riders from all backgrounds.” Well, let’s see. I like mountains and I like bikes, so as they say on Seinfeld, “What’s not to like!?”

That’s about as far as I got before the race season began. A few people hinted that if I didn’t start actually riding on a regular basis, I wouldn’t be conditioned for race shape. I poo-pooed their warnings, took a little trip to Costa Rica for some R&R, and decided that April 5th was as good a time as any to pay my WVMBA fees and get out on the trails. Rides in the 30 day period leading up to the race: maybe 3, all under 7 miles and at my preferred “smell the roses and listen to the birds” pace.

So, as George, Keith and I rolled up to Logan County for the Chief Logan Wilderness Challenge Mountain Bike Race, I was feeling pretty nervous about the likelihood of even finishing the race. It didn’t help matters when Adam Stevens said, “Man, there are going to be some sick climbs on this course.”

Suffice to say, climbs is about all I can remember, and I’m glad I entered as a beginner. I’m looking forward to the next race and hopefully less elevation gain throughout the course. And I promise, I’m going to start conditioning or else my heart might explode.