Stedman & NBX, Verge NECCS #s 6 & 7

[Voodoo Sally]

East Greenwich, RI, Dec. 8 & 9.

This was in a very pretty, very large, park in RI, along Greenwich Bay. Saturday had low temps and an inch of snow on the ground, but sunny skies and melting after about 11 am. I had a great race. At first I didn't know why I was riding toward the front, for the first time, with no more effort than usual. Then I realized that it was my new chainring. I had just put on a 45 for the big ring, and rode in it practically the whole time. The difference was like night and day! Before, I rode in the little one, a 39, and almost never the big one, usually because my fr. der. wasn't working, or the fact that the ring was a 50, and now I realize that was so big as to be pretty useless. So I rode a whole season (and years before) in the 39, and suddenly was using a 45. I got 10th out of 25! That was great - way better than my usual. I loved the course. There was a beach section. Most couldn't ride the whole thing (incl. me). There was a fair amount of snow and ice on the course.

Sunday brought cloudy skies and lower temps all day. I was psyched to kill it again with my new secret weapon (that chainring). I was in about 6th for the first 2 laps. Then I shifted to the small ring for something, and then the derailleur wouldn't work anymore, so I was stuck in the small ring, for the rest of the race. I tried and tried to make it work. Oh, how mad and disappointed I was. I tried to ride faster, but I got frustrated and crashed just then. I thought about throwing in the towel out of spite, but I decided to stay in it. So I did. I rode as hard as I could, but got my usual before the chainring breakthrough, 11th of 16. Sunday's course was in the same park, but the layout was different, and it had 2 beach sections, one with a long run up. Still a great course.

Pro Todd Wells jumped the barriers (as in, while riding his bike). Simply amazing. You can find that on YouTube.

Now I'm kind of bummed that the season is over. It's been terrific.

I guess there's a good amount of snow and ice right now at the Nationals.

Photos © Bill Hurley / Fastshots photography.