Forks and a past life.
I’m most of the way through a JKS build and I a bit hung up waiting for tubes to finish the bike. So I’ve been doing some office work and ran across some very old stuff in a box in the closet.
I have a box full of race numbers that are a small portion of the numbers I used to have but I saved these because they were important or significant in some way. In looking through them I’ll be damned if I can remember what made most of them special at the time. Also in the box were some race results. It’s so quant to see them in all their zeroxed glory. This predates the webbernet by more than a few years and back then you went to a race and then waited for the results to come in the mail. It’s funny that we now go to races and are upset that if by the time we get home the results aren’t posted online.
I raced the “Ross Stage Race” a number of years in a row and I have to admit the first year I did it (1984) I had no idea what I was getting in to. I’d been racing pro BMX and thought I’d give this mountain bike racing fad  a try so for my first event ever I went to Massachusetts and did the Ross stage race. When I went to registration they asked me what class I wanted to race and I had no idea what classes there even were. I told them I raced pro BMX so the nice womam checked the box labeled “pro” and I was off to the races.
I looked at the other names on the entry list and to be honest I had no idea who these other guys were. They didn’t race BMX so I didn’t know them and was blissfully ignorant and unconcerned. I know who they are now.
The race was  real eye opener to me and I instantly was hooked on MTB racing. I loved how the races were long enough that you had a chance to have a bad moment and then make up for it. BMX is not that way. The race consisted 3 stages over two days. The first day was a one lap (4 miles and 500 vertical feet) time trial and observed trails. I had no idea what observed trails were but I soon found out they were very cool. I placed well in both the TT and the observed trails and went into the second day in a very good position. The next day was 15 laps of the 4 mile loop – an enduro. With 400 feet of climbing per lap this was the longest and hilliest MTB ride I’ve ever done. I was with the group for the first 1/2 of the event and then I popped and dragged myself to the line way behind the leaders. But I’d done well enough on day one that I ended up placing 7th in G.C. I was bummed at the time but looking back on it I now think that was just fine. I went on to do the Ross Race a number of times and it was the highlight of my season each year. The last year they held the race my knee went “pop” and quickly became the size and shape of a grapefruit. I have no idea what I did to my knee but my weekend was over. Too bad as I’d placed in the top 3 in the prologue. Easy come easy go I guess.
I no longer do any organized racing. Years of racing BMX, MTB, road, observed trails along with snowboards and skateboards burned the competitive edge right out of me. Not to say that I won’t suffer like a dog to beat my fellow riders over the next hill………
Thanks for reading.
Dave
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Is that a solstice in the background? Daily or new car for autox?
It’s a new to me autocross car – a 2005 Lotus Elise sport. Good fun!
Dave