Snake Creek Gap TT

I was told that this TT would be "epic" but I did not do the 34 mile so I would say the 17 mile TT was "very challenging" to say the least. The most difficult part was the large rock/boulder garden on the ridge with about 6 to go. Up until then I would have said it was manageable on the single-speed but then when you throw in the crazy rocks, it becomes Hors Categorie. From what folks tell me, the second 17 is the harder of the two.

I was using my Klein Pinnacle that was converted a few years ago into a single speed. I decided to use a 34x20 and that was a good idea. There were plenty of places in the race where even a geared bike would have trouble climbing the steep grades, so I had to push a lot on the second half.

I had a mechanical about 50 yards from the start where my rear axle slipped out of the dropout but then as I climbed the first hill I got warm and eventually found some kind of rhythm. The fire road and creek crossings were very nice, and I have to say that riding weekly at Big Creek MTB trails prepared me for a lot of the rocks.

I felt like I had lost a lot of time at the start but ended up passing every one in front of me except one racer who came in about 2-5 minutes ahead at the finish. Once alone it was easier to get rolling and establish a pace.

The descent back to the start/finish was great--about 50 mph downhill on pavement really paid you back for the leg-busting ridge.

I was thrilled to post a good time and take first place. I am not sure if I'll do the March 2nd finale but it is tempting to try and break 2 hours. I know now what to do after riding the course once and it would be very fun to try.

(picture: mtbepic61)