Redesdale Race

What can I say?  It rained on the way there.  It rained during the briefing.  And it rained while I was racing.  But everyone else was in the rain too, so it was an even playing field.  

The 7km prologue was boring - lots of climbing, lots of fire trail.  But I was looking forward to the main course with lots of singletrack.  My bike had other ideas.  It started making a familiar grinding noise that reverberated through the carbon in the first few kms, and it was more than just grinding wet dirt on the gears and chain.  It wasn't doing it yesterday, but I'd had this problem with my other Scalpel late last year.  I thought it might ease so I continued on through the prologue.  My legs were feeling the climbs, but still feeling really good and I was enjoying myself, despite the rain.  

I'd ridden about 3km of the actual course (so 10km all up) when the grinding noise became worse.  It was a time to make a call - turn back while the start/finish was still within easy rolling distance, or continue to torture my poor bike and possibly cause more damage.  I couldn't do it to my lovely Scalpel so I turned back.  40 mins of riding in the rain - not much of a race.

BUT.....I got there, I got on the start line, I started racing, and my legs felt good.  I didn't feel so good standing in the increasingly heavy rain, attempting to clean my bike enough to put in the car, and then get changed into some clothes that started out dry but were very wet by the time I'd gotten changed.  

Hoping my bike will magically wash itself in the rain

Hoping my jersey will magically wash itself when I get home