Race Guide for the technically challenged rider

The Singletrack Slowpoke's Guide to Sunday's Course, for the Technically Challenged Rider. If you are not technically challenged, don't bother to read this, it won't make sense....

After reading the reports and seeing some great pics from elite riders, I think that it is only fair to have a alternate course description for all the singletrack slowpokes out there. There have to be people besides me that would have bruises, scrapes and rookie chainring holes in their leg after riding this particular course! Just as I know that there are others who pause to muster up some courage at the drop-in to the singletrack, wondering if they will make it down in one piece! And who panic at the sight of the rock garden and the ravine. If this sounds familiar, then this is for you!

Big thanks to all the people who have been out there tirelessly working away to provide everyone with a challenging course! They have put many hours of work into this, and are constantly making changes to make it better. The elite and comp riders deserve a course that is challenging enough for them once in a while, even if the rest of us struggle a bit.

Course features are not necessarily in order. I don't remember the order that things came in. I don't have a good memory for race courses. I am really not the one who should be doing this!

You could think of the course as a test....
If you are a citizen, the start is not bad. It's climbing but not straight up the ski hill. From the back of the ski hill, there is a loose gravelly drop in to the singletrack. Do you
a) ride the sketchy drop and hope you make it in one piece?
b) try to walk down it with your bike, slip in the loose gravel, and end up sliding down on your rear end with your bike trying to escape down the hill
c) take the alternate easier route a little further down the road
I have already tried b) so you don't have to, and I would suggest that you try either a) or c) depending on which category you are racing! My teammate said it wasn't really that bad. Walking it could be worse than riding. Or take the other route. (I noticed one guy stopping to line himself up with the drop, then he paused to get up his nerve before he rode it.)

You are barrelling along, and you see two or three sandy round mound-like bumps with a bushy tree on the left. Kind of like little whoops real close to one another. Should you get off now, or see how it goes, it's just a couple after all, and they aren't that big?
a) there are several more around the tree that you can't see, get off while you can
b) no, try to ride them, get your front wheel stuck between two bumps, lose your balance, and fall over
c) ride them, thinking how much fun this course is!
d) hope that they flatten them out some and groom them before the race
I tried b, then a, and now I am hoping for d!!! if your answer was c, you shouldn't be reading this! Go upgrade!

Approaching the rock garden, you
a) panic and get off and attempt to walk through the rocks, slipping and sliding and losing your footing as you go, then freeze when you see the ravine that you are totally unprepared for
b) grit your teeth and try to ride left to right, keeping your speed and trying to be positioned to hit the ravine as you emerge
c) be really glad you are a citizen and don't have to ride it at all
d) be glad you are a sport and don't have to ride the whole thing
I can tell you that in this particular garden walking or running the bike doesn't really work. It's just too hard to keep your footing on those piles of round rocks without twisting an ankle, and then you won't be set up for the ravine/rut after it. Either b) ride it, or be glad you are a citizen and don't have to!

Up ahead are two little harmless looking skinny roots across the trail, a little off the ground, that look totally rideable. Are they?
a) they're not, they pop up and catch the knobs on your front wheel, careful!
b) awww, ride right over 'em, no problem
c) ride over 'em, but stay to the right where they are closer to the ground. or maybe lift your front wheel as you go over?
I experienced a) and I almost went flying. I don't understand the physics of it though. They look so innocent. Go for c?

People have been telling you how nasty the mud pit is. How do you get through it?
a) you never saw it, you have no idea what they were talking about. where is it?
b) you hear that it might get cut out, and you hope that's true.
either a or b works for me. I missed the turn for it, somehow.

All those Logs!!!
If you are trying to recover from a back injury,
a) pretend you are in a 'cross race and run them.
If not, b) ride those logs!

All the off camber stuff, especially the uphill off camber stuff
a) ride the uphill stuff for as long as you can last, then bail and hope for the best
b) recognize your limitations, get off, and take the opportunity to rest your aching back by walking
first lap, a. getting tired and your back needs a rest, b

Uh, those trees look really close together, thunk, aaaarrrrgggghhh!
a) cut your bars ahead of time
b) stand around in the parking lot talking about whether you should cut your bars
c) slow down to make sure your bars, cut or not, make it through without hitting the trees
d) keep your speed, look down the trail, thunk, arrrrrrrgggggghhhhh!
c worked pretty well for me. glad my bars got cut a couple of years ago! I think the Alterra intestinal course prompted me to do that. I still came awfully close though.

What should I use for the bruises?
a) arnica gel, if the skin isn't broken
b) ice
c) ibuprofen
d) ice cold beer
all of the above. you choose the order, I would do b, c, a then d.

Well, it's really late Thursday night, I must go to sleep. That's it for now. Stay safe, and enjoy the course! All that painful stuff will make us stronger. Someday. In the meantime keep lots of ice packs and bags of peas in the freezer!