The Michaux spring race is such a classic -- It has been around since the days of 7 speed, rigid mountain bikes with friction shifting and toe clips. Anyone remember racing back in those days.
I hold racing there in very high regard, as do so many other people. The Michaux promoters are original: they still do gruelling single lap races and have continually raised the bar in increasingly brutal ways, like with last years Monster and this seasons 50 and 60 mile races. I picked this race as my first race back -- kind of like going back to the youth giving spring. Today's race was really cool, for many reasons. Great course, good competition, amazing weather, and a leg-twisting workout. For me, though, it was cool because I got to race with one of my original riding buddies -- Joe Clausson.
I first mountain biked with Joe waaaay back in 1986 in Jacobsburg State Park. I was a really snowy day, about 25 degrees and there were big 3' thick ice blocks stacked up all along the creek banks. That day it was myself, Curt from Curt's Cyclery, Pump Track Dale, their friend Geo on a Raleigh Technium with straight blade forks and a 150mm stem and my friend Jack on a GT freestyle bike. We were "doing trials" trying to ride up and down these huge snow covered icebergs and criss-crossing the frozen creek -- the goal was to not put your foot down. Realistcally it was about trying not to crash over the bars. That was one of the first MTB group rides I'd ever done.
Fast forward to today, and Curt's son Matt is a hotshot semi-pro XC racer, Dale has a pump track in his back yard (kind of like the 1/4 pipe we rode in his dad's back yard in the 80s) and Joe STILL goes over the bars on his MTB. Today, Joe and I pre-rode together, sat in the woods with Elk lamenting hissnaped downtube (which happened while he was running in the top 20 in the 50 miler on a fully rigid SS) and then lined up on the same row in the Vet 25mile race @ Michaux.
It was really dusty and there was a lot of traffic in the race start. Going through the first real singletrack, working my way through the pack, I could hear someone back there cursing like a sailor -- it was Joe coming up through traffic trying to move people out of his way. Old School Joe was riding a very New School Orbea carbon 29er. Let me tell you, it was really cool riding Michaux with a good singletracker like Joe -- we hooked up and things began to happen. We were rolling through the traffic, picking people off left and right, riding with a good tempo. Joe has a lot of experience and can really rip up the gnarliest singletrack. He and I traded pulls, steadily driving forward making time. We had a great time in the rocks and soon drove well up into the Senior pack while putting a lot of time on the Vets we had passed. About 1/2 way in we had not even really started our charge yet. Seasoned Michaux riders know where to begin attacking, and Joe and I were on the same page. Unfortunately, a stick had other ideas for Joe. As we were charging through a twisty fresh-cut singletrack I heard a loud snap -- Joe snaped his derailleur off. I then kicked in and attacked him...
Kidding. I felt really bad for Joe because we were well inside the top ten and moving really well. Joe could have easily been top five the way he was going. He said see-ya and I had to go.
It was unfortunate for him, but he should have the satisfaction of knowing that he was riding a really great race with great form. For me it was really cool racing with him all the while thinking of that day we all met in the snow at Jacobsburg. Rock on Joe -- we'll see you get your revenge at the Summer Michaux race.
Oh yeah, Joe went to Michaux with a fuzzier looking Don Kelly whom also rode the 25 miler. Old School represent!