Pictures, Crust Skiing and PPP
· May 27, 09:29 PM
Given the spectacular days of skiing we’ve had for the last three weeks I really should have a bunch of pictures to post and make you all jealous that you haven’t been getting up to Bachelor frequently. But I don’t. Fortunately a lot of people have been here skiing the last 10 days (thank you for the grooming USST) and they have the pictures to prove it.
I’ve been up skiing 7 of the last 9 days, all on groomed trails. Zig-Zag and the PPP course are starting to get a little tiring, but having tracks and being able to ski both directions keeps the boredom at a minimum. It’s not too hard to ski every day in late May when the biggest concern is remembering the sunscreen. Today was the last day of grooming camp, so there might not be too much skiing left in the year for me. Hopefully one or two more days on the crust (I want to get out to McKenzie Pass again), but I’m going to cherry-pick the cold nights for that.
Before the grooming camp, I spent the early part of May getting ready for the PPP. You may have heard of it. It’s kind of a big deal in these parts. Marshall continued his ownership of the race, with nobody coming close to him as soon as we got on our bikes. For me, it was another exercise in frustration – which is becoming a bit of a pattern in this race. There was no swimming (I’m getting much better at staying up in the boat), but the bike leg was my undoing this year.
I built up Carl Decker’s TT frame and had it looking pretty good the night before the race. Some borrowed wheels (thanks Matt and Robert) really completed the look and I was set to go. The only issue was the lack of a front derailleur (the teardrop shaped seat tube doesn’t accept a standard FD clamp) so Carl got creative and fashioned a custom chain guide. It did force me into the big ring for the whole race, but I figured I was tough enough to handle it. I did my test rides and things were good. I was going to be fast.
Cut to race morning. I came out of the ski even with Lars about 5 seconds up on Marshall and Torin. I was first on to the bike by that same 5 seconds, but I didn’t even make it out of the pen because I couldn’t turn my cranks. Somewhere between the morning test ride around the Bachelor parking lot and bike start an hour later the chain guide had loosened up. When I hopped on to start riding I knocked the chain off, and then of course the awesomeness of the chain guide wouldn’t let me get the chain back on. I stood around in a state between frustration and panic while Jason Tedrow ran (literally – back to the car) down some allen keys and Matt Lieto removed the offending piece and sent me on my way. At that point I was running without a chain guide or FD, so it wasn’t that big a surprise when I dropped my chain at the Inn at the Seventh Mountain on the way down.
Aside from spending a few (two or three total?) minutes standing looking at my chainrings, the bike went really well. I passed Violett twice and the second time we “rode near each other without drafting” until we got off the bike. I had a decent run and got in the water in 4th, but Torin blew through me near the end to bump me back to fifth. All told a frustrating day. I’m now 2 for 3 in giving away podium spots by doing something stupid, so that might mean I have to give it another go next year. I guess we’ll see how I feel next April.
Commenting is closed for this article.
Unlucky Brayt. Sounds like another fun race though and you’re due next year. How much of the race is decided on Nordic leg? Sounds like the bike is where it’s made.
— toby May 28, 06:14 PM #