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How to quickly spend 6 hours

I did a 6 hour mountain bike race at Blanket's Creek Race to Sunset yesterday and wow did the time fly.  I was in such a zen-state of groove that the race seemed to blur by.   The course was in supreme shape and had a lot of bite due to rain the night before.  A far cry from last year's powder keg. I did the same race last year and it seemed a lot longer. I took more breaks between laps last year and was stretching between laps. Not this year. Maybe it seemed shorter because of the shorter laps, 7 miles versus 11 miles. Also, the laps were relatively easy with not much technical riding.  My average speed starting out was 10.5mph and ended up being 9.7mph. My first lap was about 4 minutes off pace due to getting caught in the middle of the pack on the Le Mans start and numerous logjams on the first lap.  I actually did an 8th lap but it didn't count since I missed the cutoff. I should've gotten credit for a half-lap for the effort alone  !
This was my best race yet. I biked really well and with confidence, especially on laps 2 through 5.  I was cautiously aggressive.  One thing I need to work on is not letting riders pass me so easily, especially when they don't call out for a pass.  I was passed by 7 or 8 Singlespeeders (my category). I was shocked that I made 3rd place for that reason alone.  Turns out not all of them were in my category, strangely.  I mean c'mon! If you're gonna race Singlespeed, at least get credit for it!
 I biked smart too, picking the right opportunities to pass riders using different (harder) lines.  I also made a concerted effort to draft more on the flats but I could've been more aggressive chasing folks down.
Bike was really dialed in. No complaints in that arena.  One Singlespeed guy broke his chain, bummer!
My wife was a champ in the pit area supplying me with fluids and nutrition on each lap.  My parents were also there providing moral support.  I was really pleased that they were able to see my first MTB podium finish.
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with my effort and the outcome is nice too.  It's great to set goals and then attain them. On to the next...

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