Another race recap FFF

The Fat Tire Frozen Forty (FFF) has been a race I have wanted to do as it looked so well organized and fun; 4 ten mile laps of singletrack in the winter.  This year it worked out and I smirked as the weather called for temps just below zero as I knew many would have a hard time riding for around 4 hours or more in those temps.  As I drove up taking an inventory in my mind of what I packed I realized I forgot a helmet and food.  A plea to on Facebook and a stop at Walgreens solved that problem. 

The start.  If you think you can see me than you are wrong.

Got to the venue without much time.  Snagged a helmet from Tom Morgan (THANKS, and I need to look at getting me one of those Lazer helmets) and my registration info and I set out to get a warm up in.  Time was short and I hit a section of singletrack.  It passed a road, knowing the start was approaching I took this "short cut" back which wasn't a short cut.  When I realized my mistake I thought surly the unplowed bike path would take me back to the start in a great feat of short cuttedness.  Well, that was a worse idea as I showed up to the start 5 minutes after everyone started; a first in my 20+ odd years of racing. 

Coming through lap 1, handing out high 5's.

So I set out to ride hard for 4 hours and see how well I could do; plans unchanged.  Only now I would sprint, slow, say "when there is a chance could I pass", ride by, say "Thanks!", repeat.  Well, that is unless I get behind Guse:)  My BB7 brakes started locking up in the rear (needed lube I guess) at the same time my hose kept pulling out of the lever (hose was getting caught on the stem when turning the bars).  A lap in and my right knee was bothering me with pain, not use to the short hard bursts I was putting it through.  Eventually after 2 laps the pain was more than I wanted to deal with as Iditarod looms 2 weeks away, DNF. 

I was a comedy of errors that day, probably should never had gotten out of bed.  On a side note, GREAT RACE.  Well done, and plenty of people having issues with the cold like I expected.