Unlimited Sport Adventure 3rd Mountain Bike Race Report 11/9/08:

I did the first one back in September. Missed the second one. I payed for the whole series. I wanted to participate in the last one.

The last time I rode my mountain bike was the time I rode with Joel. Already more than a month ago. Since then I had taken off my clipless pedals because I had lost the screws to my cleats and had messed up my shoe trying to use some other screws I purchased at the hardware store. Rather than going to the bike shop and just getting a pair of replacement cleats like I did the other day, I put the platform pedals back on. At the time I thought I had put them on correctly but did not find out till race day that I put them on wrong.

Lined up with the rest of the racers in my category, I was ready. I was happy to be back on a mountain bike. 5,4,3,2,1,Go! Off we went down the unpaved parking lot, turn, onto the sidewalk where its straight for a good 400 feet or so till we enter the Brownsville trails backwards. I am starting to breathe heavy, heart is pounding, but I'm feeling good. We enter the trails and are immediately met by switchbacks. It must've been the 3rd or 4th switchback when I hear a yelp as a rider goes down hard. In the corner of my eye I saw a neon green team kit. The same kit I should've worn that day if I had gotten up earlier that morning and looked for it. Out on the trails I always stop when I see or hear a rider in distress but this was a race. The show must go on. Ruben was there, camera in hand to help out if needed. I continued and so did the rest. My pedal started feeling weird. I thought to myself it was because I had grown accustomed to riding clipless. We exited that small section and were on our way down a bumpy straightaway along side the canal, and then it happened. On a small little climb the pedal had become so loose that making it proved to difficult and then the pedal fell. The walk of shame began. Luckily I wasn't too far from the staging area, unluckily I wasn't too far from the staging area. In total it was at most 1/4 mile I had raced. My first DNF ever. Very depressing. The rider who had fallen, Tony G from San Benito, came in 5 minutes after me. His fall messed up his rear derailer. We spent the rest of the race with Jaime and his boss's chocolate lab, Rocky, the Cactus Cruzer mascot. I'll see you next year Brownsville.