New Belgium Short Track #2

(Sorry for the delayed race coverage, Ashton and I moved, very unexpectedly.) 

Another Tuesday and another short track race, couldn't ask for anything more.

Malcolm"drag" racin'

I started my pre-race with a stop at Roma for a large order of lasagna and several liters of water. After lunch I headed over to pick  up Malcolm, I arrived as he was finishing up his costume for the race, we ate some homemade brownies and headed over to Fort Collins. We arrived at New Belgium as the women's race was about half way through, so I headed over to the Lee's Cyclery tent to get changed and ready to go.
  The ladies race ended and the beginner mens race rolled to the line, after the beginner field was was a good 60 seconds out on the course I got the o.k. from the organizer and headed out onto the track to get warmed up. The course was the exact same as the week before, except run in reverse and the one muddy section was now dry. I got about three warm up  laps in before I headed back to the Lee's tent to get a fresh bottle, down a gel and get ready for my race. As I made my way to the que for my race I was starting to feel a little nervous about the next half hour, at registration I put the roster at 33 riders and it looked as though more had come since then. As we took our places at the start line the organizer informed us that we were the largest field of the day with a total of 55 people...yeah, biggest field I've ever raced in at a mtb event.
  With the course being run in reverse, from the start it took an almost immediate left turn and headed into as set of steep off camber switchbacks. I took a good position on the start line and jumped onto third wheel as the lap started. Coming to the top of the second switch I slid out taking the turn, quickly jumping back onto my bike I was able to keep my position and kept hammering. About a minute or two into the race I noticed that I forgot to start my Garmin at the beginning of the race so I have no technical data or any nerdy stuff like that for this report...sorry. Near the half way point of lap#1 two riders came around hauling ass, I didn't react fast enough and in no time they were a gone, not chasing put me back to about 5th position, shortly after I wiped out coming through a very loose and gravely gravely corner, I stayed calm and got back on my bike but this crash allowed a couple other riders to make it around. During the next three laps I held a good pace but was still passed by a several more riders, I kept calm, held my tempo and finished 15th. After my race I got a chair massage and had a few beers, I watched the end of the single speed/open race,  went and picked up Ashton, then head to old town burgers with Malcolm and Chris and Mandy from Lee's.