I drove each day out with my friend Alicia, and instead of the normal 2-4 hour drive to a “local venue” we arrived door to door in an hour and a half. So Stoked!
This course had everything I could ask for with the exception of a “Welcome Allie” sign at the top. Big fast rock gardens, jumps and fast flat corners. Oh, and it was dry!
Practices went well and in between there are so many nice flowy jumpy trails that riding nearly all day wasn’t a problem.
During the race run I think I might have tired just a tad and hit a couple of corners a bit wonkey, but managed to hit my big lines dead-on. After swooping through the lower switchbacks to the step-down, railing the berm and jumping the drain gap, I was ready to charge the grassy turns, but apparently my chain, once again had called it quits. I can’t believe that it had happened again!!! Plan B. Pump every little stutter like a madwoman and tuck like a roadie in the straightaway through the finish. 2:55. Ug! Although good enough for a win, it’s disturbing to think that it would have been better.
So, as I wouldn’t go as far as to say I “dominated”, I did put down a somewhat respectable time considering my lack of pedal power and walked away with a nice prize. (Which allowed us to purchase a badly needed dehumidifier for our basement and groceries for the next week. Yeah..exciting)
Diablo is still as much fun as I remembered from a few years ago. It’s gotten built up with progressions and some straight gnarly stuff, but it’s just a huge playland now! I’ll definitely be back for the rest of the series!
