Welcome to Comp

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Originally uploaded by dcallaway07

Well, I am now officially a Comp rider following my debut race at Iola. I originally intended to race Sport until I obtained the elusive first place medal, but I felt good during the WEMS race last week and decided Comp would be a better fit. I still dread the ski hill courses on an unbearably hot day, but for now I must admit that I enjoy being in Comp. The end result, 6th in age group and 32nd overall.

It was also my introduction to Team WORS. I learned the ropes of the behind-the-scenes setup and takedown process that allows Don to run the show. More importantly, I met other members of Team WORS, who are great people to work and ride with. I'm proud to be part of the posse.

Overall, I am surprised that I don't remember a lot of key moments in the race. The start definitely seemed more aggressive than Sport, but the hill early in the course helped thin things out. I was happy that most riders made use of the downhill to power up the next hill, which isn't always the case in Sport. Other than that, I just rode my own ride and found my place in the pack. I went back and forth with several guys, but things seemed to reach equilibrium pretty quickly. I made sure I drank water and the occasional Gu.

I thought it would be neat if I could hold off from being passed by the Lalonde brothers. I figured they had a 7 minute head start, so I just had to do 4 laps 7 minutes faster than they can do 5 laps. So if they did 20 minute laps, I could come in at 1:33. I got just under my mark, but so did they - so they got me with a couple minutes left to go. Frankly, it felt like an honor to be passed by the Elite men...it made me realize I was in the same race (albeit a different class) as some pretty amazing riders. They are truly impressive.

Superfly, Super Fast

Well, it’s late, but I owe it to my trusty steed to at least say…damn, that Superfly is super fast!  It’s all I could think about as I hit the dirt tonight. I must admit, I was only so-so on the Superfly initially.  I was actually more impressed by the X0 components, which I still think is a whole new level of shifting precision. I also wasn’t sure about 29” wheels, since I enjoyed singletrack and didn’t want to lose agility.  And although this is a minor point, carbon is creaky and complains when you work it hard.

However, I’ve had a few more rides over the last month and last Friday I changed the tires to 1.75” XDX with tubeless setup, and I think this has made a world of difference.  Maybe it was the week of rest too.  Either way, the Superfly and I have bonded and am excited to put it to the test this season in WORS.  Thanks to my fellow teammate Brian, it already had a great debut at WEMS...as well as the debut of Team Scott :-)  Hopefully I can keep the party going come next weekend.