The Snake Creek Gap Time Trial Series is now in the books. That place continues to have my number. I just can't seem to beat my old time of 3:14. I set that time in my first year of going and have not been very close since. If it's not my body giving out on me, it's terrible weather or mechanical issues that destroy me. Race #3 was no different. I felt great, but a flat tire ruined my time yet again.
The race started well after another 4am drive down to Dalton. The weather was decent for a Snake race. We had some rain on Friday that left a few muddy areas, but overall it was warm and fairly dry. I had much better legs and was ahead of my previous times at all of my checkpoints. At halfway, I was ahead of my time from February by 4 minutes.
A rider coming down the descent to halfway
Mike Edens
Road crossing ahead
Video: A few clips of riders descending to the halfway mark on the 34-mile route.
I got hooked up with Eric Wondergem on the climb following the halfway point and we really got into a good rhythm. Having him behind me kept me on my toes and riding hard. I showed him lines on the descent and he helped me work on some of the faster sections between climbs. He let me set the pace up the climbs. We turned into the start of the last rocky section over 6 minutes faster than my previous best time at that check.
I was getting tired, but still pushing hard. I eventually got away from Eric in the rocks, but then the disaster struck. The rock gardens on the ridge atop gap #5 are full of sharp rocks. The very last garden in that section got my rear tire. It put a nice slice in the sidewall. I always go through that part of the course with my fingers crossed hoping I don't cut a tire. It's a descent and with any speed at all, you can't pick a line. You just let the bike go and hope for the best.
I found myself booting a wounded tire with a Kind Bar wrapper and 5 miles still to go. I lost 10 minutes with the flat repair, but the wrapper held up and I made it out without incident. I hammered about 2 miles after the flat and totally killed myself. I made it pretty far up "The Wall," but still didn't clean it like I did in January. I basically just got out of the woods those last few miles. I really didn't care anymore. I finished in 3:34:34. That was 7 minutes slower than February and kept me from improving any in the overall standings. I didn't really care that I took 5th place in the 29 and Under class, I was more disappointed with having been on pace for a sub-3:20 and losing it to another flat. Usually the flats I have are self-inflicted, but this one was just luck of the draw.
A rider comes down Dug Gap Battle Rd. toward the finish at the Dalton Convention center
Father-son duo
Carson Beckett
Gib Morehead making a pass just before the finish
Met getting out of the aero tuck as I prepare to drop off the pavement
The bright side of things was that I felt awesome and am right on track with my fitness with the season approaching. And I got another Snake belt buckle. If you finish all 3 races on the 34-mile route you get the Snake 3x34 belt buckle. They started giving the buckles out last year. I have both buckles so that's kind of cool. I may have trouble along the way, but I always find a way to get to the finish.
I came home and took a day of rest before attacking the home trail to get out some frustration. I knocked another 1:48 off my personal best, getting my fastest lap time down to a 21:24. We are still adding to the trail, so it will continue to be very challenging to keep improving my time as the trail gets longer.
Current map of my backyard trail
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