The MTB Files: Round 2, Fountain Hills, AZ

Aroussen raced the latest round of the NMBS (National Mountain Bike Series). Another poor starting position on the grid and some further bad luck didn't do him any favors but he soldiered on and had a respectable ride, all things considered. Below is his report. Good reading!

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Fountain Hills, McDowell Mountain, Arizona

Rider: Aroussen Laflamme
Cat: Pro
Finishing Position: 63rd of 92
Course: 10 miles per laps
Laps: 3
Weather: Sunny, breezy and warm (88F)

The second race of the NMBS series adopted the stage race format with a super D race on Friday, a short track on Saturday and the XC race on Sunday. I was not able to participate to the super D on Friday so I opted to do only the XC race with fresh legs. The problem was that this has put me dead last on the start.

This was particularly a problem for this race since the very long lap was mostly a single track except for the 500 feet of the start-finish area. My strategy was the same as usual; start as hard as possible without being involved in a crash. And a crash there has been a couple of riders in front of me. This event has stopped my somewhat good start, putting me close to the end of the infinite tail of the charging bulls.

I have spent half a lap trying to pass people, losing a lot of energy doing so, often for nothing since the twist and turns of this course were so numerous and so tight that every pass was an epic adventure and a threat for my tires. In this aggressive mode, trying to gain every second possible, I was cutting every corner, taking unfamiliar path. After a rocky descent, I have taken the inside of a turn, letting my double suspension do the work to absorb the hidden rocks in the bushes.

But that was not enough; in a control slide I have sliced my front tire that began to lift dust all over the place, spraying the Stan's no tube latex liquid on the ground with a rattlesnake sound. Familiar with this situation, I have tried to put the tire in the sand to stop the hemorrhage. But nothing to do, even after having put some more air in the tire, it refused to seal. Right next to me was another guy in the same situation. Soon we are two of us putting a tube in our tires, inflating and leaving the scene promptly, leaving behind us the burning sensation of the desert sun.

The other guy has had the chance to have another set of tubeless wheels at the pit zone, not me. During the second lap, while I was pushing hard to regain the lost ground, I compressed totally the front suspension and tire in a small dip, just enough to feel the rim hitting the ground. Immediately I knew that I had just punctured the tube. Surprisingly, the tire remain inflated to about 15 lbs, just enough to continue to ride my bike slowly for the remaining ¾ of the lap toward the pit zone.

This has been an interesting experience since I was not losing so much ground, pushing hard on the climb, an riding softly on the descent, which is totally new for me but certainly useful. Nonetheless, my speed was not fast enough to remain in contention and I have been pulled from the race before the last lap and the so desperately needed pit zone. I have received the 63rd place for my effort, leading Ryan Trebon who has been forced to abandon after three flat. In fact, almost 1/3 of the riders haven't finished the race mostly due to punctures.

This is sad because despite my cold-sinusitis condition I was feeling quite in good shape for this amazing race. Better luck next time at the Sea Otter.

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