Aspen Cycling Club's Smuggler TT

The Last week I traveled with Nico to California for Leif and Natalie's wedding. (More on that adventure in a different post.) After flying in on the last flight and getting to bed after midnight I was back at work. After almost a week off I was happy to be back to work but kept making excuses for not riding this Wednesday's race. Finally it was quitting time and I sucked it up and grabbed the mountain bike pumped air into its two flat tires and headed to Aspen. I didn't have time to change my cleats on the mountain shoes so I pulled my road pedals and switched them before I left. I drove off thinking I'm only going up a road I don't need double sided pedals. Plus if I'm going up a road I'll probably not have to put a foot down. I arrived just in time to register   and warm up. Before today I have never rode smuggler road so I was going to race not knowing the track. I used the 25 minutes before my start to ride the first half of the course so I'd know at least the first half of the ride. My start went well and the first half of the race went well I was keeping a pace and feeling great until I reached the unknown  section I hadn't ridden. I misshifted and came out of my right pedal. It was just a little slip but the extra effort and adrenaline was enough to push me over the limit and I dropped off pace. I tried to slow my cadence and control my breathing  to recover but the damage was done. Two more minutes into the race and I was back on pace until the exact same thing happened. So much for just being on a road and wearing the one sided pedals. Two minutes more and I was back in the race slowly reeling in the person in front of me. With twenty feet to go an I realized I too was about to be passed. I pulled back and motioned for the other rider to pass. I fallowed his lead hoping to pass the slower rider with him before the trail turned to single track. He made the gap, I didn't. I called passing on the right and didn't quite have enough gas to get past the slower rider before she had go right and I ended getting half past her before I was run off the road. My right pedal hit the hill side and I put a foot down and tried to recover. We bumped and she had to put a foot down too but recovered much faster. I ended up in front of her but couldn't get my feet turning fast enough with one foot out.  I could only get my left foot to click in and after 20 seconds she turned and said "well are you going to go or not?" I felt ashamed and stupid passing too rushed and mucked the whole thing up. Still with one foot in I stood up and pedaled until I couldn't hear her bike anymore. I had just regained control of my breathing before the finish. 17 Minutes 10 Seconds is what the GPS said but the official result can be found at by clicking here. I ended up 10th out of 11 and for the first time this season I didn't get last in my division. After the race I spun the legs and road above to the look out. I rode down Smuggler hoping I could apoligize to the girl I had so graciously passed. I met her at the cars and she intermediately pointed to me and said to her friends that's the guy that knocked me off the bike and then couldn't pass me. I apoligized, she suggested I owe her a beer at the after race party. I agreed but suggested she bye me a beer too for running me off the road, she laughed.