Race 1: Northstar@Tahoe XC #5

Northstar 8/11 Race Finishline
Originally uploaded by /k.

After months of procrastinating, I finally got my act together and hiked up the hill to race in a ski resorts summer cross-country mountain bike series. Northstar at Tahoe is a ski resort located in near Tahoe City (north Lake Tahoe near Truckee) just over the border in Nevada. In the summertime, they open up the park as a mountain bike course, complete with gondolas to take you to the top of the mountain.

I learned some valuable lessons from my first race. Some things to remember:

1. Racing at 6800' bears little resemblence to biking at 1000'. Especially when you drive up 1 hour before you race.
   
2. Repair your rear wheels before arriving late to register for your race
3. Pre-ride the course -- I think my wrong turn at the finish might have cost me a minute or two.
4. Elbow pads are not optional equipment. Do not find this out on a 6% downhill slope.
   

Although I basically got my ass handed to me, I did manage to place 3rd in my class (00:40:50 for the 4.3 mile course). I'll try to get some better pictures next week.