Gnarly.

Round #3 was at Laguna Seca, and it was HARD. The venue was dry as a bone and most of the course was hardpack covered with a thin layer of sand and/or gravel; we apparently ran on a few parts of the Sea Otter short track XC course. Add in what seemed like miles of off-cambers and you got Fishtail City.

I got a call up and the hole shot and was able to stay close the eventual winner for a few laps, but I just couldn’t keep up with him on the climbs with my 42×25 (he was running a double; my next cassette will definitely have a 27). At one point I was able to catch up to him and lead for a bit on the flats, but in doing so I thoroughly gassed myself and once we hit the next climb he was gone for good.  I hung on to finish 2nd and almost barfed on my shoes immediately after crossing the finish line. Good times.

-Nick in SF