TLDR...
The Freetown 40 event in Massachusetts was this past Sunday so here's the recap. Again this was the first race I've done post ACL reconstruction in April so I just wanted to give the knee a good test and see how it and I would feel. Morning race meal and prep went as planned so I was feeling good but anxious going into this. My bottles were all set up for the second lap and the bike was ready to rip. The format is two 25 mile laps. In 2022 I did the race, and I took 3rd in 4:46. That's two 2:23 laps, so I figure hopefully this year I could do it in 2:45 ish if I was feeling ok. Well that's if the course was similar. Spoiler - it wasn't.
I hit the starting line with 20 other folks and put myself to the back. Bring 20 pounds heavier than last year and with a newly rebuilt knee, I wasn't getting in anyone's way. When the siren went off the leaders took off and I just got in the back of the line. Through the first few miles I hung in the chase better than expected. I thought I would be off the back from the gun but I wasn't. I was in 15th going into the first singletrack and up to 12th after the first few miles of trail. The knee felt solid and I was pedaling well. If you've ever been to the Freetown MA State Forest, it's relentless rocks. I was joking that each one has a middle finger painted on it and after a while it does feel like that. So after a bit I knew I needed to ease back a bit and just start riding controlled and smooth if I was to keep things rolling.
Somewhere after mile 7 we got into the moto section of the course. This was all new. The new race director thought this would give it a new feel and after the recent rains from the hurricane, it achieved that. Typical moto stuff: rutted, muddy, deep puddles and some adventurous lines in and around stuff. I was riding the rocks pretty well, but now throw in deep puddles and mud dragged over the rocks and roots and I wasn't enjoying it. I still rode most but reinjuring myself started to creep back in my head so I took it pretty easy. I was happy to get out of moto land and back into the usual bike zone. I watched the miles pile up and one hour passed, then two, and wasn't near the end yet. The flow that I remember from the last course was just different as they threw in some not well traveled trails. After the two hour mark I was pretty gassed and started thinking over options in my head. I was going to finish this damn thing...or was I? The knee still felt good but I was just getting beat up. Honestly since I've been back on the bike after surgery, I probably haven't done 25 miles of mtb total...Nevermind racing 50. The terrain was fun but just relentless and brutal. It was the reason I came there because I enjoy this type of riding, but my body was just not agreeing with my mind.
Somewhere after the 20 mile mark I was debating pulling the plug on the second lap attempt. It was already 2:30+ for one lap and the next one would put me out there for a looong time. I was getting to the fun last super rough singletrack with a couple of nice downhills. I was flowing on one downhill pretty good, and then the next second I was crashing through bushes on the left side of the trail. Something caught my front wheel and just tossed me into the thicket. Oooooookkkk... So now I'm on my side and tangled in the bushes and cramping hard. It was tough to get up with the cramping going on but at least I crashed on my good side. Rebuilt knee was all good and safe! Bad part was that I found a rock in the bushes and hit it squarely with my left thigh. Deadleg! Luckily no one was behind me so I had time to get up and collect myself. The crash just confirmed my previous thoughts. I'm going to ride out the first 25 and be lucky that I didn't hurt my knee and had a good time. So that's what I did. I rode the remaining super techy rock gardens, although a bit reserved after the crash, but I still cleaned them. I took my time getting to the line but I finished the first lap in 2:57. I would have easily been out there for 6+ if I did the whole event. No part of me wanted to do that. I was happy with how much I pushed myself and it was a good effort, and no knee pain. This was by far my longest mtb post surgery. I was thinking some long gravel rides would prepare me for this...that's silly.
After the race I chilled for a few and remembered I wasn't that far from one of my new favorite breweries, Treehouse. So I headed there to get a couple of beers and chill and then have a nice relaxing drive home. All in all I was sad not to be able to finish the full race, but happy that the miles I pedaled went reasonably well. I actually felt like the first 60-90 minutes was a race. I rode some hard lines well and made some good confident passes. Ripping techy terrain and confidence has been something I've been intimidated with, but it seems to be coming back nicely. I'll call it a good test and give me a goal to come back next year and give it a real go. I just hope they skip the moto section if I do. I did find out that even though I told them I bailed on the 50, they put me in the 25 race results. I still call it a DNF, but If I did that race I would have been 21st of 47. That's not too shabby.
ridewithgps.com
.
