Supa Dlux recap

Traction and YousGuys (basically Will and Patrick) teamed up to organize and promote the first Super Dlux race, which went off without any major snafus yesterday, Feb. 26th. The day started for us at about 7:30 am with a quick ride down the course to repair the inspect and repair the inevitable damage wrought by our nemesis: The Ideological Trail Vandal. Over the course of seven days, Patrick's and my efforts to cultivate a potentially dangerous and terribly eroded trail section into a facsimile of rideablity were repeatedly hampered by the mysterious ITV. To be clear, we built a low bridge to ease the transition of a wheel-eating gully, as well as heaping dirt on either side of particularly difficult log crossings. No stunts, no jumps- just making the existing trail rideable to encourage flow and discourage shortcuts and increased impact. Well, the ITV sees things a little differently. I won't get excessive with specifics, but suffice it to say that the ITV has a bone to pick with people doing responsible trail maintenance, and he/she/they express their ideology through destuction. Who is the ITV? XC fag, hippie deconstructivist, ranger, sasquatch? Nobody knows for sure, but the ITV is a pervasive threat to the progression of the trail. I for one am advocating worldwide extermination of these vermin.
Anyway, Pat and I finished tailoring the trail just in time to return to the ParknRide for the registration and pre-race meeting. In all, about 14 people showed up, with representatives from DC, Norfolk, Frederick, and the Bmore metro area. In addition, there were family members, friends, and friends' family members in attendance to help out or just harangue the unfortunate racers. With the start line at the other end of the park, some folks opted to ride over and enjoy the antics of uberclown Ron Bayne, while others drove into the park to avoid excessive exposure to the cold conditions (yours truly).
At the start line, spirits were kept warm by Derek's telling of his infamous 19 yr old subscription girl porno story, and by ball breaking of the highest caliber. A brief course description for those who missed it or got confused: from the drop in, the trail travelled about 3/4 of a mile next to the famous Cascade Falls, then turned abruptly left for a cyclocross style hillclimb where the racers had to dismount and carry or push their steeds up a sustained steep muddy slope (much to the dismay of everyone). At the top of the hillclimb, Donald from FSCycles supervised the allystyle dice game, where racers got to make three dice rolls for bonus time deductions. From there, riders began the descent of the Widowmaker, a trail notorious for the destuction of idyllic family life. Just before entering the final technical section, racers got the chance to bust a cap at the man for additional bonus points- props to Kid Scarface from Columbia for showing us how it's done! Once the racers had crossed the finish line, they were required to compete for more bonus points at the camber toss, supervised by the beautiful Shelia Wylie, age 9. For those who aren't hip, the camber toss is an event from lumberjack festivals in which a large log (or camber) is tossed as far as possible. In all, the SuperDlux was a race where anyone could win, almost regardless of athletic capability or bike choice, as evidenced by Dustin, who won on a singlespeed street bike with no front brake!
After all riders finished, it was on to the pavillion for food, fraternization, and fire. Big thanks have to go to Jen McBrian and Wendy Wu for providing the food and drink, as well as giving us somewhere nice to rest our eyes. The roarin campfire also seemed to be popular, as the temperature didn't make it above about 40. Winners were announced by the effervescent Jackie, assisted by her beau Kurt, prizes were given 8 deep, and a good time was enjoyed by all. As an event, the SuperDlux proved to be fertile ground for the growth of enthusiasm towards the progression of our sport, as well as sprouting seeds for future races or gatherings.