Neshaminy

The trash-talk began early. When I peer-pressured HardtailJay (Jay #1? JayNasty?) into updating his blog for the first time in a month, he responded with this little gem, which included the phrase "Sunday is Neshaminy. Gotta beat Don."

At French Creek, Jay beat me by about 90 seconds. At Granogue, he beat me by a heart-breaking 14 seconds.

Now, Jay and I are good friends, don't get me wrong. It's just understood that in our circle of friends, it's perfectly acceptable to be competitive to a fault, so long as the rivalry stays on the road or the trail. And in the blogosphere.

So, we started pretty well, entering the singletrack in 7th and 8th, respectively. And then somebody (who shall remain nameless, although you can guess who it is, can't you?) bobbled at the base of the first little climb, at which point I scrambled by on foot to maintain my position.

I never saw Jay again. Near the beginning of the third lap, I heard the screeching sounds of ready-to-be-replaced brakepads... was Jay coming back? My pace lifted, and I began mentally preparing for a sprint finish. However, he never caught me, and I outpaced Jay on a MTB for the first time ever.

So yesterday was the best I've ever ridden a mountain bike. I was smooth on every climb (except one, but I was tired, shut up!), I dove through the turns, I even rode the descents like someone who isn't terrified of anything that isn't paved. There is nothing about how I raced yesterday that I regret, which is a first for me.

This is why it was so disappointing to me that Jay cheapened my victory over him. Selfish prick! Knowing that he was doomed to lose to me for the first time in the history of Don-vs-Jay MTBing, Jay made the conscious decision to get a flat tire in the middle of the woods. Jerk!

Here are some photos. I hate you, Jay.

Poor Chaz had his 3rd flat in 2 races
It's not unusual for me to take on a heavenly glow
Jay makes up ground after his 1st-lap flat
(l to r) Jay, Ricardo, Don, Don's 'nice ass'