Ramble Around Prattsburgh Race Report

This past Sunday Team Nice Tri descended upon the scenic town of Prattsburgh for the annual Ramble Around (appropriately enough) Prattsburgh.


Our Registered Dietician (Athena Visel) had asked us to join her for this race, and after making her promise not to injure herself, we agreed.  We had a total of six teammates on the course that day (which is pretty cool considering we're all triathletes and road racers).


I used my years of meteorology study and experience as a professional pilot and boldly made a prediction to the group that most of the rain would push through the area prior to the start of the event.  The cool thing about meteorology is it is one profession where it is acceptable to be wrong 70% of the time, and in keeping with those statistics, the rain began coming down in earnest just after the start of the race.


At first it was a light drizzle, but transitioned nicely into rain of Biblical proportions.  In fact, I'm fairly certain that I saw one of the locals building a small ark in his back yard.


The event starts out with a parade lap around town before ascending Route 53 out of the village.  Once the group hit the base of the hill, the race had clearly begun with the strongest riders flooring it to the top of the hill before turning right into some single track that was both beautiful and technical (at least for me).


I was really looking forward to the offroad portions of the race so that I could draw on my years of racing enduros and hare scrambles.  At the height of my career, I had earned the number one placing in the Vet Expert class in enduro racing, so tight and technical single track was like second nature to me.


Perhaps it's more accurate to say that it used to be second nature to me.  On our first descent, I used my patented move of gripping the handlebars as tightly as I could, locking my knees and elbows, and staring six inches in front of my front tire.  I also tried to gain extra leverage on my bucking and kicking steed by gripping my saddle as tightly as I could with my butt cheeks (which was no doubt made harder through a chamois and tights).  I opened my eyes again at the bottom of the hill and was cheered on by Suzanne Hartman of Geneva Bikes, and safely pulled back onto the pavement and headed on to the next section.


As the day wore on, I eventually got used to the traits of the narrow cyclocross tires and rigid frame and fork, and started having an absolute ball!  Every rider was soaked from head to toe, but it seemed as though everyone was all smiles as they pulled into the finish line.  Uphills, downhills, side hills, hills with rocks...the terrain was challenging and absolutely beautiful.  The leaves were out on the trees (not uncommon for May, but quite an achievement considering the weather we've been having) and the single track sections were absolutely gorgeous!


I have to say that of all of the races that I've done, this one ranks right up there as being one of the most scenic, enjoyable, and downright FUN times I've had on a bicycle!  Mark, Suzanne, Casey, Swarty and the whole gang did a great job of organizing and marking the event.  I'd like to sincerely thank them for their hard work and congratulate everyone that came out and enjoyed the day.


I'd like to say that I'll come back again next year and do a bit better, and hopefully that will indeed be the case.  But despite the rain and 50 degree temperatures, it will be very hard to top the amount of fun that was had at the 2011 Ramble Around Prattsburgh!

Dirty girls!

I truly felt human when I saw Chris Reel shivering.  That NEVER happens!