Karma? Series finale at Vultures Knob for the 2011 331Racing NEO Power Series. Came into the event placed 4th in the series, 2 points out of 3rd. Friday night while "tuning" my rig I was thinking about how the bike had treated me well this year. No flats or any mechanical issues to speak of this year despite the constant abuse I've put it through. Game on. Most of the first lap was ugly as I crashed twice and struggled. I finally got into the flow at the end of lap one and started to make up some time. At the halfway point of lap 2 my front end started to wash-out on the twisting singletrack. A perfect time for my first flat tire of the MTB race season. A quick fix and I was back chasing trying to make up lost time. With about 1.5 miles left in the race my left crank arm came loose and fell off the rig. The crank bolt backed off leaving the crank arm stuck on my left foot. Nice... Determined to finish, I shifted to a lower gear and pedaled in with one leg to the cheers and jeers of the crowd. I finished 4th and was able to salvage a 4th place in the series.
All in all, it was a good series. 331Racing does a great job with all their events and I made some improvements in my bike skills without serious injury or death. And, just like the annual cry of a Cleveland Indians fan...wait till next year???
