Snake Creek Gap TT #2

With all the rain we had the week before this race, I knew it was going to be muddy.  On top of that, they were calling for a 50% chance of rain during the race.  We got lucky and it didn't rain during the race, but the course was definitely muddy.  The first half had the most mud, and some of the sections were pretty challenging.  I had heard the first creek crossing was going to be waist deep, but I was pleased to see it was ridable.  Oh, did I mention that I decided to do this race on my single speed?  This was my first race on a SS and I didn't know what to expect.  It was different to say the least.  It was challenging in spots (especially the climbs) and it was fun in others.  There were some places where I had to walk either due to the mud, because someone on a geared bike was going too slow in front of me, or because I wanted to save energy for later in the race.  I was glad to see that I was able to ride some of the rock sections that I walked in the first race.  Due to the mud and being on the SS, my goal was to at least maintain the time I did in January.  I was happy when I ended up beating my January time by almost 10 minutes with a 4:15.  In March I plan to take my geared bike, and I'm really hoping to get my time under 4 hours.  I'll have to work extra hard in February to try and make it happen.