Old Fashioned Butt-WISPing

By: Jordan

The look of happiness

As a general rule of thumb, I leave decisions to race epic mountain bike races in the rain and mud until the last minute.  This past weekend was no exception, making the decision to gear up for a trip to WISP mountain in western Maryland a day prior to the race.  Helping to nudge my decision to go in the 'yes' column was my buddy Weaver, who offered to drive, leaving me some extra time to relax in the passenger seat for once.  It was splendid!

The race itself was a blur of fast doubletrack descents and climbs, mixed with swooping, muddy, fun singletrack.  First-lap rain turned to mid-race sun and ended in last-lap peanut butter.  The ever-changing course conditions left us on our toes all day and made for some interesting mechanical situations.  But who doesn't love standing off course playing with their bike mid-race?!  Thanks to our fancy-schmancy new SRAM XX1 drivetrains though, I experienced little problems in the shifting department.  BAM, take that mud!  Also, my choice to role with the Anthem X Advanced 29 over my XTC hardtail proved fruitful over a 31+ mile course.

Through the attrition and mud, I emerged in second place, feeling lucky just to have made it through.  Yay me!  The courses at WISP are as challenging as they get, and I would definitely recommend heading out for the next one.  Now for a nap!