Hell of the North 2011!

The Hell of the North was anything but but hell. It's usually cold and oftentimes wet and muddy. This time it was warm and dry. As a matter of fact, Jacob and I were able to wear regular summer apparel. We both had our problems with the race. I had done this race twice before and told Jacob that you need to stay at the front at the beginning because the group will split and you want to be with the lead group. I started at the front and found myself in the back by the time we turned onto the dirt road. A group got away and I spent the rest of the race trying to catch them by myself. Jacob was actually in a good position entering the dirt road but he had a technical problem that I had never encountered before. The cable housing to his front brake somehow got dislodged backwards out of the braking apparatus causing tension on his front brake cable causing his brakes to essentially lock-up. He didn't understand why all of a sudden he seemed to be working harder to go slower until he braked with the front and realized that it was already stuck in a breaking position. He was able to loosen the brake cable a little but it was still rubbing for the entire race. He probably got a bigger work-out than anyone else out there. Needless to say we lost but it was enjoyable all the same.

The results are available here at USA cycling --> http://www.usacycling.org/results/?permit=2011-381

Thirteen people didn't finish, brutal! I personally saw about 5 people get pinch flats on the dirt section. I also saw about that many water bottles rattle off the cages.