Racing TUFA

E3Sports Performance Challenge Race Series @ Lor.Asrama.

Special permission was granted for today's race. ...my army days playgound... who could ever forget. Anyone who ever dug a foxhole and shellscrape during basic military training, its probably here. Was entertaining the nostalgic blood & sweat moments  when signing up for today's event... thought we would be romping through all the slopes in the forest which would certainly be TUFA's turf but that was not to be.

My Moonlander, The UnFair Advantage turns out to be unfairly disadvantaged actually...but all the wrongs did made something right in retrospect. Certainly not during the 3+ hours climbing, climbing and more climbing...@ 6.8psi. 12psi would have been better but I was just too lazy to pump it up...

The race route was all but loose hard gravel or roads broken down by the armored vehicles that ply this place in normal time... More climbs in 1 day than I probably do in a year of riding. My Navajo Rain Dance ritual probably missed a step or 2 the night before. For all my fervent asking, it didn't work... almost bone dry today in this wet season. Next time I'll remember to dab mud on the face first...


Virus and me holding the Fattie War Flag  ... among a sea of tricked out weenie carbon 29ers and other xc blings of the mtb world...

2 tattooed dudes with 2 oddballs. Attention? Oh ya, you bet...

These dudes are regulars at race scenes and look deadpan serious as usual.

One Moon to another:
"Hey dude whaddaya think is our chance of a podium"
"Pray they all flat on the pointy gravel. Pray brother. Pray"

We shrugged it off...Oh well we didn't even have clipless plus those squishies on hard loose gravels... Good luck to us.

6 years since I hung up my racing shoes... all the knowledge of when the cramps and sores will hit starting coming back by the third lap... My salt intake has always been low in the diet so for race-- popping salt tabs is a must. And a 1 min break here before attacking the next series of winding climbs, enough for a quick snap too....

Lap 4: Ok this don't happen everyday and certainly the last thing one expect to see during a race. But this is durian season afterall.  You do not refuse the Heavens when one of these spiky rolled out onto the path in front of you. You never say no to the King of Fruits.  What better food to load up on. Screw Power Gel .. not when Mother Nature provideth right on the race trail itself... Yea!

 Lap 5: Just after a bitch of a climb... Need a breather... This is the only "off-road" stretch in the race. The kind of terrain I was hoping for all the way but.... ;(

Lap 5: Onset of cramp feeling.. one last break needed and no place better than here. If there is a landmark to remember it would be Pt.265 and this banyan tree... its been here forever. Almost a quarter of a century ago-- countless mess tin lunches were consumed here flavored with "knock it down 50" in full battle order courtesy of drill seageants...

Guess it doesn't look all that serious...but I did time my breaks. No more than the usual for such racing were wasted

This is a small event, so in the Open Comp Cat everyone goes together, individuals to teams... my guestimate says there are about 60+ at the start line...

Considering all things, must say not too bad. 3hr+  8.9km x 5 loops. Forget podium but personally this is a a good comeback after a year of injury grinding it out under with the most unsuitable arrow in my quiver. Yup...looking forward to my next Pain Event... 2014 Sundown Ultramarathon.

I really like the casual atmosphere of the day too.. no big sponsor banners, loud MCs that chatter constantly and those accompanying blaring music that makes everything more carnival like.  Everyone just come, hit it, go all out to finish up the race.

Just waiting for the official placing/timing and photos to come now...

Post race aftermath...and wifey homemade banana pie...  calories replenishment.

Update.. oh that was fast
Below pics courtesy of SPIN Asia covering the event

Grill grill grill those calves.. 

The signature sh!t eating grin-Virus: No matter how grueling., you'll never catch him looking tired