Race RECAP: Racer H @ 2022 Fort Custer Stampede

The number one challenge of any race is making it to the starting line;

a phrase often heard and in reality often hampered by a single bolt, rubber O-ring, a hydraulic system seal, an angry tire. In our current spoon-feeding TikTok generation of youths the idea of doing everything the hard way is still alive in Mountain biking; everything fails and this is what I fought Sunday morning 9:50A with a start time 10:04; the rear XR2 team issue on my Supercaliber 9.6 was over heat-cycled ; the sidewalls too degraded from racing the Sea Otter Classic Fuego 80km MTB in April.

The prior week had been spent re-learning Michigan Terrain/tree
dodging, setting up the new machine for a completely devoid of
elevation but extremely twisty and rooty technical surface with low
overhead clearance; very different from the granite / sandstone /
intense elevation with rough drops of Norcal. The Supercaliber 9.6 was
a race week purchase and had been setup last minute pillaging last
years race Scott Scale for its fork and running gear to avoid the need
to setup from 0; the 2021 Fox 32SC had seen 2000 miles of battle and
its time was up; the 32SC 2022 replacement unit had already been setup
locally the week before flying to Michigan. Training/setup testing
casualties include a pre-release carbon dropper; head to carbon damper
shaft glue failed and was last action hero replaced by Crank bros with
a Highline 7 unit so I could make the event.

Pre-race I had gone for a course surface feel out 5 minute ride with
the recommended 30psi minimal, 25%++ more what is required for a
Maxxis (Ardent, Aspen, Ikon, Rekon, forecaster), somehow debeaded
partially and now my Topeak pump was starting to not hold pressure.
The Bontrager tire doesn't like to seat as easily or as quickly as a
Maxxis or Schwable either; even with the large volume giant air
control tank used. Murphy's law states the first de-bead of the year
will be 10 minutes before start line will have to be fought with a
leaking pump and huge volume blast tank. It worked though;; scrambled
to make it to the correct start wave then proceeded to fight the next
2 hours and 1 minute regretting not getting a new set of tires or
fitting a rear maxxis aspen from the stash with less heat cycling; now
we know the XR2 is a one hit wonder raceday only compound;

recap; everything breaks on raceweek unless you buy a new bike
raceweek and deal with its setup issues.