Titus Rockstar Carbon 29er

Winding through the woods, the Smorgasborg tires hooked up on everything the trails threw at them – roots, rocks, dirt and gravel. I wasn’t setting a blazing pace, but that wasn’t the intent for me; after all, I had to do this for 6 solid hours! I was being passed by quite of the few more serious racers as well as the people that were racing the event as a 2 person relay team. It was probably about 3 miles into the course when things went sideways – literally.

Carbon Rockstar with 29″ wheels

At the rider’s briefing, they mentioned a descent that some may need to walk. Well, as we came to a descent, I saw someone take what looked like a clean line and decided to match it. Things got fast. Real Fast. Brakes couldn’t slow you down type fast. And then, with the wind roaring in my ears, that moment hit; That moment when you know you’re going to crash and there isn’t a single thing you can do about it except hope you don’t break something.

Titus Rockstar’s clever bashguard to protect the carbon downtube

Next thing I know, I’m pedaling up switchbacks with some pain in my face, a gashed up forearm, and an aching right side. Unlike me, the Rockstar had apparently taken the fall like a champ. No single mechanical issue came up and it climbed well as we continued towards the lap point. The steering was a bit slow in some of the tight switchbacks as I climbed out, but I never had to widen the trail or dab to make a corner. After a sketchy descent on gravel into the lap point, I had to decide whether to continue or not… and of course I decided to continue on, after asking someone I passed if I was bleeding much. Since they said I was just scratched up, it was time to tackle lap 2.

Rockstar’s SRAM X9 front hub