First race approaches

I'm registered for the Michaux Trail Cup Endurance Race that's going down this Sunday in PA. You could register for the 25, 50, 75 or 100 mile course. I opted for the 25 miler. I think I made the right decision. It's my first mountain bike race in a long time. Years. Five years. Half a decade ago. Based on the results from this race I will either stay a Cat 3 or bump myself up to Cat 2. We'll see. As of this morning there are ten guys racing in my category. I see their names on Bikereg but I don't know any of them. They could be speed-racers, they could be beginners, who knows. Part of the fun of racing is finding out just who you're up against when the tires start rolling. I know it will hurt, I know there will be a lot of climbing but I also know that it will be a lot of fun, and that's the whole point of racing, in my book anyway.

Aside from my physical condition, I'm only mildly concerned about my 1X9 set up. A 32T up front is the biggest ring I have. My only ring. If there are any long road sections I might be in trouble trying to keep up, or hopefully, stay ahead. ha! optimism! In the woods, I don't think it'll be a problem; I'm pretty zippy with this gearing set up.