I had the exact same thing happen to me. Let too much pressure out of my tires thinking it was going to help me in the wetness but ended up consistently almost rolling them off the rim. Bummed but it was a fun race. I love that run up on the hill and the stair climb! What cat are you racing Joker? Bs?
Take your cassette off and run a single cog with spacers and a single chainring up front. A kit to do it shouldn't cost much and you can always turn it back into a gear bike afterwords.
Personally I think Dead Guy is completely over-rated. If it were me I'd go for the Shakespeare Stout, Chocolate stout, or double mocha porter if you're going dark. On the lighter end their brutal bitter or imperial IPA of you can get'em.
You can also get a normal bench bar and hold it behind your back with your arms hanging at normal length, hands facing forward, and twist backwards. It'll get you a good work and not ruin the bench bar.