yo Buck here one for ya- checkin in from the left coast, just rumble stripped
it home from yet another
solo24 effort at the coolest24hr race in Cool Ca. Jim Northeley puts on the
countries only non for profit event -everything goes to Cancer research -
everything except the ching he coughed up for the racers. I was breaking in a
new pit crew this weekend as I dragged my sweetheart of a wife with me (she
had no clue what she was getting into). We set up on friday with a killer spot
then headed out for some food and rest. We opted for the Holiday
inn ...'cause I knew one night in the cold tent would be enough and I needed
a stressfree night.We drank cheap whiskey and frolicked in the hot tub 'til
the 8 pm hour then hit the hey for 10hrs of shut eye-woke fresh as a daisy.
We made are way to the venue and had a relaxed morning as we watched all the
other solos tweak on their equipment and show the pit crew how they wanted
things- I chilled ,drank tea...lots of tea and used my frequent trips to the
woods to water the flowers as my warm up. I was planning on sustaining on
Goji berries and muscle milk just like Old Pueblo-ooops I did 'nt write about
that one 'cause they missed my 2nd lap and demoralised me from wanting to
share my misery-anyhooo the combo kept me going in az for 16 hours before I
needed to be force fed soup. My wife had other ideas and had the tent stacked
with nutterbutters and cheese its. She kept me steady during the 6to 8 hour
mark when I fade because I went out like a jackrabbit in heat-just cant help
it...it is just too fun pushin my rigid Indie 9ers for that fast lap...this
race I got it- 48 minute 10.9 mile lap but then managed to do 17 or so more
until my hootspa kicked out and I did not want to ride my bike no more....
ya see
during my fade-however brief I managed to explain to my wife why I felt so
shitty after just 6 hours..I had just been passed by a prepubescent on a
singlespeed and to my fright he had a solo bib on....I was crushed...turned
out he was 17 and kicked mine and Roger's ars winning the ss category and
taking home a large allowance to be spent in the cafeteria at jr high next
week-ouch. GEEEZ I spent the night wondering how many more times I could
really do this knowing there are kids like that looming over my fitness and
mental stability ready to pounce -really nade me debate the vet class thats
for sure.my legs actually felt great thruoghout the night into the early
morning and my only stop was for a battery swap...no sleep ,no rest- I did
start in on the nutter butters at 'bout 3am and they sustained me thru til
the sun rose. We (meaning the top 3) had been racing for 18hrs swapping spots
and challening pit stops but no one really knew where they stood ....there
were no results to be found until about 9am or so but we the riders knew ....
I finished early as I decided to save something for Laguna seca 24hr solo
effort in 2.5 weeks....I had a bag on 3rd and could not catch the 2 home town
heroes in their backyard so I had a barly pop and began the ugly process of
cracking down the site and loading the car while fully redlined and on the
verge of detonating.when the dust settled I finished 3rd in the ss class and
5th in the overall solo cat. I gotta throw a huge thanks out to Independent
Fabrication and Iron at Cyto for keepin me rollin thru .
Monday, May 12, 2008
2007 24hr Worlds -Laguna Seca
To truly understand my Worlds experience we need to back up to sunday night 5
days
before the start when I was climbing on my IF ss thru the local trails. A
brief look down to check something turned out to be a major mistake as an out
of control DH rider with full face helmet and body Armour clocks me head on
doing about 40mph. All I can rememeber is a greyish blue blur entering my
world...next thing I know I'm squirming on the ground 15ft from my bike trying
to catch my breathe. I look down and see blood spitting out of my right shin,
my left thumb is loosely hanging back toward my wrist and my chest really
hurt. I quickly realized I had been hit...I grabbed my thumb and put it back
in it's socket before the real pain set in. Meanwhile the other guy is asking
me if I need medical help- I was not going to hang around and find out so I
grabbed my leg and tried to asses the situation but the blood loss was intense
and it hurt too much to touch - I quickly told him to asses my bike 'cause I
needed to get home before the shock wore off. I made a turnakit -but looked at
my bike thinking it would be twisted...turns out the tire blew off the rim and
the tube never even blew,So I rolled the tire back on straightened the bars
and rolled down the hill to go home. That night after convincing myself and my
wife that I would be fine, I tried cleaning the wound only to find that it was
over an inch wide but had stopped bleeding. A trip to the doc in a box was
inevitable so I awoke early and rode over to the walk-in. 15 stitches and a
questionably broken sternum bone ( i would not let them take an x-ray for fear
of knowing the truth)I left after the Dr. told me how lucky I was for just
missing the muscle and bone (nearly impossible to do in that region of the
leg) I felt that was enough of a "green light" to pursue my challenge of racing
in 5 days, .The rest of the week was spent trying to convince Docs., family and
friends that I could still pull off a good finish. Ian arrived from England on
weds, and was having nothing to do with the injury-just would have nothing of
it...so We prerode the course on thursday,despite some pain and stinging I
thought I could manage the pain enough to finish.
Race day came and my lead up was descent despite the injuries - the run
set off and I felt good finishing the run in the top 20 with Ian just in front
of me and Hendershot next to me. The first lap was fun getting heckled by
Steve Schwarz as I led him thru the twisty singletrack. The course was super
exposed and dry..but flowed pretty well. It did however contain about 3000
feet of exposed steep climbs on loose gravel roads. I was trying to warm up
but realized my body was not feeling that good -fatigue. I think the blow
caused extreme trauma to my body and I was still very bruised and tender. My
breathing was short and restless-not good signs early on but I had been thru
this before -sometimes the legs get better at about the 7hr mark- I thought
just hang in and the legs will come around. I was running 1 hr 20min laps for
awhile but felt empty with no quad power.
I was heading out for what I think was my 4th lap - going over the bridge
and down the stairs toward the first climb- as I got to the stair case and
start rolling down - a Flash enters my eye-it is a team rider coming up the
wrong side of the bridge with his bike sideways...I smack into him with his
pedal or handlebar ripping into my shin where the stitches were, I hit the
ground and begin to cramp. The kid continued on his like nothing happened
despite the next solo rider having to bail mid staircase as well- I struggle
over to the med tent to get treated....my elbow was now cut and my hips were
twisted and I felt like my wound was opened-just then the 1st Drs. comments
rang loud through my narrow mind"Just don't rip these stitches open because we
cannot put new ones in and certainly do not tear the inner 6 stitches or
you'll be done, possibly forever!!!" needless to say medical personel at the
tent were a tad shocked to see that I had been riding with stitches and
several wounds, I insisted I just needed them to crack my back and put the
power back into my legs...they were insistent about pulling the gravel out of
my wounds but I soon convinced them to adjust my back and hips and I swung
the leg back over the top tube to go out for another lap.
I churned another lap but had crushed my shifter in the collision and had
shifting issues for a lap before Casey could dial it in while I adjusted my
attitude from competitive to survival.
when the stomach got rocky at midnight I lost all my dinner on the course
while climbing up into the camping area -there must have been 15-20 people
watching me and cheering me thru some soul searching moments...but they
cheered even louder when I hoped back on and rode the final climb.I need to
refuel but could not hold anything down until 4am so I decided to pack it and
help Ian ,who was finding his legs and
having fun. I supported Ian thru the wee hours of the morning as the demons
entered his World I was there to show them the exit and keep him rockin. Once
the temps started rising and I was able to hold down some broth I decided to
get my ars out there for some more laps. Those last two laps of the race
salvaged the weekend for me as far as enjoyment go....I just let it rip and
tried to enjoy it all.
Worlds was my 6th 24hr finish of the season 5 of which were solo on top of
2 100 milers and 2 12 hr events - A break is severely needed before the 100
mile invite ride/race thru tahoo(next years west coast NUE 100 mile course)
and the trip to Belize for the 7day stage race.
Thanks to Independent Fabrication and Cytomax for the unparalleled support
not too mention,Tina & Casey for the mechanics and support- you guys rule
days
before the start when I was climbing on my IF ss thru the local trails. A
brief look down to check something turned out to be a major mistake as an out
of control DH rider with full face helmet and body Armour clocks me head on
doing about 40mph. All I can rememeber is a greyish blue blur entering my
world...next thing I know I'm squirming on the ground 15ft from my bike trying
to catch my breathe. I look down and see blood spitting out of my right shin,
my left thumb is loosely hanging back toward my wrist and my chest really
hurt. I quickly realized I had been hit...I grabbed my thumb and put it back
in it's socket before the real pain set in. Meanwhile the other guy is asking
me if I need medical help- I was not going to hang around and find out so I
grabbed my leg and tried to asses the situation but the blood loss was intense
and it hurt too much to touch - I quickly told him to asses my bike 'cause I
needed to get home before the shock wore off. I made a turnakit -but looked at
my bike thinking it would be twisted...turns out the tire blew off the rim and
the tube never even blew,So I rolled the tire back on straightened the bars
and rolled down the hill to go home. That night after convincing myself and my
wife that I would be fine, I tried cleaning the wound only to find that it was
over an inch wide but had stopped bleeding. A trip to the doc in a box was
inevitable so I awoke early and rode over to the walk-in. 15 stitches and a
questionably broken sternum bone ( i would not let them take an x-ray for fear
of knowing the truth)I left after the Dr. told me how lucky I was for just
missing the muscle and bone (nearly impossible to do in that region of the
leg) I felt that was enough of a "green light" to pursue my challenge of racing
in 5 days, .The rest of the week was spent trying to convince Docs., family and
friends that I could still pull off a good finish. Ian arrived from England on
weds, and was having nothing to do with the injury-just would have nothing of
it...so We prerode the course on thursday,despite some pain and stinging I
thought I could manage the pain enough to finish.
Race day came and my lead up was descent despite the injuries - the run
set off and I felt good finishing the run in the top 20 with Ian just in front
of me and Hendershot next to me. The first lap was fun getting heckled by
Steve Schwarz as I led him thru the twisty singletrack. The course was super
exposed and dry..but flowed pretty well. It did however contain about 3000
feet of exposed steep climbs on loose gravel roads. I was trying to warm up
but realized my body was not feeling that good -fatigue. I think the blow
caused extreme trauma to my body and I was still very bruised and tender. My
breathing was short and restless-not good signs early on but I had been thru
this before -sometimes the legs get better at about the 7hr mark- I thought
just hang in and the legs will come around. I was running 1 hr 20min laps for
awhile but felt empty with no quad power.
I was heading out for what I think was my 4th lap - going over the bridge
and down the stairs toward the first climb- as I got to the stair case and
start rolling down - a Flash enters my eye-it is a team rider coming up the
wrong side of the bridge with his bike sideways...I smack into him with his
pedal or handlebar ripping into my shin where the stitches were, I hit the
ground and begin to cramp. The kid continued on his like nothing happened
despite the next solo rider having to bail mid staircase as well- I struggle
over to the med tent to get treated....my elbow was now cut and my hips were
twisted and I felt like my wound was opened-just then the 1st Drs. comments
rang loud through my narrow mind"Just don't rip these stitches open because we
cannot put new ones in and certainly do not tear the inner 6 stitches or
you'll be done, possibly forever!!!" needless to say medical personel at the
tent were a tad shocked to see that I had been riding with stitches and
several wounds, I insisted I just needed them to crack my back and put the
power back into my legs...they were insistent about pulling the gravel out of
my wounds but I soon convinced them to adjust my back and hips and I swung
the leg back over the top tube to go out for another lap.
I churned another lap but had crushed my shifter in the collision and had
shifting issues for a lap before Casey could dial it in while I adjusted my
attitude from competitive to survival.
when the stomach got rocky at midnight I lost all my dinner on the course
while climbing up into the camping area -there must have been 15-20 people
watching me and cheering me thru some soul searching moments...but they
cheered even louder when I hoped back on and rode the final climb.I need to
refuel but could not hold anything down until 4am so I decided to pack it and
help Ian ,who was finding his legs and
having fun. I supported Ian thru the wee hours of the morning as the demons
entered his World I was there to show them the exit and keep him rockin. Once
the temps started rising and I was able to hold down some broth I decided to
get my ars out there for some more laps. Those last two laps of the race
salvaged the weekend for me as far as enjoyment go....I just let it rip and
tried to enjoy it all.
Worlds was my 6th 24hr finish of the season 5 of which were solo on top of
2 100 milers and 2 12 hr events - A break is severely needed before the 100
mile invite ride/race thru tahoo(next years west coast NUE 100 mile course)
and the trip to Belize for the 7day stage race.
Thanks to Independent Fabrication and Cytomax for the unparalleled support
not too mention,Tina & Casey for the mechanics and support- you guys rule
2008 Old Pueblo Solo Single
My annual pilgrimage to Tucson Az. for the 8th running of the 24hrs of Old
Pueblo began with a series of events that signify my luck.While packing
furiously thursday night I lost my uncharged phone (those of you that were on
it need to call me so that I can build my contact list again). I talked myself
into believing it was not that big of a deal....but I would have no way of
reaching my mechanic /sponsor/ cook/support crew- Bryce from www.Azbikes.com .
Upon my arrival into Pheonix ..the pilot gave us his rendition of the local forcast calling for showers and cooler temps. I had packed for such a weekend when I got 2 text messages on weds and thursday morning ...one said bring lots of chamios and a jacket......the other from Deejay got a little more detailed explaining that is was currently 28 degrees in downtown Tucson-nutz.
As I began wandering Pheonix airport looking for either my bike or my bag.....not yet knowing how I would hook up with Bryce...then I hear ...hey Sully....and I look to my left and there with a faint halo over is head is Brian Riepe,one of the flagstaffians that usually supports my efforts in Tucson. All nervousness left ...it turns out Brian had just returned from riding through Argentina for a month. He had no cell phone but his father Dennis was nice enough to save my arz by lending me his phone. I thought I had Bryce's # memorized but as soon as I began to dial it ....Brian whipped out this mangled piece of paper with 4 names and numbers on it..looked like he had it packed in his chamios for the whole trip but nonetheless one of the 4 numbers on that list was Bryce's.....and I was hooked.. I called expecting to find Bryce still in bed in Flag but to my suprise he was sitting in the truck 40 ft away loaded with his tricked out moto 450(thought this was a peddlin race)...and we were off.
IT rained and then began to snow when we arrived at the campsite...the boys from Flag had been there for days but had been unable to do anything but drink hot totties,eat and watch the dogs frolic while trying to clean the tech section on the 150(which was not well received by the management or fellow preriders..??? )
We were located just off the course ..so I was able to set up my solo area there and had a whole camp full of potential support..they all came thru in a huge way from the heated tent to the meatballs at 11pm .
My nutritional plan unraveled when I awoke for breakfast at 4-5am saturday to find 3inches of snow on the ground and the inside of my tent was soaked....my only saving grace was my new 0degree bag ..the morning was miserable...too cold to do anything productive other then drink tea until the weather turned ..and thankfully it did and the course was superb.....80-90% singletrack and about as fun as it gets..kudos to epicrides for knowing the real deal.
I rode smart until 4am using minimal energy- I alternated drinking cyto/fast twitch and muscle milk all the while convincing myself that is was just training . It worked well as I had no nerves and no vomiting until the last 4 laps when I was actually going for it. I had good power all race due to the fact that I listened to my body and my friends ..who have all been telling me for 10yrs that I go out way too hard.
I had my shares of challenges during the race having blown my stan'd tire off the rim on one ocasion and kicking some cacti..in passing but the whole race had a calmness to it for me ,I had no desire to listen to the ipod ,I was smilin the whole race..and singing making up my own rendition of a an old queen tune...I love to ride my Indy fab..I love to ride my bicycle blah blah...I actually had fun for 22 hours and only entered the pain cave during my second to last lap -I hit the wall and began to vomit..I pulled off at the pit just before the finish line at 11:45am - Bryce had 2 cokes and reminded me that I had been sour about not doing the final lap last year to solidify a podium spot ...he was not letting me stop...I knew what needed to be done...he had been telling me I had a chance at the podium -but the computers were messed -they had me in 9th in the geared div. but I was ridin the IF ss9er. I knew I had been moving faster then most team riders and there was no way I was in 9th-anyhoo I knew I needed to do that last lap and with the encouragement of everyone standing at the finish line waiting for the noon hour to finally approach I went out for another...it was my 16th I thought only to be reduced to 14 until Todd and Sean got it figured out minutes before the podium presentation. I probably should have stayed geared as I would have finished 2nd or sumthin...but it turns out 4th in the ss class,1st Rigid(not that anyone keeps track). The singlespeed class showed up some geared comp finishing equal laps with the top 4 ss riders solidly within the top 8 overall.
Many huge thanks to my support crew from Flagstaff... and to Iron from Cytomax who turned me on to fast twitch for this race-huge difference.Thanks to The Spokesman bicycle shop and Thanks to Marty from Cliffbar for the support and extra lights(which Bryce stll has btw)and a huge thanks to Tyler Joe Lloyd ,Matty B and the whole IF crew.
Pueblo began with a series of events that signify my luck.While packing
furiously thursday night I lost my uncharged phone (those of you that were on
it need to call me so that I can build my contact list again). I talked myself
into believing it was not that big of a deal....but I would have no way of
reaching my mechanic /sponsor/ cook/support crew- Bryce from www.Azbikes.com .
Upon my arrival into Pheonix ..the pilot gave us his rendition of the local forcast calling for showers and cooler temps. I had packed for such a weekend when I got 2 text messages on weds and thursday morning ...one said bring lots of chamios and a jacket......the other from Deejay got a little more detailed explaining that is was currently 28 degrees in downtown Tucson-nutz.
As I began wandering Pheonix airport looking for either my bike or my bag.....not yet knowing how I would hook up with Bryce...then I hear ...hey Sully....and I look to my left and there with a faint halo over is head is Brian Riepe,one of the flagstaffians that usually supports my efforts in Tucson. All nervousness left ...it turns out Brian had just returned from riding through Argentina for a month. He had no cell phone but his father Dennis was nice enough to save my arz by lending me his phone. I thought I had Bryce's # memorized but as soon as I began to dial it ....Brian whipped out this mangled piece of paper with 4 names and numbers on it..looked like he had it packed in his chamios for the whole trip but nonetheless one of the 4 numbers on that list was Bryce's.....and I was hooked.. I called expecting to find Bryce still in bed in Flag but to my suprise he was sitting in the truck 40 ft away loaded with his tricked out moto 450(thought this was a peddlin race)...and we were off.
IT rained and then began to snow when we arrived at the campsite...the boys from Flag had been there for days but had been unable to do anything but drink hot totties,eat and watch the dogs frolic while trying to clean the tech section on the 150(which was not well received by the management or fellow preriders..??? )
We were located just off the course ..so I was able to set up my solo area there and had a whole camp full of potential support..they all came thru in a huge way from the heated tent to the meatballs at 11pm .
My nutritional plan unraveled when I awoke for breakfast at 4-5am saturday to find 3inches of snow on the ground and the inside of my tent was soaked....my only saving grace was my new 0degree bag ..the morning was miserable...too cold to do anything productive other then drink tea until the weather turned ..and thankfully it did and the course was superb.....80-90% singletrack and about as fun as it gets..kudos to epicrides for knowing the real deal.
I rode smart until 4am using minimal energy- I alternated drinking cyto/fast twitch and muscle milk all the while convincing myself that is was just training . It worked well as I had no nerves and no vomiting until the last 4 laps when I was actually going for it. I had good power all race due to the fact that I listened to my body and my friends ..who have all been telling me for 10yrs that I go out way too hard.
I had my shares of challenges during the race having blown my stan'd tire off the rim on one ocasion and kicking some cacti..in passing but the whole race had a calmness to it for me ,I had no desire to listen to the ipod ,I was smilin the whole race..and singing making up my own rendition of a an old queen tune...I love to ride my Indy fab..I love to ride my bicycle blah blah...I actually had fun for 22 hours and only entered the pain cave during my second to last lap -I hit the wall and began to vomit..I pulled off at the pit just before the finish line at 11:45am - Bryce had 2 cokes and reminded me that I had been sour about not doing the final lap last year to solidify a podium spot ...he was not letting me stop...I knew what needed to be done...he had been telling me I had a chance at the podium -but the computers were messed -they had me in 9th in the geared div. but I was ridin the IF ss9er. I knew I had been moving faster then most team riders and there was no way I was in 9th-anyhoo I knew I needed to do that last lap and with the encouragement of everyone standing at the finish line waiting for the noon hour to finally approach I went out for another...it was my 16th I thought only to be reduced to 14 until Todd and Sean got it figured out minutes before the podium presentation. I probably should have stayed geared as I would have finished 2nd or sumthin...but it turns out 4th in the ss class,1st Rigid(not that anyone keeps track). The singlespeed class showed up some geared comp finishing equal laps with the top 4 ss riders solidly within the top 8 overall.
Many huge thanks to my support crew from Flagstaff... and to Iron from Cytomax who turned me on to fast twitch for this race-huge difference.Thanks to The Spokesman bicycle shop and Thanks to Marty from Cliffbar for the support and extra lights(which Bryce stll has btw)and a huge thanks to Tyler Joe Lloyd ,Matty B and the whole IF crew.
2008 Coolest24hr Solo Single
The Coolest 24hr race is a special event ...Jim Northey the director and event
creator donates all proceeds to cancer research-this year it totaled out near
50,000.Despite being held on the same weekend as the adrenalin race 30mins
from home I loaded my lovely pregnant wife into the rig and drove toward Tahoe
to Cool,Ca. I knew the competition would be heavy in the Solo Singlespeed
division mainly because my main 2 rivals in the state lived there ...Roger
Lackey and the kid..Dezmin Wilder 19yr old studd...I think I'm older then his
father who times each lap from the meticulously laid out pit.
We started well with Roger, Dez and myself taking to
the front with the lead geared rider breaking the wind. The course was fast
and dusty-meaning you had to be right on someone's wheel or 300 yards back so
the dust could move on before you rode thru it.We all came thru within 30
seconds of one another in sub hour laps with dust covered bodies and faces. It
was during my first couple of laps that I felt topped out on my 32x18 -I was
being thrown around and bumped from my smp saddle,the legs were feeling great
but I was all over the gear; on all the climbs I would cruise thru the geared
and team riders only to be brought back on the flatter sections- there was no
power stroke for me and that is my style - I'd prefer to be a bit behind the gear.
Despite using the new ERgon grips (which have completely changed my riding and
downhill speed they are for me-sooo comfy)-props for bringing them on
board...if you have not tried them ..DO...then you might even take that heavy
suspension fork off and ride the IF no travel-the most responsive fork on the
market..oops sorry;by the days end I was steering through the rocks and rivers
with my mind and a quick flick of the wrist...this course was super fast and I
was seeing 61k on my cateye just before this big left turn into a fast sniper
laiden turny section with many flat rocks curiously placed. By lap 6 My back
and shoulders began to scream as I was thrown about the course dodging the
sniper rocks hidden under the dutsy singletrack.
....I debated a wheel switch to grab a 17 on the rear but
decided to leave it alone for fear of overcooking it too early. I set out with
a relaxed and consistent pace about an 1hr 10mins each lap- but the heat and
sugar soon paid it's toll.The lap times were consistent until I fell ill in
the gut and began loosing all nutrition while trying to remain riding -puking
and pedaling has become an art for me. Once I was purged I thought I could
step it up so I tried to pick up the pace but had no calories in me ...so I
had to hop off and begin refueling...I took a 1/2hr to refuel which brought me
over the 2hr mark on one lap!!-never a good thing when you are trying to stay
on the lead lap- I fell to like 13th place...but I kept telling myself I'd get
them later into the night...my night laps hurt less as the pace slowed to
match my gearing -also not a good thing but I felt a lot more comfortable and
was only puking when I tried sports food...So I began inhaling water and
stayed with water for 16hrs not an once of anything else would remain in my
stomach....I stayed calm hoping others would be having the same or similar
issues-not that I wish ill will but these things tend to happen to a couple of
competitive riders each race. Roger was the first to go ...I had heard from
Dez as we climbed together that Roger was getting sick ...but I had my hands
full with 2 other riders that were see sawing with me...3rd thru 8th were all
within 15 minutes.
My legs never waivered....but the stomach ruined my day as I spent a
good portion of the climbs loosing whatever food was left...I had to save what
was left for some fast morning laps....I never really had any doubts of
finishing which is odd but the doubts of being competitive were reeking havoc
on me....I wanted a good showing and to place higher then the 3rd place I got
last year because I had tremendous support this year from the Domer and his
wife Weston not to mention my wife(Tina) who actually was up massaging me at
4am while her friend Lindsey doctored a grilled cheese ..my morning laps
were tremendous and back well under 1.5 hours but I had given 2 guys way too
much room ahead of me and 3 guys around me hope. Dez rode away with the race
and probably the overall on his 34x19 gearing- a gear I had played a lot with
leading into the event...me I was left to fight for 3rd thru 8th and finished
my last lap in 1hr 9mins- a pissed 4th
After looking at my times it is apparent the stop at night
to massage my neck ,shoulders and back (albeit necessary) cost me deeply-what
else is new - but with the others not pitting- those differences provided them
with gaps. I also could not find the love that I found at Old Pueblo earlier
in the year...I could not find the right song to sing and my stomach really
prevented me from having too much fun-which is critical for me to win one of
these solo events- 195 miles 16 laps
for now I have to wallow painfully over this one until the saddle sores
and callouses subside and my time comes again.
creator donates all proceeds to cancer research-this year it totaled out near
50,000.Despite being held on the same weekend as the adrenalin race 30mins
from home I loaded my lovely pregnant wife into the rig and drove toward Tahoe
to Cool,Ca. I knew the competition would be heavy in the Solo Singlespeed
division mainly because my main 2 rivals in the state lived there ...Roger
Lackey and the kid..Dezmin Wilder 19yr old studd...I think I'm older then his
father who times each lap from the meticulously laid out pit.
We started well with Roger, Dez and myself taking to
the front with the lead geared rider breaking the wind. The course was fast
and dusty-meaning you had to be right on someone's wheel or 300 yards back so
the dust could move on before you rode thru it.We all came thru within 30
seconds of one another in sub hour laps with dust covered bodies and faces. It
was during my first couple of laps that I felt topped out on my 32x18 -I was
being thrown around and bumped from my smp saddle,the legs were feeling great
but I was all over the gear; on all the climbs I would cruise thru the geared
and team riders only to be brought back on the flatter sections- there was no
power stroke for me and that is my style - I'd prefer to be a bit behind the gear.
Despite using the new ERgon grips (which have completely changed my riding and
downhill speed they are for me-sooo comfy)-props for bringing them on
board...if you have not tried them ..DO...then you might even take that heavy
suspension fork off and ride the IF no travel-the most responsive fork on the
market..oops sorry;by the days end I was steering through the rocks and rivers
with my mind and a quick flick of the wrist...this course was super fast and I
was seeing 61k on my cateye just before this big left turn into a fast sniper
laiden turny section with many flat rocks curiously placed. By lap 6 My back
and shoulders began to scream as I was thrown about the course dodging the
sniper rocks hidden under the dutsy singletrack.
....I debated a wheel switch to grab a 17 on the rear but
decided to leave it alone for fear of overcooking it too early. I set out with
a relaxed and consistent pace about an 1hr 10mins each lap- but the heat and
sugar soon paid it's toll.The lap times were consistent until I fell ill in
the gut and began loosing all nutrition while trying to remain riding -puking
and pedaling has become an art for me. Once I was purged I thought I could
step it up so I tried to pick up the pace but had no calories in me ...so I
had to hop off and begin refueling...I took a 1/2hr to refuel which brought me
over the 2hr mark on one lap!!-never a good thing when you are trying to stay
on the lead lap- I fell to like 13th place...but I kept telling myself I'd get
them later into the night...my night laps hurt less as the pace slowed to
match my gearing -also not a good thing but I felt a lot more comfortable and
was only puking when I tried sports food...So I began inhaling water and
stayed with water for 16hrs not an once of anything else would remain in my
stomach....I stayed calm hoping others would be having the same or similar
issues-not that I wish ill will but these things tend to happen to a couple of
competitive riders each race. Roger was the first to go ...I had heard from
Dez as we climbed together that Roger was getting sick ...but I had my hands
full with 2 other riders that were see sawing with me...3rd thru 8th were all
within 15 minutes.
My legs never waivered....but the stomach ruined my day as I spent a
good portion of the climbs loosing whatever food was left...I had to save what
was left for some fast morning laps....I never really had any doubts of
finishing which is odd but the doubts of being competitive were reeking havoc
on me....I wanted a good showing and to place higher then the 3rd place I got
last year because I had tremendous support this year from the Domer and his
wife Weston not to mention my wife(Tina) who actually was up massaging me at
4am while her friend Lindsey doctored a grilled cheese ..my morning laps
were tremendous and back well under 1.5 hours but I had given 2 guys way too
much room ahead of me and 3 guys around me hope. Dez rode away with the race
and probably the overall on his 34x19 gearing- a gear I had played a lot with
leading into the event...me I was left to fight for 3rd thru 8th and finished
my last lap in 1hr 9mins- a pissed 4th
After looking at my times it is apparent the stop at night
to massage my neck ,shoulders and back (albeit necessary) cost me deeply-what
else is new - but with the others not pitting- those differences provided them
with gaps. I also could not find the love that I found at Old Pueblo earlier
in the year...I could not find the right song to sing and my stomach really
prevented me from having too much fun-which is critical for me to win one of
these solo events- 195 miles 16 laps
for now I have to wallow painfully over this one until the saddle sores
and callouses subside and my time comes again.
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