Santa Cruz , Ca to the COOLEST 24 HR , COOL Ca. 5/2-3 /2009
My '09 Cool experience was incredible, I started out by blowing off registration making Jimmy Boy Northey good and ticked ......I waited until like weds before the race to even reach out to him- sweet huh? - it is a ploy I play with my stomach -I do not lead on that I'm racing so I can remain free of nerves during the weeks leading into a race. I think it is hereditary - cause I r'member my sis ,Jules gettin all nervous/ excited the night before our childhood Ski trips - yakin up all morning -damn near canceled some trips -til we realized she was just getting nervous and excited to the point of getting sick...anyhoo....Tina and Ely - my newest fan and temporary support crew member were unable to muster the enthusiasm for my athletic release. Tina watched the weather but assured me that by the time I managed to borrow a Truck(Thank you Amatelli) or van or anything that might make the journey to Cool -it would be clearing, it was, by 4am race day when I left Santa Cruz it was looking like it might clear but I could'nt really see because it was raining and really foggy. The ride went smooth and I made it to the soggy site at 8:30am to the now infamous gear and car shuffle. It was shortly after making my first trip from the Truck that I realized I had brought tent poles "B" for tent "A" -so I quickly improvised and made a leen tube using a nearby fence ,got my nutrition sorted while under the shelter -it would be a Cambell's soup day for sure - I ate oats while sorting my bikes and clothing all the while it was misting but looked ominous for sure. I was getting excited ...thinking it would clear for a tacky then super fast course but that clearing never really came until ,like tuesday . I started with Duct taped booties and gore tex shorts and a rain slicker of course - I was shocked at how few people were acustomed to riding in these conditions- there are things you learn while racing - I long ago learned to be prepared for all conditions ...so most times I'm luggin extra gear and clothing that never gets touched -not this time My mindset was that I could not stop long enough to cool off or I'd buckle - it worked for awhile and the legs felt great from the minute Northey hit the gun I grabbed the wheel of two team guys, local boys- let them get about fifty yards ahead so I did not have to deal with the tire sprey, Tinker came around on one of the downhill sectons just before the bogg- we stayed together long enough for me to want to pick my own lines - I stayed away from the caos behind and enjoyed the first 2 laps immensely but the rains kept on comin and my nutrition was not something I wanted to even deal with - luckily for me the 1/2 way pit had hot frickin chili so each lap thru I went for 2 cups - I was started to really grove and catch up on my nutrition when the brake pads started fading - the next 3 laps are a blur - I could see almost none of the downhills and if I was'nt draggin a foot to scrub speed on some of those downhills I'd be done. I knew that once the pads started to wear my time on the bike was limited - I had only 9 pads -with the help of Roger Lackey I was able to secure service each lap I needed it . I began to hose off each lap and hosed the bike as well.but not much worked with I Brought both my IF singles
Monday, May 11, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Old Peublo 09
The 10th running of the 24hrs in the Old Pueblo brought out some heavy
hitters in all solo divisions,despite some bone chilling temps the U>K
invasion kept it heated up. Ant White, UK #1 24hr guy was on hand - I had
enticed IF's Ian Leitch to make the journey for the early season test. Tinker
and Evan Plews were on hand as were Eric Tonkin, Kimo Seymour. The solo single
division was fairly loaded with Dejay Birtch , Il Freako from Chico, Dave
Harris,amongst other local stalwarts.
The course was just over 16 mils per lap, most of which drifts around the
desert winding through cactus and riverbeds with incredible mountain views on
all sides. The course has gone through some upgrades since I began racing here
-it now boasts over 85% singletrack.
Friday was a feeding frenzy as Ian grabbed me at the Phoenix Airport and We
made our way down to Oracle. We did a 1hr 12min lap so that Ian and Ant would
be familiar with the course and then began eating again. Our plan was to have
Ian's brother in law,Matt head up the pit but when I inquired how Matt might
find us amongst all the other Rv's and riders- Ian had no answer. Matt had no
directions ,had never been to America,never driven on the "right side" of the
road and no cell phone. I chuckled as Ian said that he had given Matt my cell
# as his sole contact to the event.About 10:30pm We begin to really worry
about Matt but food coma had set in and neither one of us wanted to bare the
chill to wander looking for him. 11pm or so the phone awakes us - It is Matt
and he is on sight -somehow- and of all camps to wonder into- he is chillin at
Tinker's camp warming by the fire as Rose warmed him some tea. Matt slurped
his tea quickly then quipped to Rose that Tinker would have to settle for the
minor placings this year as Ian was about to polish his ego with Tink's lycra-
he was quickly ushered to his rental car and sent down the hill to our RV.
All joking aside Matt was stellar come Saturday- he knew little about bikes
but kept us topped off with positive attitude, fluids and energy. The gods of
Flagstaff were
looking out for me when they sent Big Randy down without an entry- Randy and I
go way back and he beat me here last season but decided he wanted to wrench
this year and informed me he would be up all night and would take care of the
bike if anything happened.We were also joined in the pits by Ant White and his
sole pit Stephanie Vogel -they were clock work (Ant Does not really pit)and
Matt picked up secrets of the trade from them.
We stacked the front of the run and off we went with Ian leading the charge- I
stayed back with Tinker still in the top 20 or so, once I grabbed my bike and
swung a leg over I began to pedal and then i see a handlebar come up from
behind me -it hooks my ergon barend -next thing I know I'm swallowing dirt. I
pick myself up quickly only to see shoair colors underneath me- some duo rider
amped on test thinkin the first lap wins the race. My shoulder had popped and
my ribs hurt but I tried to find a zone and enjoy myself but it was not
happening,near the end of lap 2 I ended up in a cactus after over cooking a
riverbed. Matt and Leslie(Solo Ryan's Wife) plucked the thorns out of my arm
and leg - I used this stop to make my only chamios change of the race. I
suffered through until the night- my nutrition had slipped as I was focusing
on not being injured- I had not eaten and had barely drank- Matt forced water
down as I began to see the demons early. Once again the sugars in the sports
drinks wreaked havoc on my
system so I was relegated to water and handfuls of whole grain cheerios Matt
was pouring into my pockets . The latenight brought a calm for me- I
knew I was in last place (actually 20th) but the thought of not finishing made
me sick...as I had left Ely and Tina alone for the first time since his birth.
I pictured them and thought how worked my wife would be if I had gone all that
way to dnf.... I ate some cookies and some electolytes and never really stopped
again less the flat tire that Randy fixed for me sometime during the midnight
hour. My legs had come around and were feeling full- I broke out the ipod some
"bon Iver" and "brett Dennan" to forget all that had happened up to this
point. I made up my mind that the final 12hrs would be my race and I'd go as
hard as I could hoping someone or everyone would falter. I must have listened
to Zimmerman 's Idiot Wind 10 times- the song lays it down for ya - just ride
I thought and the smile reappeared on my face. My pace was quickening and the
fun was back - Matt had made a special Gulosh -it was nutella, mashed
banana,gu, peanut butter and oats- he was shoveling it in as I tried to drink
more water. I kept riding and not pitting for more then 30 seconds and I was
pulling people back, so Randy and Matt started giving me insight to other
riders and their postions- come sunlight they told me it was just me and
Dejay- I did not believe them but the emotions were fantastic- I had reeled
them in but more importantly for me was the way it was done - with a smile ,
no pressure, and no pitting.
hitters in all solo divisions,despite some bone chilling temps the U>K
invasion kept it heated up. Ant White, UK #1 24hr guy was on hand - I had
enticed IF's Ian Leitch to make the journey for the early season test. Tinker
and Evan Plews were on hand as were Eric Tonkin, Kimo Seymour. The solo single
division was fairly loaded with Dejay Birtch , Il Freako from Chico, Dave
Harris,amongst other local stalwarts.
The course was just over 16 mils per lap, most of which drifts around the
desert winding through cactus and riverbeds with incredible mountain views on
all sides. The course has gone through some upgrades since I began racing here
-it now boasts over 85% singletrack.
Friday was a feeding frenzy as Ian grabbed me at the Phoenix Airport and We
made our way down to Oracle. We did a 1hr 12min lap so that Ian and Ant would
be familiar with the course and then began eating again. Our plan was to have
Ian's brother in law,Matt head up the pit but when I inquired how Matt might
find us amongst all the other Rv's and riders- Ian had no answer. Matt had no
directions ,had never been to America,never driven on the "right side" of the
road and no cell phone. I chuckled as Ian said that he had given Matt my cell
# as his sole contact to the event.About 10:30pm We begin to really worry
about Matt but food coma had set in and neither one of us wanted to bare the
chill to wander looking for him. 11pm or so the phone awakes us - It is Matt
and he is on sight -somehow- and of all camps to wonder into- he is chillin at
Tinker's camp warming by the fire as Rose warmed him some tea. Matt slurped
his tea quickly then quipped to Rose that Tinker would have to settle for the
minor placings this year as Ian was about to polish his ego with Tink's lycra-
he was quickly ushered to his rental car and sent down the hill to our RV.
All joking aside Matt was stellar come Saturday- he knew little about bikes
but kept us topped off with positive attitude, fluids and energy. The gods of
Flagstaff were
looking out for me when they sent Big Randy down without an entry- Randy and I
go way back and he beat me here last season but decided he wanted to wrench
this year and informed me he would be up all night and would take care of the
bike if anything happened.We were also joined in the pits by Ant White and his
sole pit Stephanie Vogel -they were clock work (Ant Does not really pit)and
Matt picked up secrets of the trade from them.
We stacked the front of the run and off we went with Ian leading the charge- I
stayed back with Tinker still in the top 20 or so, once I grabbed my bike and
swung a leg over I began to pedal and then i see a handlebar come up from
behind me -it hooks my ergon barend -next thing I know I'm swallowing dirt. I
pick myself up quickly only to see shoair colors underneath me- some duo rider
amped on test thinkin the first lap wins the race. My shoulder had popped and
my ribs hurt but I tried to find a zone and enjoy myself but it was not
happening,near the end of lap 2 I ended up in a cactus after over cooking a
riverbed. Matt and Leslie(Solo Ryan's Wife) plucked the thorns out of my arm
and leg - I used this stop to make my only chamios change of the race. I
suffered through until the night- my nutrition had slipped as I was focusing
on not being injured- I had not eaten and had barely drank- Matt forced water
down as I began to see the demons early. Once again the sugars in the sports
drinks wreaked havoc on my
system so I was relegated to water and handfuls of whole grain cheerios Matt
was pouring into my pockets . The latenight brought a calm for me- I
knew I was in last place (actually 20th) but the thought of not finishing made
me sick...as I had left Ely and Tina alone for the first time since his birth.
I pictured them and thought how worked my wife would be if I had gone all that
way to dnf.... I ate some cookies and some electolytes and never really stopped
again less the flat tire that Randy fixed for me sometime during the midnight
hour. My legs had come around and were feeling full- I broke out the ipod some
"bon Iver" and "brett Dennan" to forget all that had happened up to this
point. I made up my mind that the final 12hrs would be my race and I'd go as
hard as I could hoping someone or everyone would falter. I must have listened
to Zimmerman 's Idiot Wind 10 times- the song lays it down for ya - just ride
I thought and the smile reappeared on my face. My pace was quickening and the
fun was back - Matt had made a special Gulosh -it was nutella, mashed
banana,gu, peanut butter and oats- he was shoveling it in as I tried to drink
more water. I kept riding and not pitting for more then 30 seconds and I was
pulling people back, so Randy and Matt started giving me insight to other
riders and their postions- come sunlight they told me it was just me and
Dejay- I did not believe them but the emotions were fantastic- I had reeled
them in but more importantly for me was the way it was done - with a smile ,
no pressure, and no pitting.
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