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Sorry for taking so long to get this posted. I'm a little out of practice :-)
It has been a while since I have put a number on my bike. I had plans to do this sooner than now, but I was just not where I wanted to be. I have a lot of excuses as to why I had skipped all the other races this year, but in reality, that is exactly what they are....excuses. Some may be better than others, but I am the only one to blame for being where I am. I was signed up for the 80 mile route with the hopes of being ready for that when the time came. Well, as the rest of the year has been going, I was not ready for that. Instead of just not showing up, it was suggested to drop down to the 44 mile race and still ride. Thankfully Marc was kind enough to help me move.
I didn't really take care of myself leading up to the race and stayed out later than I should have the night before. I guess my heart was not really in to the race. I'm sure if anything would have hinted a good reason not to go, I would have just stayed home. Thankfully my wonderful wife said she would ride along with me. The drive up was not bad but I could have used more sleep. I went and picked up my stuff and took care of everything I could before heading back to the car. I didn't have a lot of time to mess around, so I tried to get all my stuff together quickly.
I watched the other races start and then it came time to line up. I felt a little lost since it had been a while and I was not there with any of my normal race buddies to make this time feel more normal. I looked around to say hi to those that I knew. Some more looked familiar, but sometimes I am not so good with names. Nerves were there a little, not because I was anxious about racing well, I was more worried about finishing.
Finally the horn blew and I had nothing left to do but ride. My plan was to not go too hard, but I wanted to try and find a group to ride with. After bouncing back and forth with a few different bigger groups that kept changing riders. I passed a couple riders crashed on the side of the road. It was easy to get in to trouble with it being harder to see what was coming. I felt like I was hanging around a few of the same riders so it seemed like this was my group.
It was fun riding with this group for a few miles. I was trying to not put in too much effort and still be able to hang. Going in and out of the gravel sections and the corners had me starting to feel like I was putting in more effort than I should. I had a few times that I let the group go and then they would slow down or something and I would find myself back with the group. Eventually I just had to really let them go. Legs were hurting a little and I still have several miles to go. I rode alone for a little while until another small group with the tandem rider came by and they helped pull me to the rest stop.
This stop was an eye opener. I went to get off the bike and the back of my legs were very tight. They didn't feel that bad on the bike, but I was really struggling to walk over and fill my bottle up. I had a couple cups of pickle juice and a little food before forcing myself back on the bike. Legs liked being back on the bike, but I could still tell they were very tight. A couple turns before the rest stop, my gps route said I was supposed to go through a field. It was not happy with me being off the route. I hoped it would find the route and pick back up, but I guess I got far enough off that it stopped tracking.
The next few miles I was just following the markings and I could see a rider on my screen just ahead of me that helped me feel good about heading the right way. I was thankful for someone having a Wahoo close to me. I was messing around with the screens and figured out how to re-load the route and it was back working again. For most of the rest of the route I would be riding alone. I would come up on a rider every now and then, but we would not stay together. I was wearing out and ready to be done. It was getting hotter and more uncomfortable. There was some crazy looking clouds and some stronger gusts of wind. I would not have minded to get rained on a little, but I didn't want a full on storm.
The rain never came and the dark clouds moved on. This last part of the route was pretty much a blur. The heat had me pretty cooked, the legs were wore out and I was just ready to be done. I had a couple riders gaining on me a few times, but I kept holding them off from catching me. The trail/fire lane type section helped since I rode that pretty well. I was looking forward to the paved sections since they look less energy to keep moving. Finally I could see the finish area on my map and knew I was getting close. I ended up passing a rider or two on the last road section before hitting the drag strip section and rolled it home.
I was cooked and remember being disappointed that I didn't have the energy to wheelie at the line. As I got closer I either hear my wife yell ride a wheelie or I hallucinated it, but next thing I knew I was pulling up trying to ride a wheelie. It was by far the worst one I have done at a finish line in a very long time. I was just thankful I didn't fall over. I ended up in 47th place. This put me in the front half. Better than I thought I would be, but much worse than I would like. I have a long way to go to get back to where I was only a couple years ago.
I got back to the car, cleaned up and did some re-hydrating. Did a quick spray off of my bike since the course was so dusty. Headed over to the tent to get a bite to eat and did some chatting with some friends that I don't see much. I wanted to hang out a lot longer and spend more time taking to people, but I was cooked and ready to hit the road. We made a quick stop at the Feed Store Beer Company to do some more re-hydrating. I have wanted to check this place out and could not drive by with out stopping. It was worth the stop and I plan on heading here again at some point.
I want to thank everyone who helped this weekend happen, it's been a tough 1 1/2 years for me. I need to thank my wonderful wife for driving with me, being my support for everything and not letting me back of out racing. ESI grips for sticking with me through the hard times. You are the best! Carborocket for helping my legs turning way past where they were capable. Honey Stinger for having some great tasting ride food to keep my stomach happy. Trucker Co for keeping my tires full of air and for brake pads that do their job with out complaining. Christopher Bean Coffee for some great tasting coffee to get me moving in the morning. Thanks for Marc and company for putting on a great event. I will be back next year and ready for a longer route.
#carborocket #halfevil333 #esigrips #hshive #truckercoposse #twinsix
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