The cheering faded into the background quickly as we started out of town and up the first of many climbs that combine to equal the 10,800 ft of climbing one endures throughout the two laps on this course. I was feeling good up the first climb and knew what to expect due to the pre-ride the week before. As the trail narrows and kicks up even higher I realize that the 32x19 I usually ride and thought was fine for this course, may be a bit tall due to all the congestion and inability to keep any momentum through the sea of slow geared riders spinning in a gear your grandmother would find comfortable. It would have been much better to start in one of the first groups instead of starting in the thick of things but such is racing SS. One day race organizers will wake up and recognize.
The first lap was a bit more hectic than expected and passing was incredibly difficult. The main hike a bike was really congested and slow and I would find myself chatting it up with people in my class and not in my class. Most 29er SS riders were riding a 32x20 and it showed in certain sections. One new experience for me came about halfway through the first lap after an EXTREMELY dusty section and during a downhill. My eyes were burning and when I blinked, the effect was similar to turning on the wipers after light rain hits a dirty windshield. I lost 50% of my vision as my dust coated contacts were covered with a layer of of smeared dirt but I continued to ride and soon got my vision semi clear. This was going to happen a couple more times but I learned to half blink quickly to lessen the effect.
The downhills were slow as many riders were gripped through the technical descents. I was a little frustrated because I find descents to be the fun part and also a place you can hammer by slower riders but that's racing and there were actually a couple cool scenes on the downhills that stuck with me. One was a guy racing for some team in white and orange kit that was sponsored by Schwalbe tires. That was all I saw as he took a left side super sketchy line past a stretch of people on a very loose downhill. He was barely in control and the pass was really dangerous but damn it was a sweet move! He started yelling like a Celtic warrior by the last quarter of the DH knowing that he was just a rock away from disaster. One of the Tokyo Joe women was an exception to the slow descenders as she hammered down one of the major downhills in front of me better than most of the men. It was refreshing to have a competent descender lead the way.
At the half way point/starting line, I had to stop and try to eat solid food as I had been unable to take in anything but gels and Enervintene. I quickly find our cooler due to Jessica's smart idea of marking it with caution tape and slam a gel, another enervintene, and a most of a powerbar. I wash it down with a redbull and head out. I crossed around 2:28 and spent a couple minutes trying to eat and rehydrate properly. Water and gatorade was available at each aid station as well as cliff blocks which I normally like but they were tough to get down on this day. I actually contemplated taking a shot of whiskey a couple miles into lap two from a guy who was setup on the road climb out of town. He had whiskey shots and canned beers for riders, funny shit. I had to stop heading up the hill as I hear my rear brake rubbing so I open the QR and adjust the wheel. It seemed to work. The second lap was better and I started catching some of the lower geared SSers by the halfway point. The course made it tough though and after the final descent I realize that even though I made a few passes in my class, there were several SSers a couple minutes ahead of me. I grab water bottles through aid station 3 and start the long climb back up. I start to see some SSers far ahead on the straight away climb but they are sitting comfortable on easier gears and the climb is nearing it's end. I know that even though I am gaining ground on them, I have little hope of getting near or passing anyone in the final downhill singletrack. I realized after the race that I actually had 7th place through 13th place riders in my sight as we started the last long climb.
I end up catching another SSer in the last tight singletrack section and ride his wheel but he refuses to let me by after realizing I am in his class, weak. I hear a guy behind me and think it is the geared rider I just passed so he asks to shoot by and I let him and I realize it was actually an SSer, Doh! he forces the slow guy off the trail in the only passing zone but I can't get through. Slow guy was quite possibly the worst descender I have been behind for that long but I didn't want to cause him to crash for one spot in tight trees so I ride his wheel hard and ask to pass several times but he doesn't listen and actually closes the door a few times after I call it out. After 10 near crashes he gets through to the field and across the line. I realize someone was catching up in the process of following slow guy down and almost caught us. The guy who was in front of me totally collapsed at the finish line and could barely move. I told him he was way loose and out of control and asked if he heard me call out the pass. He couldn't speak and looked bad so I said good job and walked away and chatted with Chad who races for Spot/Dales and was the guy I had let by. Slow descender guy was looking rough and his wife had to help him try to get to his feet. I realized at that point that I was feeling too good at the end and should have used my energy better in the first lap or at least expended more on the last part of the course. 6 of us SSers finished within a few minutes of each other and 3 guys finished less than a minute ahead of me which made me think about all the what ifs. I had more in the tank so I was a little bummed. I finished 11th in 5:00 hrs and 41 secs. Jessica finished in 6:02 and 25 secs which was a great time and she lost 3rd place by a couple secs after a geared rider crashed in front of her at the very end and she got passed by another women SSer when she had to stop.
I was feeling good and chilled and chatted it up before grabbing a water for the ride back to our room for a shower. I came back to watch Jessica finish but I took too long and missed her finishing. We stayed for a couple beers and food and chatted with some people from our team. I was feeling good but bummed I didn't ride the 20t cog or wasn't prepared for the chaos of the first lap or the fact that I stopped to take leak..etc but it was still fun and you live and learn.
Post race room pic
Race write-up.
The Tour starts today! Who do I think will win? Well hopefully NOT Cadel Evans as I am one of the Cadel anti fans. Spaniard Alejandro Valverde is one I would like to see take it but I am open to a surprise as long as the rider earns it the hard way. Don't count out Menchov either. Cunego, Sastre, its wide open. Boom Boom sits out the tour on cocaine charges and McEwen has to deal with babysitting Evans so who will score the green? Voeckler in dots until the end? Hopefully they let Robbie charge a few between his team duty stages. I love watching him wind it up in the final meters, one of the most aggressive sprinters who is never afraid to bump elbows or even heads. I would like to see Hincapie come up with a stage win as well.
Thats all for now. Time to watch stage one. Cheers, oh and in case you didn't see Tim's 4th of July pic
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