OK, here is the fun part :) The details ...
It's about the course ...
It's about the course ...
The course was an interesting mix of sand, roots and rocks, sandstone, and 'dirt' :) There was 2300ft of climbing per lap, and this was mostly at >10% grade - so steep! And the climbing was all in single track with lots of up-and-overs. Challenging for sure :) The descents were a mix of flowy trail, sand, and technical sandstone features - think 1-1.5 ft drops :) Over all, it was a pretty technical course - i think my back is more sore than my legs ;-) The sand meant that we had to clean the chain fairly often and my amazing pit crew (Jonathan and his father) were on top of this for me :)
... and about the bike
I used my Phaser for most of the race ... the Faze saw one lap but i crashed on one of the technical descents it was a technical corner down a steep drop and i didn't quite make it). Anyway, i bent my derailleur hanger and my shifting was all over the place the rest of the lap. I just found a gear and left it there ... maybe i can be a single-speeder after all. Ha!
... but most of all, about the excitement of the night!
The night laps were nice and cool and i enjoyed them. Aside from being cool and enjoying night riding ... the night had loads of excitement. I had a monster ant-eater offer my Yeager (haha!), a superman with a boom box do a fancy dance for me. I gave him such a great Cheer that he cut thru the scrub to do another dance for me further up the hill! So fun! i think superman was my favorite :) And the mannequins ... they had this mannequin that looked like a guy, and who had a bike. It got me for the first few times as it was off the trail and I'd ask 'are you ok?' and then laugh ... they'd change positions of the mannequin every few hours - very entertaining! The last few times i'd yell 'i'm not falling for it this time' and i swear i heard giggles in the background. The volunteers in this race were pretty fun!!!
I had some low points during the night with my stomach but mostly i think it was altitude ... a few electrolytes and some green tea and i felt better :) I enjoyed the night riding - i always do when my stomach co-operates. :)
I had some low points during the night with my stomach but mostly i think it was altitude ... a few electrolytes and some green tea and i felt better :) I enjoyed the night riding - i always do when my stomach co-operates. :)
Speaking of my stomach ...
I used infinit for my fuel most of the race. At first i was taking a bit more than i should have been ... apparently the altitude makes you thirsty :) My stomach went thru a low point in the middle of the race but. I ate bananas, some pb&j, and a bit of gnocchi for solids. Overall my stomach held up ... and we really stayed on top of it. I was happy with this :)
... and my amazing pit crew
My pit crew was amazing ... Jonathan was the 'pit manager' and his folks were helping out. LaVerne had more food than i could possible consume and also kept Otto and Jonathan well fed thru the race. Otto was a great help and fast learner - by the end of the race you'd never guess it was his first mtb race! He was a regular pro, helping with the chain, knowing just what to do while I was chowing down on food or chatting with Jonathan! I am certain that i would have forgotten my pump one lap ... but Otto to the rescue! He remembered :) Jonathan ... well, Jonathan was/is amazing :) He had everything ready that i needed ready each time i came thru ... drinks, food, lube, puffer, salts, everything! he was pit manager and partner extraordinaire!! The best part was the smiles i had waiting for me each lap and the words of encouragement as I left.
... and my amazing pit crew
My pit crew was amazing ... Jonathan was the 'pit manager' and his folks were helping out. LaVerne had more food than i could possible consume and also kept Otto and Jonathan well fed thru the race. Otto was a great help and fast learner - by the end of the race you'd never guess it was his first mtb race! He was a regular pro, helping with the chain, knowing just what to do while I was chowing down on food or chatting with Jonathan! I am certain that i would have forgotten my pump one lap ... but Otto to the rescue! He remembered :) Jonathan ... well, Jonathan was/is amazing :) He had everything ready that i needed ready each time i came thru ... drinks, food, lube, puffer, salts, everything! he was pit manager and partner extraordinaire!! The best part was the smiles i had waiting for me each lap and the words of encouragement as I left.
... and yeah, we can't forget about Thin Air
The racing ... well, it felt like my legs were not working as hard as my lungs. The spinning felt pretty easy, but my lungs just were not getting enough oxygen to allow me to go harder. So i just relaxed, paced, and did the best I could. The altitude definately kicked my butt ... and other sea-dwellers too. The girl who won last year dropped out b/c she just couldn't push the pace as much as she wanted.
In Summary & Thank You
i am happy with my race. I paced well, and had a solid strategy. I couldn't have done it without help though ... thanks to Norco for the amazing bikes, to Shaun for his amazing coaching, to Veloce Velo for their incredible support (my bikes were in tip-top shape!!) and of course to Mojo Wheels and Ascent cycles for lending me the bike stand and tent in Colorado (did i mention? Colorado people are super nice!) and last but definitely not least, to Jonathan for his support and encouragement!
And now ... well, now, it's on to 'life' :) more on that soon!!!
