Race day: Get to IC, boy it sure is cold out here. 50-ish to start but perfect temps i suppose. Race start pushed back 30mins because race crew and racers were not ready. I sat in the cabin and sipped some water, shivering.
Race start: Still have no nutrition plan, for those of you that know me this is no surprise. One water bottle? two? 24oz? 20oz? gels? bars? Forget it...two bottles, 2 gels for the first lap, will refuel at the aid station after that based on my usage on lap 1. I get off the line in the back of my AG since after all i was expecting a 6 hour race. Ill pass all those squirrels eventually when they burn themselves out. Nice rolling start on some access roads for a few miles, legs feel good, mind doesnt after 3hrs of sleep.
Lap 1: they shortened lap 1 by 3 miles to account for the absurdly amount of climbing the course had. This should have also been a red flag warning sign. 15 miles; nice swoopy downhills, But then the climbs...these were no normal climbs, The biggest was the 4 miles of climbing to end the lap, took an hour to ride 3 miles! Parts of which you couldnt ride because of huge trees or boulders in the trail. This was what destroyed me mentally and i was seriously concerned about doing this two more times. Because of this i was all over the trail, my solid technical skills had deserted me, i rode off the trail 2 or 3 times and had to bail in the bushes. I was a disaster. Cuts and Scrapes all over my body because of this. On top of that, my rear hub was shaking and loose. I was getting about a quarter of an inch of movement out of it. Not good im thinking, this is definitely going to blow up at sometime during the day. I think the Fruita dust got the best of my bearings. There are a couple of big stream crossings, i dove right in, rode right through all of them, get completely soaked, oh well. Into the start/finish i come. Intake: 40oz of electrolyte mix, 2 endorolytes, 1 gel
Lap 2: Legs started to settle in, HR was in target range, Actually felt great, i was riding on the trail instead of bailing in the bushes on all the turns now. This was going to be a fun day on a difficult course. I was knocking off AG'ers on all the RIDABLE climbs, some would catch me on the decents. No worries, still 4 hours of riding. Hub was getting louder, squeaking on uphills, bike felt like it was rattling apart. Oh well, keep pedaling! We are on the full 18mi course now, longer swoopy downhills, some went on for 4 or 5 miles, best downhills ive ever ridden. But then the climbs....destroyed me, again. Here is the race ruiner: 3 miles out from the start/finish...on a small 50yrd downhill section,BAM...blew a tire. No, tore a tire! Big one inch tear right in my tread!? Ok, this is fine, im still having fun, all the AG'ers will pass and ill just ride the race like its a fun Saturday afternoon ride. Change tire out in 10mins, Stans is sticking everywhere, back riding.....for 10 mins until i tear a sidewall!!!. Now i am out of tubes since i run tubeless and only carry one spare. I start running since its only like 2 miles to the start. A Half Marathoner asks if i needed a tube and i gladly except, tell him ill pay him back at the finish. (if anyone knows MIke Trimble, let me know, i owe him a tube). Its a 26'er but i stretch it on my 29'er, stans is still all over my hands and my spokes, i have to laugh as now ive turned into quite the circus and the race is over for me, or at least my chance at a top 10 finish. I make it to the start finish, head straight to my car to grab a another backup tube, pump up to appropriate psi and debate going back out. I lost about 30 minutes changing tubes, going back to my car, my hub is jacked, and i have a booted tire with a tread and sidewall tear. I eat about 6 PB and J squares, drink some water and the thought of stopping is racing through my mind....luckily i have never DNF'd so i jump back on the bike and start pedaling lap #3. Intake: 40 oz water, 4 endurolytes, hammer bar, 1 gel, 6 PBJ squares.
Lap 3/final lap: I see Scott D at the aid station. He is also going out for his last lap. We head into the singletrack. Now i dont feel so hot, i think the 6 PB and Js were a bit much...but i was starving before. Now i want to puke them up because they are sitting like a brick. My hub is getting louder, keep pedaling, the faster you ride the sooner this will be all over and your hub wont explode and leave you stranded in the wilderness to be eaten by bears. Legs are now destroyed, have ridden 7K feet of climbing to this point, still have another 2K to go. I limp around the course, pass 2 AG'ers that passed me when i was trying fix my tires. I fall for the first time all day into a bush, branch stabs me in the face, one goes straight up my nose, weird. No blood, just some scraps, keep pedaling. Scott D and I take turns pulling until i see a few more AG'ers, ok time to go! I need to pass these guys to make a respectable race. I knock them off on the climbs and head to the finish. Intake: 40oz water, 4 endurolytes, 2 gels, 1 package of gummys.
finished at 6:57. 1:37 back from the winner in AG. Only 13 mins back from 10th place. 14th place out of 23 who started the race, 5 people in the AG DNF'ed. Not a great result but i finished. Two flats and a bad hub. Strava distance: 54 miles, elevation gain: 9700ft of climbing, avg HR 136
Solid race overall. I dont think i would do anything differently. I will still only carry one spare tube. I might think about adding a small bottle of Stans, but not sure it would have helped in this situation. My nutrition seemed adequate, aside from the PB and J squares, or quantity at which i ate. Great job Scott D, Phil, Jeff, and Tom who killed the XC race. Next up for me is 24hrs of Erock May 31st-June 1st.
K2
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