9:00 - Pre start - I lay on a trash bag with my bike standing by me for 1.5 hours listening to loud R&R music. Each minute seems like an hour. Fifteen minutes prior to the start we stand and crowd up. I think there about 100 racers in the 1400+ group........Arizona Masters(they look fit) and others.
10:30 - With no warm up we are going race pace in 50 feet. It is 6 miles to The Wash......everyone wants there first. My team is at the front after about mile, setting pace. We turn the final corner in a 200 meter dead sprint. I go in 12-15th.
10:45 - The Wash is 450 meters of hard pack, rocks and very soft sand. Today it is dry and powdery. It is instantly chaos. Alan Jette does an endo. All my team mates are off there bikes. I don't see Cam Jette(first into The Wash and Canadian National Mountain Bike Champ). People are screaming. I stay cool and use my MTB skills. I push my butt back, use only the rear brake and avoid turning(which you can not do in sand anyway). The last 50 meters could not be ridden. I jump off and carry my bike like Perry's pic on the blog. Gary Rancourt is right behind me.
10:47:13 - The Breakaway - Gary and I are moving toward Snyder Hill. He has a blowout and I see a very good rider in front of me. TODAY, I am going for it and catch him at the top of Snyder. In the next 45 minutes my HR averages 161 bpm (LT is 153) and we ride 25mph. We have 8 or so riders after 45 minutes and Alan tells me Cam is in front with 2-3 riders and then it is us. Wow, I must have been about 6-7th out of The Wash!!!! I am getting under control and the hill pace seems slow so I can recover.
11:35 - The Crash - 25 miles in, the 2 guys in front of me crash. I run over one and fly into the air, mostly landing on the other. After collecting myself, my stuff, and a bike check, I think I will ride easy until the rest of my team shows. But, my rear derailleur is bent a little and I stop to adjust. At that moment, my team passes. Oh crap!
11:39 - The Chase - The NY pros are making pace but there are hills on Rancho Vistoso. They can only go as fast as the slowest. I can do this! I get within 75 meters at one point before I give up in exhaustion.
11:47 - The Time Trial - From there on in, it is me, solo. There is a 20 mph wind and the course creates a situation where all but the last 100o meters to the finish is into a quartering wind. First from the left and then the the right. The solo effort covers 41 miles.
1:56 - The Finish - Thousands are at the barriers yelling encouragement. I am 25th overall and 2nd in my AG with a time of 3:26. My team shines with all top finishes. Even the guy with a flat gets 3rd in his AG and 63rd overall.
6:00 - The Celebration - McMahon Steakhouse. We feast and relive the day!
I was not in the best condition today but learned a lot about myself. I stayed in Z4 and Z5 HR for 2:48 minutes and did not blow up. I took a risk. I raced hard. I did not quit. "If you want to win, you must try.' Jens Voigt. I tried!!
See ya out there.
Oh, Cam Jette had a flat and finished 20th at 3:18!! Look for this name in Velo News some day.
4 comments:
AWESOME JOB RANDALL!
THANKS FOR SHARING! It sounds like quite an event where you had to overcome a little of everything, TT effort, chasing, group riding, acrobatics thru the air, and feasting and reliving the event at the end. What a great day! It pays not to give up! GREAT JOB!
Great effort and very impressive result.
Congrats RPM!!!!! I am so excited for you! It is so awesome to see the results from your hard work, dedication, and passion for the sport! Crank On!!!!!
Randall great job, but I thought you were taking it easy!
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