One Hundred Twenty-Nine

Furnace Creek 508

The long overdue race report everyone has been waiting for...

I rode almost non-stop until we got close to Towne Pass. Then my left knee started hurting (imagine being hit with a hammer), my left tendon started to swell, and I almost threw up. It was a long walk to the top!

That's when I decided to substitute sleep for caffeine and "enjoy" the rest of the race as much as my knee would allow. The pain finally disappeared or I just stopped noticing it somewhere around mile 350.

At time station 4 (I think), I finally stopped to see how the other riders were doing. I didn't notice any splits for Archaeopteryx, so I knew she was behind me and had maybe even dropped out. Even more reason to relax.

The route book touted the famous Mad Greek restaurant in Baker. Given my cavalier attitude at that point, I figured it couldn't hurt to stop for a quick bite to eat. But at 3 PM on Sunday, the place was packed and that quick bite turned into a colossal waste of 50 minutes. I couldn't even find a good place to rest because it was so hot.

After Baker, we climbed a 2.4% grade for 21 miles. At the top I stopped for another nap. That's when a car pulled up and someone told us who was still behind us. My ears perked up when I heard Archaeopteryx was one of the riders, and I quickly got back on the bike.

After an 11 mile descent, we started another, slightly steeper 12 mile climb. That's when Archaeopteryx passed me like it was nothing. I did my best to hang with her to the top. But the whole time she was spinning away in the saddle while I was standing up, trying my hardest not to get dropped. Near the top I threw in the towel, pulled over, and took a nap.

After I got back on the bike, there was a little bit of ground to cover before embarking on a LONG ~ 15 mile decent. A little over half way down, I thought I could see yellow lights in the distance. Could it be Archaeopteryx? No, it couldn't be! Could it? If it was, I thought that maybe I could catch her since I was riding 42x17 and she was on 42x16.

At the very bottom, just after a turn, I blew by my friendly rival and put the hammer down as hard as I could, thinking that my only chance was to go long and put as much distance between us as possible before the last significant climb of the race.

The strategy seemed to be working, becausing I was flying and getting farther and farther ahead. To add to the drama, I squeeked across some railroad tracks just as the gates were going down for an approaching train. Archaeopteryx, if she got there before the train passed, would have to wait.

I must have been riding on pure adrenaline at that point. The climb up to Sheephole Summit gets progressively steeper, and I was doing everything I could not to let up on the pace. Then Archaeopteryx bridged the gap like it was nothing. She passed me; I made one final, vane sprint past her; she just kept rolling by, and I knew it was over.

For the last time, I stopped to take a nap. Then I got back on the bike and limped home to the finish. Ahhhhh... It was over!

After the race I gave my body plenty of time to heal. For several weeks, whenever I would kneel, I could still feel some mild pain in my petelar tendon.

I was about ready to start training again for the Trans-Am 5000 when Chris Kostman let us know that the event wouldn't be held as planned. Bummer. So I endulged my latest obsession - skiiing - for a few more weeks. Play time is over, though. Time to focus on some unfinished business at RAO...