July 3, 2013

  • 40 in the Fort 2013

    It’s 2013 and it’s time to do another 40 in the Fort.  I was pretty sure last time I did this one that I wasn’t going to do it again.  Originally in 2012 I wanted to do it as a tune up for the Laramie Enduro.   After doing it last year, after doing Laramie I was thinking that this was too tough for me to do as a tune up in June.  For whatever reason, I decided that I should do it as a tune up and that perhaps my recollections of it were not as bad as I had remembered.  Mental note here:  Always Trust you memories when concerning endurance MTB racing.

    So  I signed up, but wasn’t feeling really all that fit the week before.  An infection that required some Antibiotics was still in place and this seemed to make me really tired, but that might just be a coincidence or the fact that it’s been so hot lately.  In any case I pretty much took it easy the week before, with no running and pretty much only commuting in to work.    My training or at least riding has been different since the Divorce last October in that I am only able to ride every other weekend.  That meant getting some decent rides in Sat & Sun day and then resting or riding the trainer on the other weekends… but I digress.

    Finally the day of the race is here.  Once again I chose to ride the 1998 Trek YSL.   It’s not as light as it was in the Leadville days, but with the addition of the 130mm Fox Talas it’s a lot more fun to ride.   The day is much hotter than last year and I am concerned about cramping.   The plan is to ride easy and not get sucked into any early Melee.  Well this is the plan anyway…   I look around the start area and I see most of the riders seem to be in the Open Pro group and there are not too many old duffers like myself.  Hmm, not a good sign but maybe it’s cause the race isn’t sanctioned and the older guys are off getting some real points someplace else..

    The gun finally goes off and I am really feeling kinda lethargic.  The legs feel OK, but not with the snap I believe I had 2 weeks prior.   In any case I force myself into a rhythm that puts me near the back of the middle group on the way up the fire road.  I see a pack of  6 or so riders flying off the front.  I am thinking that these guys are either really foolish or really fast.

    I make it to timber, pushing ahead of any riders that I don’t gauge to be as strong as myself.     Seemed like I did a good job here as I was able to move fast enough that no one wanted to pass, but no so fast as to be reeling in any of the other riders.   Flashing back to last year, I know I felt a whole lot better at this point but that’s probably cause I had  much more time to prepare than this year.

    Up we go.  Some folks biff near some rocky stuff and so I just follow suit and dismount for that section that I always ride.  I didn’t lose any time that was significant, and it’s still early anyway. 

    Now the 1st Kimmons descent and I see Ignacio off to the side, which I would find out was because he crashed and mangle a pedal pretty badly.   I ask if he is OK and he says he is fine so I continue my descent.   I was following some guy that I was faster than, but I wasn’t in any hurry.    There’s that one nasty left hand switch back that I always have trouble with so I was content to follow on this one.   Somewhere though the guy in front got off his bike and let me by.   Now I am setting my own pace and there are 4 guys or so on my tail as we hit the low lands.

    West Valley should have been a pretty fast trip, but because of the rain the night before was sticky and clay was packing up on the tires.   I am thinking that I didn’t want to be wasting energy before the climb and that I was pretty sure that this was going to be a slower race for me than last year…

    I finally reach Saw Mill which is a new climb this year.  I had only done this one twice before and I recall that it was pretty nasty.   I really did prefer the old course where Towers road made up the bulk of the climbing.  I don’t mind doing sawmill when I am having fun riding, but this is going to be a suffer-fest for me and I’d rather not have the extra technical difficulty, not to mention the extra mile or so that it added.    Neat the start of this climb a few rider got by me and the slowly checked out.   Ignacio had caught up again and went by me here too on one of the sections I thought too expensive to try and clean.

    Seem like I had been climbing for every and there was a lot more walking of technical stuff than I would have liked.   I know my forte is not endurance racing, and I somewhat miss racing the distances that I can hammer.  Guess if I trained more I might be able to do that for this distance, but I am not interested in giving up that much of my life for a few extra seconds shaved off… Anyway  I make it to the top of Carey Springs on onto Towers road Yeah.   Yep, I am thinking Yeah to be on Towers, which no one in their right mind would be thinking.

    I look up the road and I am thinking, I gotta do this again.  What was I thinking when I signed up for this…  I start to think about those Bacon Donut sandwiches from last year and how that would be good some thing this race.   I am pleasantly surprised as I make Bacon hill to see Team Bob dressed in “Fantasy Wear”.  They were dancing and offering bacon to all comers.    I didn’t get any bacon on the 1st go around but I promised I would get some on the 2nd.    I must say the women there were looking mighty good at this point and it would at least provide some motivation for me to see them 3 more times.

    As I continue on my journey I see some of the Open Pro guys climbing past me on th 2nd to last pitch up to the aid station.  The guys were offering me some encouragement which was nice to hear.   Hmm,  maybe I was  doing OK. But maybe they could see that I didn’t have any Warp Drive and figured that I needed any thing I could get to help me.

    Past the aid station,  maybe I should have stopped but I wasn’t really hungry yet and they didn’t have enough calorie dense tasty food to motivate me to stop just yet.   I see Ignacio is getting some food here and that was probably a wiser choice than I made. I  am thinking I will stop before the descent to MillCreek.

    I am a bit concerned about how the bike will descend.  It’s got a super high bottom bracket which gives me more height than I would like.   I make a quick stop to lower the saddle about an inch and that makes a world of difference.   I was wishing for a dropper post, but at $400 for one of those I think I will just stop and lower it myself.   The bike handled pretty well, and  I probably could have gone faster if I rode this bike more often, since the last time I rode it was 40 in the Fort Last year.   My thinking was that I don’t want to fry the rear shock on this one cause it’s too expensive to replace, only to race maybe twice a year….

    More climbing etc up to Bacon Hill and this time I get some bacon.   I am thinking hmm, some of these women look like they might be my age hmm, single maybe… OK no time for any of that thinking.   The bacon is good, and the girls were a lot of fun.  Big thanks to Team Bob on this one!

    As I make my way to the aid station at the apex,  I am having thoughts that I might not finish this one as my leg is starting to cramp. I had to stop and take about 4 or 5 enduro some-things along with a gel.   That seemed to do the trick and I was good to go, but I just had to make sure not to push to hard.

    I was looking forward to the descent and yet not, since I knew it could be sketchy at points and I have only ridden this trail once or twice since last year.  I keep telling myself I need to come session some of this stuff, but I just never seem to make the time to do it and now it’s reckoning day again.    Wit the saddle dropped a bit ,  I ride a good bit of it except for some of the really Nasty stuff.   That  kid with the Dreads from last year came blowing by me again and we exchanged greetings,  “Good to see you again”,  “Likewise I replied” and he was gone..

    I was so happy to finally be in the valley and was looking forward to some fuel and hydration.  I see Marie Walsh, eventual women’s Open/Pro winner and see was flying! and a hooting like she was having the best time of her life!  I am thinking that this Heed Stuff doesn’t work as well for me as the usual Cytomax and Powergels, but it’s all I’ve got.   I would have loved some salty French fries and a burger as I was so sick of  the rabbit food I was eating.   I am pretty sure at this point I am on the bring of bonk, but I must press on.

    OK,  Timber trail one more time and I am going like 5 mph or something. I am trying to do all I can, but have enough for the steeper stuff later on.   Seems like I have been alone racing for quite a while and going as slow as I am, I am looking for those who will be catching me.  In any case down Kimmons and still no-one.  Hmm, can’t see anyone in front of me either.  

    Down West Valley and the sticky mud is pretty much all gone.  It’s not fast, but it’s not slow either.  I make it to SawMill and I am dreading this climb.  I am really starting to wonder if I can finish this one!   I am sweating like a pig and drinking like a fish, and I don’t feel like I have much energy and am on the verge of cramping.   Mayb3 1/8 up Sawmill and I see the chasers coming for me.  Yep,  I am really dogging it now. I am walking so much of this trail as I feel I have nothing left.   In hind site I think I am on the verge of Bonk, but I have enough seasoning to keep going.  Maybe I have bonked, but just don’t want to admit it. 

    I get passed by one or 2 riders as I am on Carey Springs almost to Towers.  Once again I am glad to be on Towers, but this time I am walking.  I have never walked so much of Towers in my life.   My 70 camel back which I had filled at the Start/Finish is almost kicked and I have a long way to go.   I catch a Single Speed kid with a Gear that looked like a 36 16 or something crazy.  He was walking even slower than I was.    I think I got on the bike on some of the easier grades, but it was painfully slow.

    Finally I see Bacon Hill again and I push on hoping that my Angels are still there.  Yes they are and in good spirits they are.   I think I spent a lot of time there and perhaps they were thinking I might quit as the gently kinda insisted that I keep moving.  If I were in my right mind or younger I would have been trying to get some digits, but I guessing that I probably wasn’t looking so good anyway and that wouldn’t have worked out so well, but I digress.

    With some coke and a smile I am off again,  pedaling ever so slowly.   I  think this is where young Ignacio caught me again.   At the 1st sight of any grade changes I was off the bike and walking.   I am so glad that I had been running a bit earlier in the season as I am sure that this helped me quite a bit.  I was having Flash Backs to Pushing up the Power-line Trail in LeadVille, but at least these were short lived!   Never again I am thinking,  Never again.    I think I am getting to Old for all of this foolishness, and should return to doing something that more suits my years….

    Finally I am to the Aid Station and looking for some food.   I got some Water Mellon, but I would have paid good $$ for some food.    French Fries is what I was dreaming of and a nice fat hamburger!    While I am hanging out there I see Barb Shutlz coming up before her final descent.   Oh man, she is so much ahead of me.   I am thinking that on a good day I could be within 20 mins of her, but today is not that day.    We exchange greetings and I am off and running.  Oh,  Ignacio catches me hear and we take off together.

    I have no desire to try and ride that last pitch up to the antennas.  Maybe I could have done it, but the price like many things would have been to much for me and I choose to walk, while I watch Ignacio just  pedal away from me,  Oh well.

    Finally the grade levels out and I am able to ride almost to the antennas, but I am so happy that I think I know for sure that I can finish this one.   My only fear now is that I am so tired, I could make some technical mistake and wind up in the weeds somewhere or worse.   I see Ignacio stop for some gels at the top but I continue on with the descent.  I am getting to know/trust  my bike much better this time around but I am to tired to really take advantage of what I know now.

    I Feel like I am moving OK now and this descent would be fun if I were not so tired.  Just got to make it to Bacon Hill, One more Time….

    I make it out to Towers road and I am happy that I can see the tunnel that is suppose to have the light at the end of it.   I see the Bacon Hill Gang there one last time.   I get some coke and push on.

    Walking and Riding with more of the former is getting it done, but I have memories of riding some much more of this last year, where I only walked 2 of the pitches on the last lap or so.  Anyway, I get some more  Water Mellon at the last aid Station and Off I go.   I am pleased that my arms are obeying my commands albeit them a bit slow at doing so.  I an see where doing these trails more often would really help me if I were to ever do this race again…  I actually catch and pass a couple of riders on some of the techy stuff and they say, “Good Job” to me..

    Ok,  Last push to Mill Creek and we are in the Valley and home Free.   I  see Mike Greiner just riding and he follows we for a bit and we chat.  He said he saw some bears on saw mill a little while ago!   Glad I didn’t see them.  Nice to be cruising easy on the flats and at last I  see the finish line and I am so glad to be done.

     

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