My bike for the last 2 years has been a 26in wheeled full suspension race bike, and we have had a great time together. Unfortunately, it weighs quite a lot (26lbs), to be exact. My new steed, a Kona King Kahuna has 29 inch wheels and is a hard tail. It weighs in at 24lbs. I hope to replace my wheels with some Stan's No Tubes, which will drop the weight a bit more.
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| Is this not a good looking bike? |
On the start line with my new bike less two pounds and some big wheels. Lets do it!
The Pro/ Cat 1/ Single speeds all took off together with a neutral roll out of a mile or so on pavement. This was the scariest part of the race for me, as there were a couple hundred bikes packed tightly together with anxious energy in the air. Lots of braking, and near collisions I finally made my way to the outside left, to get away from the chaos. For a "neutral" roll out, the pace was quite fast. I tried to stay calm and upright, aware of where the other riders were. As we approached the gravel road, the speed surged forward and I seriously felt like I was swallowed whole. As I turned left on the gravel I was over come with a strong side wind pounding my right side and what seemed to be the whole field whizzing right past me. This would have been a perfect place to grab onto someones wheel, and enjoy a draft until the trail, but no such luck. I found myself pretty much riding alone, wrestling with that wind and trying to maintain my line the entire mile.... or 2 to the trail. I was in bad shape. Not a good start at all, but I knew that this was a long race, and I still had 30 miles to get it together. Stay calm, breathe and just ride your bike.
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| Seriously. March 3rd, and blue sky! |
I was happy to finally reach the trail. The course is beautiful, and really unique, unlike anything that we ride in the Valley. You can see forever, and there are no trees or mountains blocking your view. Dry, desert sagebrush as the narrow trail winds through a local vineyard. If there was an aerial photo of the racers on the course, I think it would look like a continuous army of ants traversing back and forth, up and down and around and around. It was fun to be able to see the other riders coming and going and not being exactly sure if you were ahead of them or behind. I could see quite a ways up the trail though and could count about 6 women ahead. We were all within a few seconds of each other, and it seemed like riding at a good pace. I decided to just settle in and hang there. I did not want to make a pass yet, as I felt like if I could just stay with them, this would be a good time to relax and get to know my bike and how it performs.
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| One of these days I'll figure out how to take a good race pic |
Unfortunately the wind really interrupted this introduction I was trying to have with my bike. It took all the energy I had just to stay upright and on the trail. It really seemed like I had sails instead of wheels, because a big gust of wind would come and literally pick me up and move me aside. It was intense, and the loud screaming howls added to the intensity. I tried once to calmly insist that the wind quiet down, please just let me hear my own breath. But no luck, I think instead it responded with vengeance. I was pretty tense. On a bike I was unfamiliar with, and dealing with conditions that I had never before experienced. I would later hear from the locals in town that the winds that day were between 30 and 35 mph. I had reason to be uncomfortable.
I kept the women ahead of me in sight and tried to find a groove, even though inside I was tense and scared. It was then, that an angel came up from behind with a calming supportive holler, and passed me. Ordinarily, I would not be so excited to have another woman pass me, but I needed her, and her energy brought me relief. She wore red, and sat on a pink fluffy seat and was happy to let everyone around her know that she was having a good time. Usually this is me, talking and laughing during a race. Today though, I was concentrating and until then did not break a smile. I tried to respond with some yelps and laughs just to let this women know that I appreciated her energy and I too, would try to have fun. We cat and moused with each other for a while and even were able to pass a couple of the women that we had been following.
I was excited to get down to the river, out of the wind and into the mud, something I am used to. I was excited to see Mike Ripley, who I came up on heading into the river. I followed his group of about 4, and was able to catch them up the climb out of the river. My legs felt good, and I thought I would be able to ride that section. I think Mike stepped off, and everyone behind followed suit. I felt strong so ran my bike past a few riders and hopped on behind Mike. I was happy to see that I finally caught up with the front two women of that initial pack of 6. I had no idea how many were in front of them, but I knew that I was catching up.
I drained my Veleau Hydration system with 42 ounces of Hammer Heed electrolyte drink. I knew the ride was nearly done so I did not panic. I felt fine. In addition to the Heed, I took about 4 Hammer Gels from my flask. This was in addition to the 1 Hammer Gel Packet that I ate on the start line. I think I fueled well throughout this race, keeping my legs strong.
I stayed right on Mikes Wheel, and at one point while climbing a switchback I say to him " O.K. Mike, here I come!, with a little bit of taunting in my voice" Mike took this and found another gear. His pace picked up and I was happy to stay right there behind him. We passed quite a few people on that climb back to the road, mostly single speeders and talked about working together on the road back to the finish. At the very top of the wheat field climb this guy from the Green Submarine team came up behind me. I begged him to help me get back. The wind was intense, and I knew that it would be a fight to get home. My legs just could not keep up with Mike and this Green Submarine guy though, and again I found myself alone on that road fighting the wind from knocking me over. Again, I just tried to maintain my line, stay low and out of the gravel and peddle like mad. I saw Mike look for me a few times, afraid I might catch him. I was not as interested in catching Mike as I was in not being caught by the women following me. Relief, as I crossed the line alone and with Mike's wide smile to greet me. I ended up 3rd out of 22 in the Cat 1 with a time of 2:57.01.
I was anxious to find Trevor and see how his race went. Fighting a chest cold for the last few weeks, he was unsure how he would fare today. In all honesty, I had expected him to DNF. My stud of a husband had a great race and finished 3rd out of 26 in the Cat 1 45+ with a time of 2:26.15.
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| It was so fun to have a great group of Corvallis Women! |
I inhaled the baked potato and chili that was provided by the local Lions Club with a smile. I'm pretty sure the town of Echo doubles in size for a day, and these locals know how to put on a good party. We enjoyed hanging around and swapping stories with all the Corvallis friends that came out. Everyone had a great time, and I think the Corvallis riders made a strong showing on the podium.
Trevor and I decided to stay in Echo another night and participate in the low key Poker ride the next day. The kids still with Grandma and Grandpa, we had the freedom to just hang out. This was awesome. We went back to the campground, fixed a huge dinner and enjoyed food, drink and conversation with our friend Michelle Hannaford.
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| Trevor, Michelle and I getting ready for the poker ride |
We woke the next day to sunshine, warmth and NO WIND!!! It was a blissful day on the trails, as we meandered our way around collecting our poker hand.
Unfortunately, we did not win the poker game, but we had a great time, in a great place with some great people.
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| The last card stop and a great downhill to get there! |
Shane and his wife know how to put on a good event. We'll definitely be back for more next year!
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