Where’s the Beach in Stead Race Report…

It was long. It was hard. It was fun.

I wondered if I was in shape for 100 kms of off road “racing”. I wondered if riding a rigid was a good idea. I wondered if my 22/32/44x15 gearing would be low enough. I wondered if I’d be able to beat or even keep pace with Paul. I wondered if my secret recipe for liquid nutrition would work. I wondered if my butt was ready for 4-5 hours on the bike.

I’m not wondering anymore.

I was in good enough shape to finish in 4:38 which is slightly faster than last year.
A rigid wasn’t the best idea but my 31 lb full suspension was 10 lbs heavier.
My gearing was almost perfect. Only a couple of times did I wish for a gear in between what I had.
I did beat Paul but we swapped placements several times during the first half of the race before I finally lost him.
My secret recipe worked great. And it wasn’t unpleasant to drink but NOTHING tastes as good as an ice cold beer after a race. NOTHING!!!
My butt is my business. Nothing to share here.

First Lap:

Rolling group starts are just a kick. I love it. We should do more of these.
The bear was cool. Was almost hoping to see him again.
Riding with different people at different times is always neat. You get to chat with people you’re usually trying to pass or not get passed by.

It seemed to take a really long time for the slower group to settle out and everyone to find their place. I felt pretty strong but my gearing dictated my pace. I loved the 44x15 on the gravel road sections. I found the 22x15 too small for the rock gardens but the 32x15 was too big. I hate that one hidden rock I hit EVERY SINGLE LAP!!!! Note to trail crew: please flag that rock for next year. It’s the one next to the bush that slapped my face each time, just a short way past the squiggly turn with the grass. Rode with Brad E for a while. Then suddenly he wasn’t there anymore. Kind of waited for him to catch up again until I turned a corner and couldn’t see him anymore. Didn’t see him again til the race was done.

Lap 2:

Still felt strong. Left the feed zone with Paul and we caught the wheel of another rider. We drafted him until he became exasperated with us and swerved to the side. Thanks for the pull whoever you were…

Was riding with Paul and Marty H and some other guys I didn’t know. Got away from them on the gravel sections but got reeled in, in the rock gardens. By about the middle of the lap I was riding alone and spent the rest of the race riding alone. Good thing I had voices in my head to talk to.

Lap 3:

Ugh. Felt strong leaving the feed zone but as soon as I was onto the gravel my power faded fast. I wondered if I was going to bonk and I knew that this lap was going to be a challenge. I granny geared it until I had some momentum and decided to ride with whatever energy I could muster and worry about fatigue when it hit. This was the last lap and time to burn the matches I had left.

I found that I couldn’t wait to see the next km marker (what a fantastic idea. They were inspirational during the tiredness) At one point I climbed off my bike to walk for a bit because I know from experience this helps to relieve my leg cramps. Felt like a goof walking with stiff legs because I couldn’t bend my knees but the trick worked and I was able to ride again. Got my second wind and turned the big gear for a while.

Whoever held up the “princess, you’re almost done sign” made my day. Couldn’t help but laugh at that.

Kept looking over my shoulder expecting Paul, Marty or the other guys to come around a corner but alas, no one came. Had to walk through a second section of sand and stood by my bike for about a minute just to rest. Would gladly have quit and gone for a nap at that point but pushed it through and hit the last gravel road section knowing there was only about a mile left.

Things to do differently next year:

Train for endurance racing.
Find better things to eat than powerbars. Yuck.
Tie a rope around Dave so he can pull me.