I started the day pretty late from Wise, 6 am. I knew that I needed at least 5 hours of sleep to feel ok in the morning so I gave myself an extra hours in the sack. As I was packing up my bike I spotted the Eurotrain leaving town.
I shot this video as I was riding away from Wise. My saddle sores were really hurting this morning and it was obvious by the fact I spent the first 30 minutes riding out of the saddle. The roadway out of Wise was really smooth, which made the hiney less painful at least.
I shot this as I was riding out of Wise. I look like crap but I swear I don't remember feeling that bad... except for my bootie.
The nice paved roadway lead towards the large paved pass that Mary Collier rides down in Ride the Divide (I think Mike D says something like, "You guys should get her riding down that pass, it will really lift her spirits"). The pass wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be from the movie. Don't get me wrong, it was steep and killer and oxygen depriving and I rode the whole thing in granny gear and it was all around brutal but it just didn't seem mentally as hard as I expected. Maybe my mind was getting 'fitter' as the race progressed?
The descent into the next town was pretty fun and the movie was spot on about that part. I saw several bikes stopped at the local restaurant/inn, The Grasshopper. I stopped in and grabbed some lunch with Dave G. and the Eurotrain, who regaled that they had been waiting 'forever' for their food. I walked right up to the waiter without hesitation and just ordered what I was hungry for.
As the waiter got my order going I prepped my bike and refilled my water. I asked about the local mercantile and they said it was 'closed on Wednesdays'. I then asked what day it was, because I literally lost track after day 2. And, they answered, "Wednesday". Of course. I didn't want to wait for them to make me another order of food since they were so slow. So, I rounded up some junk food from the associated Grasshopper Inn; two boxes of frosted flakes and three bags of chips.
This had to last me the 90 miles to Lima.
The down side of an efficient resupply, having not enough food AND the food you get isn't even appetizing. The up side, I was out the door with Dave G, who had beat me there by an hour, and I beat the Eurotrain out the door by 30 minutes.
The road between The Grasshopper and Lima begins as mostly rolling pavement and then it hits a dirt road that is a super long undulating climb. The riding was fun but really unremarkable, just more dirt road cruising. However, from a logistical standpoint I learned a lot.
Leaving The Grass Hopper I took three liters of water, that's one liter per 30 miles. Pretty much a good estimate for me. However, about 30 minutes after I headed out it go hot, like 85 degrees hot. Now that's not saying much but I'm from Alaska and I haven't raced in weather above 75 since Xterra Worlds in 2008.
I became very concerned about the water situation and I basically stopped drinking except for a few sips because I just didn't know if there were going to be other water resupply points. I continued riding without drinking until I hit 40 miles. Then I started to feel really thirsty so I stopped to check my supply. I had only consumed 9 oz of water in 40 miles..... That's only about HALF of a SMALL WATER BOTTLE. WTF?????? (Apparently this race makes you very mentally strong.) At that point I started drinking more and thus I could eat more, although two mini boxes of cereal and three mini bags of chips isn't really a feast.
After I topped out the pass and started riding down I noticed the sun was beginning to fade. A quick watch check told me that it was getting really late. I started to worry that I wouldn't make it to Lima in time to get a room and that also mean NO FOOD. In a panic I started TTing (time trialing) down the pass. Now, I might be a cripple but if there is one thing I learned to do when I raced triathlons it is 'how to drop into the aerobars and ride like an @$$hole'.
As I closed the distance towards Lima I began to really drop the hammer until I was riding the downhill rollers in the big ring. I only had food on my mind. Day dreams of pizza, and burgers, and shakes, and fries, and steak, and eggs, and pancakes, and thai food danced through my head. The fading light made my day dreams even more vivid, I think I could actually see food floating around over my aerobars.
All of the sudden I saw a flash of movement out of the bushes. I wanted to grab for my brakes but there wasn't time. I braced my self for an inevitable collision as the biggest-freaking-lion-I-have-ever-seen-in-my-life ran out across the trail. I thought I actually saw my front wheel hit it but I never fell over. That cat must have had some serious Matrix skills. I still don't understand how I missed hitting it.
In short order I hit the last pavement stretch into Lima so I stopped to call the hotel. I was in luck yet again. They had a room left so I reserved it.
Cruising into Lima, still feeling high on adrenaline post mountain lion near death experience
As I rode into Lima I called my wife, MTBcast, and a few friends. I just wanted to talk I guess. At the hotel the manager told me that the Eurotrain had arrived ten minutes after I called. That means over the 90 miles distance they were only about 20-40 minutes faster than me, not a bad showing for a fat cripple. (I had seen that several bikes were over at the bar, likely their corresponding riders were drinking beer and eating.) He also told me that nothing in town opened until 7 am.
I reasoned that a few beers would make all those riders forget about resupplying for the morning and thus they would have to wait until at least 7 am to get going, not to mention the fact that a sleepy divide racer a few beers makes. I decided to buy up most of the food at the front desk and hope that the others didn't think about logistics until they tried to leave at 6 am. I scrambled off to my room to prep my bike, body, and gear for the morning.
A Tour feast. Those frozen hot pockets are even less awesome tasting when they are half thawed at 8 am the next morning.
The blog entry for Day 7 will tell us if the Rookie Gambit pays off......
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