Friday night Tony and I head up to camp in what is turning out to be a fun tradtion for vail lake races we grab sushi as a pre-race meal then head off to setup camp and crash.
6:30am wake up call its 40F out and I'm sleeping in the Element I turn the car on blast the heat to warm up as I eat my 3 PB&Js for breakfast and sip water. I hit up the riders meeting and grab my number get dressed its game time! I do a couple laps around the camp ground to loosen up a little but don't get the HR up much.
9am hits and we are off a parade lap around the camp ground so I get to the front of CAT 3 and look around seeing taking mental notes of people. I see 2 guys looking like they wanna stay up front FRS guy and blue guy on green 29er... we hit the dirt and the first lill bump up and I start mixing in with the CAT 2 guys. My HR is 180... but I don’t feel like I'm working hard at all actually I'm telling myself to slow and take it easy and I am... nerves I guess. We hit the first main climb tight single track switch backs its a parking lot I just get off and walk. I see FRS and blue guy about 15 riders behind me :) I pass a few people where it gets wide up top and then down SKETCHY single track to tunnel of love I pass about 5-6 people walking down this tech part I make dirt bike noises :) Down tunnel of love and onto the ambulance climb, I'm middle ring not killing it but climbing well, I look over and see FRS guy still going down tunnel of love SWEET! I must have a 4-5 min lead! Up top we roll over a few bumps and make our way to the top of the damn climb (that we are going down this time) I lean back and start rockin the down... not taking chances telling myself the race is won on the climbs and you can only loose the race here not win it! BAM front pinch flat.....! FUCK!!!
My decision to run tubes and light race tires bit me in the ass but I ran them for weeks before the race to make sure they could take the beating.... damn it!
I swap out the tube and get passed but both blue guy and FRS guy! I'm trying to stay calm having little trouble with the bead I get it on hit the CO2 get it on and I'm off... 30sec later BAM!!!!! front bead goes out tire blows open like a black marshmallow and jams up in my fork crown I get off the bike right as the front tire jams (that would have been a 20mph over the handle bars if I didn't get stopped) I get the bead back on hit my last CO2 and get rolling I'm way fucking behind now! I stop at the next aid station at the bottom of the down they have a pump I check my tire pressure it was low I fill and tell myself hammer this next flat people will use it to rest before the big climb. Hit it now and you can catch! I hit the fucking gas and ripping past people in my big ring doing 25-30MPH (44/12 most of the time!) I hit the base of the climb I see BLUE guy and FRS guy just ahead (I caught then in less then a mile!) ok calm down it s all set keep um in site you got 4hrs to pass :)
The main climb was about 900' in a mile.... wicked steep and loose in spots I spin easy 22/34 HR in the 170s I'm climbing up to FRS guy and pass him... (never saw him again) I see blue guy I ride easy I hike alill in a rockie section try and really take it as easy as I can after hitting the gas like that. The guy is pretty fast, I pull along side we talk a bit he is from AZ, flag staff.... so he lives at like 5k them or something I'm sure... We ride together for a bit but after a few ups and downs I drop him on a small bump (not trying to he just kinda fell off)
I get to the easy part of the loop flatish fresh single track, I can feel sharp bits everywhere hitting my legs the fresh cut single track is in some pricky areas... I hit a paved road section and I can feel my rear tire now is going flat!!! fuck.... I have 1 tube but no CO2 or pump.... I know there is an aid station in a couple miles up this lightly paved road, I am working hard now HR in the 180s to keep the speed up as I'm rolling on straight rim now!!! I get to the aid station no pump!!! crap, a guy working it had a CO2 life saver I swap out the tube as I'm doing so BLUE guy passes me... ok I can catch again I check the tire like 3 times for thorns. I get it full and I hit the GAS!!! I'm rippin single track, I get to a fire road the DAMN fucking rear tire is going flat again!!! I get over the little finishing climb down to the pits and as I'm coming in I'm yelling rear wheel, or so I though my pit crew were saying I was really just freaking out saying "check the bike" oops I need to work on my nerves in races...
I get off my bike Kerry tosses the bike in the rack swaps out my rear wheel for my boat anchor stumpy freeride/all mnt wheel.... I load up with water, gels and hit the trail
As I turn up the switch back climb 4 the 2nd time my stomach turns south! I'm bonking! I'm bonking bad!!!!! trying to chase back hard 3 times in 1 lap had killed me... but what was making it worse was since my stamach was going I was too afraid to eat/drink.... I walked up bridges (sad as I can rip that climb) I road the decent down the crazy stuff no problem on the next climb I settled in and ate some tried to hydrate but as soon as I would drink my stomach would cramp!!! I road as slow but steady tempo knowing BLUE guy was gone :( I got to the top of the damn climb and road well on the down. I hit the flat section where I chased the 1st time and was so fucking slow :(
i hit the base of the main climb and just started walking I was passing people walking also and they were hurting 1 guy full out blowing chunks! 2 guys just sitting in the grass legs cramped couldn’t walk we are at mile 32ish here and at hr 4. I'm thinking well at least I'm not these guys. Just then I see Ed a guy I trained with...in my cat... Ed was like scott? wtf you ok? I was like I'm bonking bad, I said "There is a guy in a blue jersey on a green 29er I think he is in first catch that fucker" Ed slowly went out of sight as he walked alill but road alot more of the climb then me. I was in salvage mode I'd push it up a bump and get a wave of puke feeling! I couldn't get my HR over 160.... else I'd get stomach cramps.... I kept it moving no stopping no rest I knew even if I moved slow if I kept moving I'd finish well.
on the back side of the lake the thorn areas I was scared 1 more flat and I was done someone was gonna have to come get me, I made it out ok :) Hit the paved section and into the single track. i still felt like ass but could feel the finish! coming out of the single track I knew I had 1 more climb, I got caught by a guy in CAT2 I got behind him he said he wasn't feeling well I said I was about to puke but we are finishing strong or puking trying he agreed. We hit the final climb him on front me right on his wheel tight single track tech climb short but about 300' up. I'm on this guy "lookin good, even tempo nice work" my stomach feeling what ever is in it its coming out! I look at my HR monitor I'm up at 180 again, I literally swallow back puke! I'm not sweating anymore either I only drank 20oz in the last 2.5hrs! I'm coaching this guy on till I think he got sick of hearing me and was like "you can come thru" I pass him up top and we ride together down back to the camp ground its nothing but a few turns and 1 lill bump left I slam big ring the guy is on my wheel, I look back he is hammering to stay on, we hit the lill bump I come out of the saddle this is it all I have!!!! I drop the guy I stay big ring hammer out the pavement, people are cheering us on I catch 3 more people here (none in my CAT(3) all CAT2 I have the elbows on the bars head low cranking away...
I make the last turn back onto dirt I can hear Kerin, Kerry, Coach Eric, I stay low and hammer, I give a quick look back to see if I'm going to get piped nobody! I roll no hands over the line, no hands on the air as I know I didn't win the CAT but out to the side in celebration as I'm happy with my effort!
Kerry confirms it 3rd!
Turns out Ed did catch the "blue guy" and won the CAT nice work ED!!!!
I learned alot about marathon MTB'ing I had the speed, I had teh fitness, I had the bike (which was wicked fast!!!) I lacked experience, a cool head, and stans tubeless :) I will learn from my mistakes and take it to the house in CAT2 next year :)
50 miles
6100' vert
5:32:27
calories 5362
avg HR 160
max HR 187
Training peaks info
http://tpks.ws/kfm2
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