The attitude from the start is great. The crowd is here to have a good time and 95% of the group knows they won't win - they are just here to challenge themselves. We are instructed to drop our bikes in a roped off area and directed to head over to the side for the race start....
My strategy - just enjoy the course, ride what I can, and stay out of the way... MY bike is in the back of this pack. The "running" start I took way easy and got to my bike in roughly the back 1/3. I start nice and easy knowing it would be a long race. Right from the start you could tell it would be a lot of give and take. Wet conditions and 300 riders starting at the same time... when the fire road narrowed to single track, we were queued up just trying to get a spot. Everyone worked together and we all got through, but everyone's time was affected. Luckily, the group was laughing and joking... none of us were gonna win and we were there for the good time, everyone was focused on the good time.
As we got to the single track, it was extremely slick. Those who lacked some bike handling skills would bottle everyone up as they made mistake after mistake. Again... good attitudes prevailed and we soldiered on.
The first part of the first lap was about survival. Just get through it and the group will thin out. This happened when we got to the "climb" toward the gondola... we were headed straight up the mountain. It was a death march of sorts. I was geared too high to pedal it and it was such a long climb, my calves burned as I pushed the bike. I would ride to relieve my legs from walking, then walk to relieve my legs from riding. It was a balance that I was struggling with, but as you looked up and down the mountain, so was everyone else. But again - great attitudes and smiles made it not only bearable, but oddly fun.
Got a few pictures on the way up...
Some suffered more than others.....
As we reached the Gondola, it was time for "the fun part" - descending. I took a second to kinda relax, then off I went...
There were two times I laid the bike on its side... not really a crash in that I was on my feet both times - however the conditions were kinda nasty at I started riding more cautiously - at that just made things harder. I passed a dozen or so racers and got passed by three on the way down. Everyone was courteous and all passes were non-dramatic. I just kept the bike moving forward and kept my best attitude I could at the time.
I start the second lap with a water break - and I see some familiar faces. Cjell lapped me just before the water break and Dylan lapped me shortly there after. I shout some encouragement and cheered them on. They were on a mission to do well, I was on a mission to just enjoy the course... and I did.
On the second lap, the course was much less slick? Seems backward to what I was expecting. The truly sketchy areas from earlier are now tacky and the bike is actually sticking. I continue on the course with two others - we chat and laugh and continue on. We stop for a beer break where the second lap split from the route of the first lap. Cheers - one beer = 1 chug per person and we roll. Oddly - after a few hours of suffering, this was the best tasting miller lite in history! We continue...
This section of the course I had pre-ridden the day before. But in these conditions, things I rode yesterday were just too nasty to clear today. With my conscious effort to stay out of the way, when I got bogged down, I pushed up the hills as fast as I could or just pulled my bike off the course to let others pass by.
Finally - the last hour or so I leap frog with "Rayden" or Chinaman or whatever his costume was. We did not speak a common language, but we looked out for each other and made it to the finish together... maybe not the "finish" but the start line, where we were told we missed the cutoff, so ride over.
I felt conflicted - I wanted to finish and I wanted to quit... but ultimately it was not my decision. I can live with it. Mission accomplished - ride somewhere new with new people and have fun. Aside from the death march to the top of the hill (which oddly was entertaining) I had a blast.
Sounds like it was a fun time and a great learning experience. Glad you committed to it and stuck it out as long as possible!
ReplyDeleteIt was a good time and I would do it again. I may keep an eye on the Single Speed Japan group for future events. I cannot see myself doing something like this more than 2 a year tho.
ReplyDelete