Two Wheel Blogs

It was longer, it was harder, and I'm just damn glad it's done. Let me do a quick recap for you, I won't go into big details, most of you have read the past years post, and alot of you have experienced it's pain first hand.

Jamie and I arrived Saturday, registered, and I went to hit a few miles of singletrack to open the legs up. Noticed the first giant fireroad climb, realized this was going to be a rough race from the start. Got back to eat or free dinner and THEY WERE OUT OF FOOD! I was balling on a budget with this race and it kinda sucked blowing another 20 dollars for dinner that I hadn't planned on. Guess you win some lose some.

The race started at 8. Huge mass start with the 60 mile and 80 mile group. Hit the first fireroad, things got strung out. It had to been a mile plus fireroad climb, it was a ballbuster. Came bombing down the backside and passed probably 15 people with flats already. This would be the theme of the day.

Then came the fun part! Let than a mile into the singletrack I came bombing around a corner doing 12-15mph and caught a root with my front wheel. Wheel went sideways, I kept going forward. Over the bars, and down a ditch. Grabed the bike quickly and started off. Well tried too... I tacoed my wheel so badly it wouldn't spin one inch. This was my finely built Stans Arch rim btw. What a great way to start. Thoughts of a DNF quickly filled my mind but my preserverance shortly took hold and I remembered what I had done in this situation so many times before. Start beating the shit outta it I said! Tried a tree first, not so much. Then realized there was a creek twenty or so yards away. I used my arms to man handle my body weight against the wheel and the rock. Try it back on the bike and see where I needed to bend. Do some more manhandling and put it back in the skewers. I did this about three times before I finally had it bent back in place good enough that it didn't rub agains the fork tubes.

Mile 5, 60 plus places behind where I was and I was off again. I spent the next few hours passing people like a bat outta hell. Blew by the first aid station gaining 15 spots, and using my roadie skills on the road and gravel sections.

Blowout mountain blew harder than ever... I spent a good amount of time walking like everyone else. Towards the end of the race I had no climbing left in me. Luckily the flats and downhills were still going smoothly. The last 12 miles of trail really kicked my arse. Climb climb climb, decend, climb climb climb, decend. That's was about the extent of it.

I hit the end of blowout mountain and they said I had 8 miles of gravel left. I was stoked and held an extremly high pace considering I had just endured 52 miles of pure ecstacy and hell. I was big ringing it most of the time and holding a 20+ mph pace. I couldn't believe the power I had. Instead of cramping up, falling over, and losing 5 places like last year, I actually passed 5 guys on the last leg. Finished stong, just glad it was over.

Six hours and thirty five minutes, and about 63 total miles from what I was told. I was so-so about the results, I think I was 55th overall. I was really shooting for top 20 and top 3 in my age group. Charge it to the game, shit happens. I couldn't believe the wheel held up for the remaining 55 miles. Even with untensions spokes it held out. Looks like Mark will have some work to do this weekend.

Great job to all of yous out there who raced and toured. It was an epic year at Ouachita, but fun non the less. Here's to another year in the books!