This is the end, what it’s all supposed to be about. Last night, Dominique said that I should be happy, that this is what I’ve been training all season for. After yesterday, I was obviously less than thrilled about how I felt. All I could do at that point is to eat a good meal and get a good night of sleep. Check and check. Wake up and see what happens. Oh and in the middle of the night, it started to rain.
Update: I was wrong about 96th. I assumed my number was my ranking but I was incorrect. Turns out I was 116th of 127. So the bar is 115th going into this race. I think when Sean told me this last night, it became sort of funny. I mean, 116th is a really high number. Sean didn’t make me put cleats in my shoes, but he strongly suggested I do that. So I did. With the course yesterday and the rain coming, I figured how could it hurt? This is all foreshadowing, but I am not going to tell you if it’s good or bad foreshadowing.
Proof that I was here:
My race is 2:10, and at 1:30 the skies open up and the rain comes down. The course had started getting tacky but with the rain coming, that was out the window. I was going to warm up out on the road but with the rain being cold, I went into the tent and used one of the trainers they had setup. This was a smart move. Very comfortable in here.
At this point, I’ll say that doing this day the same way I’ve done the whole fall (aiming my workout for 2-3:00) had me feeling much better than yesterday. Warming up, I felt pretty good. Legs were ok and I felt much better than the day before in pretty much every respect. Warmed up until about 1:50 then got off and went and stood in the rain with 126 other people. We got this. All of us.
So the goal is 115th or lower. Really I’m hoping for 100th or less. I don’t know why I think I can do this. When you look at the start list, these guys are really damn strong. This is not a collection of guys who are just coming down here to experience the day. Probably at least 100 racers in this field have stood on a podium this year. The numbers are legit. With the weather like this, I have given up the idea that I won’t get lapped. I know I’m going to get lapped.
I line up in the back, last. I’m just going to let things go and try to survive the first lap. The Coffin Corner is a runner. The sand pit is a runner. Then we plunge down into the cesspool of despair. Going down the hill I passed a few guys and 1 guy remarks, “Damn dude, great job.” Shortly after I totally wiped out on a left-hand sweeper. Back up, then we get into the conga line of running. Enter the spikes. I will say that I will never race cross without spikes again if there is any chance of rain. These allow me to just run (fast walk) straight up the hill. I had no idea these were so key.
The backside of the hill bottom is almost all running. Yesterday this was 98% rideable and today maybe 7%. As the race goes on, it gets less rideable. I do my best to hang in there and get around to the last hill, which is just almost all a fast walk. At this point, fast walking is as fast as riding or “running” – but it gets me there with a more manageable HR.
Second lap and we hit the Coffin Corner and I am able to ride it, but one dude has gotten off the bike and as I churn past him, he puts his hand on my ass and helps me up the hill. This gets the crowd going and gets us to laugh shortly after. In the sand pit, the cheering is dead. Nobody cares which is a little disappointing. I almost ride the pit and get exactly zero feedback. Lame.
More cesspool, more fast walking. I crash 1 or 2 times. I forget. I crashed 4-6 times today. The ground was soft though, so it was fine.
3rd Coffin Corner and it’s getting really bad, but I ride it clean and the whole crew gives me a huge cheer. This alone makes the race worth it. This makes me happy.
This course sucks and the conditions are worse but I am hanging in here. Nothing about it is ideal but I have done a pretty good job metering out my effort. We do the standard conga line and I try to ride the off-camber where people are, and I get a solid bit of encouragement there, until I fail. Then I go to the right side, but switch the bike to the left side, at which point someone says, “Hey the bike should be facing forward,” and I reply, “That’s totally optional,” to which he agrees.
I then do the downhill bit, and someone yells, “Stay in the groove!” I do this the first turn, then miss and crash, again, and lay down in the second groove. He makes a comment and I say, “I was just following directions!” More laughter. I am trying, doing my best, trying to cobble together the race as best I can.
End of lap 3 we are passed by the race leader and we start to get pulled. I am both ok with this and a little bummed but you know what, I’m ok with this. Strava link can be found here.
Finished 95th, so regardless of my 96th seed or 116th seed, I beat the odds. Go New Jersey!
Ok, that is a wrap. 2019 begins now, or maybe after I do laundry. I’ll figure out what 2019 means but we can do that at another time. But getting to 180 pounds is going to be the next major goal.
Tall man alert!
Traveling Normandy 