Deeper Thoughts by JJ: (8.15.06)
I’m back in Iowa after a terrific 3 weeks on the bike. Another great RAGBRAI, followed by two great weeks in Colorado, capped off with the Race Across the Sky, the Leadville 100. Race motto – “Dig Deep” – and they mean it. I finished in 10:39, eleven minutes behind Jeff D at 10:28. The race was everything it was cracked up to be – I loved it and would definitely go back. Where to start?
Ø All in all, I was pretty pleased with my time, 84th in the 30-39 age group, 248th overall out of about 750. 455 racers finished under 12 hours. I was told that it was the lowest percentage of finishers in the 13 year history of the race, due probably to weather conditions. My usual thought at the beginning of every race is “Surely, I’m the slowest person here.” Well, at least for one day, I was faster than a few people. Wonders never cease.
Ø JD was terrific, no surprise there. What a horse that guy is, taking a full hour off his finish from 2005. I know he suffered a good part of the day, but he gutted it out, found his legs, and blew by me in the last 12 miles or so. He’s the man. Congrats, Jeff. It was great riding, racing and drinking with you this summer.
Ø JD and I easily had the number 1 crew at the race. Todd, Jean, Darcy, Pancho, and AJ all came in from Iowa. Jack is a legend, has he ever had a bad day? GREAT cookout Thursday night at his house. Jill drove 2 hours Saturday morning from Crested Butte to meet up at the Twin Lakes aid station, stayed for the rest of the race, and was back at work in the Butte Sunday morning. Karyn flew in from the NYC and promptly got her swerve on at Jack’s cookout. I looked forward to seeing all of them at every stop. I would say their support was unbelievable but nothing they do surprises me any more. They just never, ever, EVER let you down. You guys are the best. Thank you.
o By the way, there’s comedy, there’s high comedy, and there’s the inbound Pipeline aid station where the ladies let loose one of their great high-decibel cheers as I was set to ride off and concur Powerline, at which point I dropped my chain and almost fell off the bike.
o And again, thanks to Tom and Judy Peek for their condo in Breck – you guys were part of the team and I am forever in your debt. It was the perfect set-up.
Ø Never in a million years would I have guessed that I could climb a little, but I passed a lot of people going uphill. And then they all passed me on the descents. Need to improve my bike handling. Next time.
Ø I stopped to pee 4 times during the race and each stop was an ordeal of several minutes standing there like a 90-year old man trying to squeeze out a few drops. Even the volunteers laughed at me. Does all that time in the saddle crush whatever piping is situated in there? Hey all you urologists, we’ve got a spot for you on Team Skin! Floyd needed testosterone, I guess I need Flomax.
Ø Had a few bike issues -- couldn’t get into the little ring very well and stopped several times to flip it over by hand. JD passed me during one of these episodes and got to witness one of my hissy fits. And somehow I lost a rear brake pad before the St. Kevins descent, so no rear brakes for that. Not as bad as it sounds, I was so tired I didn’t care if I crashed. What kind of moron bike mechanic put those pads on anyway? Oh wait, it was me….
Ø Big thanks to Dennis Kaiser for letting me tag along with him on two pre-rides. His advice was on the money. Particularly keeping the walking to a minimum. I rode more of the tough rocky stretches than a lot of the others since I’d seen the course. And Powerline -- thankfully I’d seen that before and was prepared for the approximately 2,478 false summits. By the way, Dennis came in at 9:52, that guy can turn over the pedals.
Ø Did I mention the rain? It started at about the 8 hour mark and kept up for most of the rest of the day. That means mud. And cold. But I never put on a rain coat – just stuck with the vest and arm warmers. I was ready to swim to the finish if necessary.
Ø I got lucky on the nasty Powerline descent. There are some ruts and gullies there that will swallow you whole, but I got behind a guy who took the perfect line and I followed him all the way down. Piece of cake. I’d buy that guy a beer or five if I could find him. He was wearing orange and black…
Ø The great vibe about the 100 is well-known and it did not disappoint. You just have to be there to experience it. The racers, volunteers, spectators, crews – all of it together is a remarkable thing in these days of sarcasm, cynicism, and Paris Hilton. At the pre-race meeting, the race medical director said – “look to your right, look to your left. These are your friends.” And you know what? It really felt that way. A few highlights:
o I swear, those volunteers were angels. What a crew! “Need hot soup, candy, fruit, steak sandwich, fries with that? Can I hold your bike? Need your glasses cleaned?” Where do they find these people and can we clone them?
o The race medical director (also a racer) was a ham. His comments at the pre-race meeting were excellent.
§ “Be prepared for sudden and extreme changes in temperature. Like 50,000 to 1 million degrees. Delivered to you in the form of lightning.”
§ “One of the signs of altitude sickness is confusion. You remember confusion. It’s what you were feeling when you sent in the registration form for this race.”
o Dave Weins of Gunnison (Mars?) defended his title in an other-worldly 7:13. You’d think the guy would be entirely focused on his ride, but as he flew down Columbine after the turn-around, he was cheering on all of us, yelling at the top of his lungs – “Keep it up, you can do it!!!” What a stud, I’d like to shake that guy’s hand.
o I grunted up a tough stretch of the old AT&T hill on the in-bound and got some cheers from the guys behind me who were walking it.
§ Guy directly behind me: “Dude, that was great.”
§ JJ: “I’m not sure how smart it was to ride that.”
§ Guy: “Yeah, but the entertainment value was really high.”
Ø Let’s here it for the Iowa racers. We don’t need no stinkin’ mountains!!
o The Des Moines guys were terrific -- Jason Alread (fastest Iowan at 9:49), Ben Garrett (sub-10 hour in his first Leadville, I see gold belt buckles in his future), Brent Mitchell, Dave Fish, Brian Benson, Jim and Sally Logan on their tandem. And Dave and Dee Mable, what can I say – finishing on the tandem in 11:55. That is some kind of courageous effort – I stand in awe.
o John Adamson – champion of the 60+ age group and sub-10 hour ride. He just gets younger and younger. Landon Beachy rode a great race to get a buckle in his first Leadville. I’m looking forward to the Adamson – Dennis Kaiser duel next year in 60+ as Dennis bids farewell to his 50s.
Some other random thoughts about the race and the trip:
Ø Darcy whipped up on the locals last Wednesday night at one of the Summit County mt bike races, finishing third in her group despite having acclimated for only 4 days and not knowing the course. Do not mess with the Team Skin women.
Ø Finished the trip in grand style Sunday night in Denver with Jack, AJ, Darcy, and Karyn – saw Marcia Ball at the Gothic (highlighted by Count the Days and House of Love). She wails. I love her. We danced in bare feet. We drank Fat Tire with our 2 a.m. Sonic. Big thanks to Peter Pedro Patrick Quigney for putting us up at his swanky digs just a few short miles from the Gothic and driving us through floodwaters to drop us at the front door.
Ø If there’s any doubt that we live in the world’s greatest country, the Apple Jack liquor store in Denver should dispel it. A case and a half of assorted New Belgium brews, a case of 90 Shilling, a 12-pack of Boulder Singletrack, two handles of Stoli, and a handle of St. Brenard’s Irish Crème for just under $150. Amazing!!
Ø We rearranged pilot/co-pilot arrangements for the trip home – Pancho drove home with JD to avoid the body-cavity search (“Cough please.”) at the Denver airport and Darcy rode home with me. Alas, that foiled my plan to stop at every McDonald’s between Denver and Iowa City, but it is great to have a friend along for the drive. Frances may be the World’s Best Dog, but she’s doesn’t have a lot to say.
Ø Wow, the trip across eastern Colorado and Nebraska (Coloraska? And is it Nebrado if you’re going east to west?) just flies by. As Jack says, you can’t cram enough film in the camera for that stretch of driving.
OK, this got way too long. My parting shot – if you ever try something big like this was for me, commit to it, do the work. And enjoy every minute of it, all the training, all the suffering.
ISN’T IT GREAT TO BE ALIVE!!!
JJ's Pre-Race Blog Entry...(8.9.06)
Deep Thoughts by JJ:
Thought I'd check in from Colorado with a pre-race update.
