Friday, Matty T (who would be helping me out in the pit along with Blaze, who was also assisting the Tag Team of 13Stone&RobL, and fellow solo-ist DavidV) and I packed up RiotTeamHeadquarters and headed to Albion Hills...the venue of the 20th anniversary of this race.
The Albion Hills area got nearly 100mm of rain in the days leading up to the event...so it would be interesting to see what shape the race course would be in. We pulled in at 2pm (as per plan cuz that was the earliest we were to arrive, and we wanted a good solo spot). And it was true...the were campsites and portions of trail under water.
There were a couple of tents in the middle of this at one point...
The two way bridge near the solo area was under 18inches of water!! This was the road to the solo pit area...
Yeah, that's Raf riding through...
We fjorded the gorge with TeamHeadquarters in tow and found that there were already at least a dozen solo camps set up (WTF?? So much for the 2pm check in!). However our favourite spot was open and dry so we jumped on it! We got our area set up so that Blaze's pit of podiums was reborn!
Then we introduced ourselves to other solos, some familiar friends, and some new ones. There was Raf, Giant, Adam, Andy, Virgil, and SS legends...SSSarah, and dskunk. dskunk was my competition...and as a past winner of this event, and a multiple finisher of the Tour Divide, I knew it would take a monumental effort, if not a minor miracle for me to compete with him. He was riding a brand new SS True North rigid.
I would be riding my SS rigid Kona Raijin Ti. I had my geared hardtail Kona Raijin Ti as a backup. The SS is lighter, more efficient, and faster...but takes more work and is more jarring to ride on a rough course. But I knew I had to pull out all the stops to compete.
Then Friday night we registered grabbed the T shirt, picked up the VIP hat, socks, and BBQ ticket. Matty T enjoyed the BBQ...I ate my prepared supper meal...then we called it a night.
Saturday morning Blaze showed up to take control of the pit...MattyT went off to grab a couple of iconic McChicos for breakfast...
Then a last few team instructions...and before you know it...it was time to head to the start paddock. This event sold out months in advance so the paddock was loaded!
Can you find Waldo/Riot??
And I was lucky enough to line up with Garz of PinoyPedalPushers!!
And then, HONK!! We were off...on the start loop. A slow grind in the packed crowd. In fact slowly grinding the single speed up the grassy first loop climb I got push off the edge and fell down the ditch. Luckily 13stone rolled up behind me and helped pull me out...thanks 13stone!! Then off the start loop and onto the proper first lap. The course had dried out significantly over night...while there were still a few small wet sections, there was no longer anything under water...and SeanOfSuperfly had removed the worst parts from the course. Luckily much of the course was sand, and was almost tacky perfect.
However, the first lap is always a bit of a gong show with everyone tightly pack, and plenty of bottlenecks...the trick being to pass as safely as possible where possible...especially on the single speed. In this course there was so much climbing (around 300m per 16.5 km lap depending on who's garmin you trust), by halfway through the lap it started to thin out enough to put out mostly full effort.
1hr 6min through lap one...into lap 2. I was managing to stay ahead of dskunk by seconds...but he was gaining. The singlespeed was fast and efficient on this course...his was faster. 1hr 2minutes through lap 2...into lap 3 I knew I was not ahead by much, and midlap dskunk passed me.
Ummm...ya.
Anyways...I pushed to keep him within shouting distance knowing anything can happen through the course of this race. As we progressed the climbing was sucking the life out of me, as I'm sure it was for everyone...and the jarring of the rigid was beginning to make a mess of my hands and shoulders...
dskunk...looking fresh and fast...always...
Me, through a rock garden...
Through another...
ApexTed in all the right spots for the best pics!!
I was losing ground on dskunk...but I was staying in front of 3rd place...and on lap 6 I decided the ss was beating me up to much. I pulled into the solo pit and opted to switch to the geared hardtail. As Blaze prepped the bike (Blaze did an awesome job of keeping the bikes in prime operating condition throughout the race...for me, DavidV, and 13stone&Rob!!)...
Blaze, on bikes...
MattyT fed, watered, and caffienated me (MattyT did a great job of trying to keep me in peak operating condition!). And Blaze made some killer hash browns!
Off I went on the hardtail...into lap seven...and by the next lap it would be time to put on the lights as we headed into the night. As the night hit the temp cooled dramatically...but the humidity stayed at 87%.
Trying to stay warm into the night...
By now, I was getting into the hurt locker...everything was hurting...brain getting dopey...laps getting longer. And the cold and humidity brought a thick layer of dew into the night...which made the roots, bridges, and rocks slick and dangerous. At some point you hit a struggle between success, and survival. I was fighting that mental struggle...
On lap 10 with my brain dopey, and dozing off...I caught one of those slick roots the wrong way...it tossed me sideways...and I smashed my right shoulder into a tree. I limped through the rest of the lap into the solo pit. I had to take a break and recoup...if I kept going I was in danger of doing worse damage to myself. I dozed off in a camp chair, covered with a sleeping bag...but still drenched in sweat I got chilled and started to get uncontrollable shakes. I decided to put on some warm clothes, sit around the campfire (Blaze's BBQ), and call it a night until I warmed up. The need to survive had taken over...for now...I decided that was my best bet to finish this thing. I decided to wait until light to get going again.
Well...sortof like that. So...after a 5.5 hour break waiting for the sun to rise...I put on fresh, dry kit...and with every muscle screaming it's displeasure, I got back going. With my stop, I had dropped out of 2nd place, and was now fighting for 3rd and to stay on the podium...
As I finished lap 10 I could see I was a lap up on 4th place. dskunk and 2nd spot were now out of reach, but I could hold 3rd...I just had to keep going. And so I did...MattyT and Blaze kept me and the bike rolling. It wasn't fast...I was now granny gearing the hills, and riding to get through safely. I didn't need another crash. The goal was to keep going to the finish.
As I rolled through the transition zone for lap 12, I was over a lap up on 4th place. One more lap and I would have 3rd place. A careful lap 13...and I was done!! MattyT was at the finish to meet me!! Blaze had already taken the pit down and packed up...a tough two days for him too!! A short clean up...a celebratory refreshment or two...then to the awards celebration...just in time for another short blast of rain from ma nature. The race was done...she wasn't...
The honour of being on the stage with the legend dskunk!
SSSarah, who crashed during the night at the 15 hour mark, putting her out, but still had enough laps in to take 1st place. Another legend!!
Other legends...(all the legends come out for this one!)
PaRup with the GreatCanadianSagle
Other True Gritters on the podium...
DavidV...with an amazing, unbelievable 22 laps for second place...scaring the legend AdamH into doing 23 laps!!
Grant and Seth as part of a 5person mixed team
5person mixed Mark,Jenn,Paul,Vero,Kevin
The EnergyFitness guys that kept cheering me on...
And then there were these folks...
Pinoy Pedal Pushers...who I think had someone cheering for me almost every dang lap!
Then there may have been some post race shenanigans...
Raf...who killed 24 hours solo on his fatbike!! Jenn who was out to support Raf and a couple other solo friends. MattyT...my progeny...stuck with me to the bitter end...PowerPaul who competed with NewfieSteve, Rory, Jaimie in 4 man no nights class (so they helped to get me through the dark-night-of-the-soul)...
Well the shenanigans didn't last long. I was so wiped. This race hurt me alot. A lot. It hurt more than winning it in 2016, and more than my little story here described. I didn't repeat my championship...but I was happy with where I finished. More thanks than I can give to everyone who supported and cheered me on. So much appreciation to MattyT and Blaze for their pit support, truly a team effort; there are not enough ways to thank you two!! And CoachRob for getting me prepped. And Lois couldn't make it out but was supportive throughout....just like she is every other dang day; it's not the race...it's life I rely on her for!
Anyways...it's not like I won a friggin Juno award or something...
But truly, after this, I don't know when I will race again, or if I even want to. I still have sensitive point of my body missing skin, the muscles in my legs, back, and shoulders still feel electrified, head is still foggy, and I must have picked up some kind of bug inflaming my sinuses, throat, and lungs. Looking forward to just riding with friends for fun...not training...maybe some bikepacking. But as CoachRob said, "Quit crying!"... maybe after a couple of weeks (or 4) of convalescing...who knows?
Ah...maybe next week??
Till next time...
Stay posted!
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