Stories, News & Updates...

2012 24 Hours at Old Pueblo

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:07:16 -0600

I just finished racing the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo in southern Arizona and had the time of my life. I have raced many 24 hour races and never had more fun than at this race. What made the difference in this race from all the others?
       It all began at the end of November when I had my first ride on my Renovo singlespeed. I was in love with the singlespeed concept, no gears, just myself,the bike and the trail. Everything is so simple and quiet except for the hum of tires on the dirt. I loved the feel of the wooden bike and how smooth the ride felt. As much as I enjoyed riding my Siren the Renovo was so much more enjoyable.   In two months since getting the wooden bike I rode the Siren twice.
        The 24 Hours of Old Pueblo is a fun, well run race. There is not a lot of climbing or rocks so I thought it was the perfect race for my first try at racing singlespeed. I felt it was necessary to gradually increase the length of my rides so as not to get injured. As a result before the race I had several three and four hour rides and one five hour ride. I was hoping for longer rides but snow, sickness and minor surgery on my hand( read important suggestion at end) kept that from happening.
         I was really unsure how well I was trained. The most laps I had ever ridden at Old Pueblo was 11, two years ago on my trusty Turner, a geared 26 inch. I really thought I would be doing well if I could ride 8 laps. When I did the 11 laps the weather was perfect, not hot in the day or too cold at night. I rode as hard as I could and was very tired by the last few laps. I just knew riding a singlespeed would be harder and was very worried of not being able to finish the full 24 hours.
          In all the previous races I have always started the run at the back and walked most of it. When I got to my bike there would be no one around. The first lap I would always find myself having to pass slower riders. All year I planned to start practicing running but it never happened. I decided to try to run as much as I could this year and didn't start at the back. I got in the mob of riders to one side and a third of the way back. I also wore my Keen Springwater shoes instead of my Sidi. They have much more support. I was shocked how easy the run was. When I got to my bike I was in with all the other runners and had to weave my way through them with my bike. Out on the course I didn't have to pass other riders and I wasn't holding up riders. Instead of riding hard as I did in the past I was actually riding as slow as I could. I was still worried about blowing up and not being able to ride the full 24.                                                                                  The course could not have been in better shape. A few days before the race it had snowed three inches which packed the dirt so it was not dusty or sandy. I was very appreciative of this on the lap I forgot my glasses and didn't return with dust filled eyes.
         The course has the famous bitches which are very steep though not too long.   On the Turner I rode all but the steepest one every lap. They have built a single track bypassing the bitches. As a warm up Saturday morning I rode part of the bypass and decided not to go this way during the race. To me it had lots of up hill and was so narrow it would be difficult for others to pass me. I planned to walk the bitches and give my legs a rest.   The last two miles is a continuous climb that had always been tough for me as I was riding as fast as I could. By the end it was extremely difficult to keep riding. When I got to this section the first time this year I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was. I didn't even need to stand up. There was one short very steep section at the very top that I did walk every lap. I knew I could ride it sometimes but was afraid it would wipe me out for the rest of the course. My first lap was only ten minutes longer than my my first lap last time so I was very pleased.
         On the second lap when I came to the bitches I discovered I could coast half way up and then walk. I know that next year with more time riding the bike I could ride all except the steepest one, most of the time.   As the day wore on and my lap times were consistent and I was mentally calculating just how many laps I could really finish. With no mishaps eight laps seemed very doable.
         The temperature both day and night could not have been better. It wasn't at all hot during the day and the nighttime was very pleasant. When I came in from a night lap I was actually eager to get back riding instead of trying to linger by the warm heater. It seems the only real problem I have riding at night is keeping my hands and feet warm. I took my Bar Mitts this time and was pleased how warm they kept my hands. They may have looked like overkill but for me they were perfect. I did have trouble keeping my shoe covers on with the walking. I had my Lake winter shoes with me but forgot about them. Next time I won't forget.
          As the laps increased I naturally got tired but nothing like I expected. It just seemed so easy. I am usually pushing hard and anaerobic. This time I was purposely keeping my heart rate down and not breathing hard. In the end I rode 10 laps and stopped at 11:00 with one hour left. I could have ridden another lap. Since it wouldn't make any difference in my placing I couldn't see any sense in it. Better to use the time packing up. Jeff, Randy, Sheri and of course Aspen had been their usual supportive, efficient, and encouraging self. I could never do this race without them. We had a three plus hour drive ahead of us.
         There were seven solo singlespeed women who started the race. I dreamed of a podium place but didn't think it would actually happen. First and second place both rode 15 laps, third 12 and I rode 10.   I am extremely proud that I could ride with women half my age and still be competitive.
          I still smile when I think about Old Pueblo. I am already looking forward to next year. I will definitely ride the Renovo. With another year of riding a singlespeed against the 2 months I had this year I look for heaps of fun next year.
           Earlier I made reference to a suggestion. I encourage everyone to pay close attention to any spot on their body that doesn't look quite right. I had a small,red itchy spot on the back of my finger. It was there for several weeks so I made an appointment with a dermatologist to have it checked out. It was so insignificant I almost canceled the appointment several times. I can't say how thankful I am that I didn't. The dermatologist didn't think much of it either but took a biopsy anyway.( A biopsy is better than freezing it because you know exactly what you are dealing with.) He was so surprised of the finding he sent it for a second opinion. Turned out it was squamous cell carcinoma. If I hadn't done anything it could have eventually traveled to my lymph nodes and become quite serious. I can't imagine how a spot on the back of my finger got skin cancer. I have always worn full finger gloves. I am now much more serious about wearing sunscreen and won't think twice about having a suspicious spot examined. I encourage you to so the same.

Oh Wood you look at that!!!

Tue, 3 Jan 2012 19:01:04 -0700

Yes, that is my new bike.
Yes, it’s made out of wood.
Yes, I did say wood.

I must apologize for not writing this entry sooner. I was sure it wouldn't take this long. My only excuse is I have been having too much fun on my new toy.
This story begins nearly one year ago. Last January my son Randy sent me an e-mail with a link to the Renovo wooden bikes site. I checked them out and fell in love. The bikes were beautiful works of art and I wanted one. I noticed they had a mountain bike.   Now, six months earlier I had a Siren 29" soft tail custom built for me. I certainly didn't deserve or need another bike. Jeff had given me a entry level SS the Christmas before (09) which I liked, but it was very heavy and difficult for me to ride up hills. As I was riding it I dreamed of a lighter SS I could ride everywhere.
I showed Brent the Renovo bikes and he also thought they were unique works of art and wanted me to have one.   What a wonderfully dear husband! I am so lucky!
Jeff, Randy and I started talking about making the Renovo mountain bike a singlespeed.   They had never built a SS but were very helpful in coming up with a frame that would work for me.   We decided to build it with as many regular geared parts and frame so in the future ( when I am 100) I could put gears on and still ride it. I put in my order and hoped I would have it before too long.
I decided to have Renovo only supply the frame and I would get the components myself and have the bike built. While I was waiting for the frame I started to collect parts which helped to ease the passing time. I wanted the bike to be light but didn't need the very lightest and most expensive components.    After reading the reviews I decided to go with a Niner rigid carbon fork. It would be very light and I felt give me enough cushion.
I selected Avid XX brakes, Stan's Crest rims and hubs, Maxxis Ignitor tires and Time pedals. I took the carbon Monkey Lite bar off my other SS. I was hoping the bike would be lighter than my Siren which weighs 24 pounds.
I was going to have Dave at Tri-A-Bike in Palm Desert build the bike. I wanted to surprise them with the wood bike and wouldn't tell them what kind of bike I was getting. I only gave them a list of the parts I needed for them to order.
Randy worked at Tri-A-Bike many years ago and still stays in touch with Dave. During a casual conversation with Dave he mentioned I was getting a Renovo mountain bike. The next time I was in the shop they surprised me by asking if my new bike would be wooden. As it turns out Dave was also waiting for a Renovo road bike he had ordered about the same time as I did. It turned out that he received his frame the day before mine showed up at my door.
All my components were waiting at the shop and I couldn't wait to have it built and ready to ride. I finally got all the pieces in place and ready to ride the last weekend in November.   When we weighed it at the shop it weighed an amazing 22 1/2 pounds. It felt like a a road bike. Since I had it built up as a rigid I was a little concerned about how it would feel riding. The Niner carbon fork is everything I wanted it to be. It actually feels as cushy as my Fox fork. The only time it is rough is riding over many small rocks or washboard. The combination of 29" wheels and wood frame make for a very comfortable ride.
This bike is so beautiful I have to admit I didn't want to get it dirty and it lives in my living room. Well, it has now been initiated and felt water,mud and snow between the tire treads. I still keep it clean and in the living room. To me this is my big work of art, it is so beautiful.
I have ridden my Siren (I still love it too) only once since getting the Renovo. We have had perfect weather this Christmas vacation so I am riding the SS every day. I can feel myself getting stronger with each ride. I am learning how to use the slightest down for momentum going up. My longest ride so far was almost four hours with lots of climbing. I did have to push up some short steep climbs I can ride up on the Siren. My plan is to be able to ride most of them one day.
My first huge goal is 24 Hours of Old Pueblo. I am registered for solo singlespeed. I have to complete my four hour ride six more times. I have my work cut out for me. I and so excited about the race. I imagine myself riding it on every ride.
I have heard you either love or hate riding a SS. Why do I love the singlespeed so much? It is so simple and quiet. Making the wheels turn is all up to me. I love the challenge of seeing what hills I can climb and watching my progress with every ride. It is like being back on my maroon childhood bike. It makes me feel younger with each hill I climb.
After I see how everything goes at Old Pueblo I will decide if I can enter other races as a singlespeed.   Until then I will continue to have a blast seeing what hills I can climb and getting younger.

Bikepacking in Julian, CA

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:14:00 -0700

Another fun bikepacking trip has come to an end. My son Jeff had planned a vacation trip from his home in Colorado to come out and visit here in California, since he won’t get to be home for Christmas this year. After talking about some stuff to do, bike riding related of course, we decided on a few days of bike packing somewhere not too far from home. After hours of searching Google Earth, we came up with a route spanning some 95 miles starting about 2 hours from home in the small mountain town of Julian, I had ridden there some in a race a few years ago, but was eager to explore at a more leisurely pace.
It was wonderful to have Jeff here for five days. When I got home from work he was already here. Our plans were to take a three day bikepacking trip around Julian, much of it on the Julian Death March course. In 2009 I had raced the 43 mile distance, and I have wanted to ride the 50 mile distance and was very curious about what the remaining miles were like.
      We spent the next day getting our gear organized and packed up. On my last two trips I had not been as organized in packing as I should have been and tried to have things where I would have an easier time finding what I needed.   The weather was forecast to be in the low 50's and high 70"s. I would say perfect. We would take tents in the car but didn't plan to carry them. We planned to come back to Julian at the end of the second day, so if the weather changed we could get them.
      Since Jeff can't be here for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year I decided to cook a turkey and have a traditional meal. It is not a big deal for me to cook a turkey with my special way of cooking it. I put the turkey in the night before, breast down covered with olive oil, and cook it at 300 degrees for one hour and then turn it down to 185 and cook it for sixteen hours ( for a 20 lb turkey).   I have cooked a turkey this way for years and always had moist, delicious turkeys. So Wednesday night we had a traditional Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings. Grandma (my Mom), who is 100, was here too. It was a special night.
      The next morning we drove one and a half hours to Julian and found a place to leave the car for a few days. The weather was windy and felt much colder than what they had predicted. By 11:30 we were pedaling along the beginning of the Julian Death March course. The first 12 miles is on paved and good dirt roads with a few rougher sections and mostly down hill with short up hills thrown in to warm you up. We took our time getting settled in and really enjoyed the scenery. There was quite a bit of traffic from all the hunters in the area for the first few miles.
    At the twelve mile point, when we had descended to almost 1700’ from our start at 4300’, we turned off the improved road on to a jeep road. It plummeted for a short distance and the weather suddenly turned very warm, almost hot. Then we came to our first hike-a-bike section. I remembered walking it during the Death March with an unloaded bike. Thankfully it wasn't very long. For the next ten miles the road would be pretty good dirt winding up with a grade of 4 to 8 percent, but a few steep pitches of over 17 percent.   My legs weren't feeling very lively but riding with Jeff is always enjoyable and the scenery was beautiful so going slow just made it all the better. We then transitioned on to better dirt and paved roads for some more miles of climbing.
Our first destination was the restaurant at Lake Cuyamaca, about 27 miles in, where we planned to have dinner. We arrived just as the sun was going down and the temperature dropped dramatically. I was sweaty and immediately started to get chilled. On the other hand Jeff was quite comfortable, living in colder climates certainly can be an advantage.   I warmed up in the restaurant as we enjoyed a well earned meal of big turkey burgers, onion rings and pie.
     After dinner we refilled our water, then rode a few miles up the road and found a good camp site just as the sun was going down. While we had lights, it seemed a good idea to stop at a nice spot. I had really tried to be better organized but I still had a hard time finding what I was looking for. I can see this is a major area for me to work on. I have not slept out without a tent for a long time and was really looking forward to lying in my sleeping bag looking up at the stars. It was beautiful and peaceful and the rustle in the bushes kept us wondering what it might be. The nighttime temperatures dropped well below the predicted 50 and seemed more like 35. Jeff hadn't brought his warmest bag so the night was a little less comfortable for him. Going to bed when it is dark at 7:30 makes for a long night. There was no moisture at night but the morning was cold, and the sun was creeping ever so slowly towards us, and we stayed in bed until it finally reached us. As it turned out it would have been better if we got up earlier.
      The second day's plan was to deviate from the race course and ride up to near the top of Cuyamaca Mt., at over 6400’, and then descend down a fire road on the other side. The road up was paved but exceptionally steep and mostly a hike-a-bike, which took about an hour. We ascended through a huge burn area from 9 years ago, and it was really interesting to see all the ways in which the forest is growing back. The fire road turned out to be just a very over grown and narrow trail. It took us much longer than anticipated so we had to skip the next planned section, which was to be more fire road back up into the mountains, and ride up the highway and connect back to the Julian Death March course.   We were concerned that we would be getting back into Julian too late to get food, as small towns tend to shut down early. After a few miles of uphill pavement, some really fun dirt road, and singletrack, we came to the end of the course that I had ridden before. We planned to ride the ten miles or so of the course that I hadn’t ridden
        This part started with flowing singletrack through golden grass and then a long fast downhill on old mine roads into the little community of Banner. It was 4PM when we got there, refilled our water, and planned our next move. It didn't seem like it would be difficult to to go the last 4 miles before dark until we saw the steep switchbacks we would be surely pushing the bikes up, and realized that we had almost 1500‘ of climbing to do. Fortunately, or unfortunately, because I really wanted to experience the whole 50 mile course, the Old Banner Toll Road was private property and gated. After quick check of the maps, we decided that the only way back to Julian was up the paved road. More miles on the highway. Thankfully, nearly all the Friday night traffic was going the opposite direction to the desert for the weekend. after a long slog up the aptly named Banner Grade, we reached the car just as it was getting dark and I was again getting very chilled.   We had planned to eat dinner here and then head out to find a place to camp. If we had an earlier start in the morning maybe the rest of the trip would have been different. We were both more tired than anticipated and knew we had a considerable ways to ride to find a camping spot. We decided to drive home that night and skip the third day.
         Julian seems to close down early Friday night. We did manage to find a place to eat but didn't get any pie which the town is famous for and I had been looking forward to. Even though it was shorter BY 25 miles than originally planned, it was a very memorable trip. The route was mostly roads, but they were all very scenic, and took us to some pretty out of the way places. Jeff is so much fun to ride with. He is always in a good mood and very helpful. I am one lucky Mom.
         Thank you Jeff for the memories.

Christmas will come early for me this year, stay tuned, I will have an exciting next blog in a week or two!

Shakin and Bakin

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:15:10 -0600

I am sorry it has been so long in between my reports. Life certainly hasn't been at a stand still.
Shortly after the Colorado Trail trip I tried to forcefully move a chair with my little toe and you guessed it, broken, the toe that is. It was a week before the school year started and I couldn't wear shoes so I wore flip flops. Two days later in my classroom getting ready for the year I kicked a desk leg with the same toe. I had a few children in my room so I couldn't say what I wanted to. I found some fairly comfortable slip on sandals that didn't hurt too much if I bathed my toe in Hammer Balm. This was the life saver. It would numb the toe and has the wonderful fragrance of cloves. As long as I could get 27 eager six year olds to not step on my foot I would be fine.   The students were very careful and after four weeks I was wearing shoes again. The great thing about this whole episode was I could wear my Sidi shoes and the toe didn't hurt if I was pedaling, but no walking in them.   With school started and bum toe I didn't get much quality riding in. I had one ride of three hours before my next race.
I planned the end the race season with a bang.   The weekend of October 1 and 2 was going to be a wonderful two days of racing. On Saturday I planned to race the West Coast Marathon Championships at Vail Lake, CA and the next day at the same venue the US Cup XC race. I had raced at Vail Lake many times with the 12 Hours and the Marathon in 2009. I knew there was no shade and the trails are either on top of a ridge in the baking sun, if it is hot, or in a canyon with no breeze. I was paying close attention to the weather reports. It was predicted to be 88. Hot but I felt doable.
At the 9:00 start it already felt to be 88 and the air was still. There were about 200 racers of which 13 were women. My legs felt surprisingly good on the first 20 percent climbs to the high point. I knew from previous experience I had to drink and take Endurolytes regularly, which I did. I also planned to take Xoboline every hour. The first hour went well and I had finished 13 miles in 1:30 and was ready to ride what would be a new section for me. I reached for my Hammer Race Caps, Anti-fatigue, Mito Caps, and Endurance Amino and discovered I didn't have them. Then I realized I had dropped the Xoboline pill case as I was putting it away. This new section along a ridge line had many steep pitches most everyone pushed up. Some were even hard to push a bike up. The heat was intense and I found myself stopping more than I should. Before I finished my first 25 miles Tinker passed me at the end of the his second lap and 50 miles.
When I finished the first 25 I wasn't sure they would let me go out for another lap. I stopped at my car, found more Hammer supplements and asked Jason and Heather if I could go again. “Of course” was the answer.   This time up the 20% hill was very different. I could see no one around and felt very alone. The sun was baking my brain. I couldn't ride much of anything going up and found walking was just at hard. The only thing comfortable was leaning on the bars.   Pretty soon another racer joined me and offered to push my bike for me. No, I had to make it myself. Before I got to the top I knew it was all over for me if I had any thoughts of racing the next day. I suffered more than I ever had and at the first exit road I was done. I had finished about 30 miles in 5 hours.
As it turned out the report was the temperature reached 110 - 115 on the trail. Of the 13 women 7 dropped out. Overall about half of the 200 did not finish.
When I was standing around talking after I was out I felt pretty good. I decided I had to race on Sunday and registered in the 65+ category.   I was sure it would be hot again but I only had to race 17 miles. My recovery was going to be extremely important after the hole I had dug for myself. Immediately after the race I had taken two servings of Recoverite. I never got my usual headache I get on hot races so I had hydrated enough and taken the appropriate amount of Endurolytes.
As soon as I was home I had an ice bath, trash can filled with water and floating ice blocks. Stood in this 10 minutes, took a shower and then had another ice bath. After that I used my EMS machine on recovery for 40 minutes and then put on full length compression socks. I left the socks on until it was race time on Sunday at 11AM.
It didn't seem quite as warm and I didn't have to climb the 20% hills. I was amazed how well I felt. The legs didn't hurt when I climbed. I was actually able to pass a few people and ended up with a 9 minute margin over the 50+ woman. I was very happy with my ability to recover.
The weekend had turned out OK after all.
The 2011 race season was over for me but I have some exciting happenings coming up. In a few days Jeff is coming from Colorado and we are going to have a 3 day bikepacking trip. I am supper excited about it.
The next great thing is, well, you will have to wait a bit.

Colorado Trail Adventure

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 20:16:22 -0600

I have just completed the greatest adventure of my life on the Colorado Trail.
It all started last August when I was a blue dot junkie following the racers on the Colorado Trail Race.
By completing the Breck Epic Stage Race the last two years, I had proved to myself that I could ride consecutive days and survive. Ever since I started entering endurance races I have kept searching for harder and longer events. I seem to need or want to keep challenging myself to see how far I can push myself. Maybe I don't want to admit that my age is creeping up to the time when I can no longer finish the long races. If I keep riding maybe that time will never come. The Colorado Trail Race seemed like the next step even though I have heard it described as possibly the hardest mountain bike race anywhere.
I love riding in Colorado and desperately wanted to experience the Colorado Trail Race. However I didn't think it would be smart to tackle it without knowing something of what I was in for.
What is the Colorado Trail? It covers 470 miles from Denver to Durango and is nearly all single track.    The trail is divided into 24 sections. It is used by hikers, bikers and horsemen. Every year the first week of August the Colorado Trail Race takes place. There is no entry fee and no awards. The racers are completely on their own. They must navigate the trail on their own and receive no outside help. They must carry everything they need with them on the bike or body. All supplies must be purchased in stores along the way. It travels through some of the most beautiful wilderness Colorado has to offer ascending over many 12,000+ passes.
There are many words that can describe riding the Colorado Trail; Stunningly beautiful high altitude vistas, fields of multi color wild flowers, excruciating pain, difficulty breathing, flowing single track, technical trails, friendly people, cute marmots, stately bucks, long hikes, sore muscles, exhaustion, rain, lightning, booming thunder, blue sky, brilliant sun, green meadows, deep blue lakes, aspen groves, and great satisfaction.
I feel so very fortunate to have been able to share this experience with my son Randy.
I did not race the trail this year.   I planned to ride part of it to find out if it was something I could take on in the future. I started collecting the special gear required and in February did a two day trip in Arizona as a shake down.
I planned to start with section 6 at Kenosha Pass and ride to the end of section 14 at Highway 50, a total of 180 miles.
Randy, Jeff and I all started at 7 AM on August 3. Jeff was our shuttle driver so was only going to ride part way.   I had ridden to Georgia Pass several times before with Jeff so I knew what to expect. This is one of my favorite trails and it is impossible to not enjoy as you swoop through meadows and aspen groves. We made good time and were at the top by 11:15. After a brief stop for pictures and food we headed down to Breckenridge. I also knew this trail from previous races and was thoroughly enjoying it. They were doing tree removal on part of the trail so we had to take Tiger Road to the Dredge and then finish to Breck, arriving at 3PM. After phone calls and more food we started up Gold Hill.   This was where the real work for me was beginning. This trail is steep and filled with big roots. We basically pushed our bikes for the next four plus hours to tree line. We felt it was too early to stop and were providing the mosquitoes with a banquet. With good cell reception we called Jeff for a weather report. There were storm clouds in the area but it looked like they would miss us so we started up Miners Creek and headed over the top of the Ten Mile Range.
It wasn't long before the rain started and it seemed to get dark quickly. I am actually glad it was dark because the trail is extremely rocky and has what appeared to be a sheer drop off. The lights of Breckenridge were mere specks far below. I felt like a mountain goat. It had been a long day and I was becoming exhausted. There were two places I was unable to push my bike over rocks because it was so steep. Randy had to pull my bike up. If I had been by myself I would have had to take gear off my bike to push it up. We had no choice but to continue on and get over the 12,600 foot summit as quickly as possible. Thank goodness the lightning was far away and I wasn't too worried about it. It took us three long hours to reach the top and start down the other side which was also rocky and difficult to find the trail at night.   At midnight, after 17 hours, 9 of which was pushing the bike, we found a place to put up the tents. It was still raining which made it more difficult trying to keep everything as dry as possible. As tired as I was, sleep didn't come easily. I felt like I was awake most of the night but in the morning I wasn't tired so I must have slept.
I was concerned about packing up everything that was wet and what it would be like the next night.
The second day would take us into Copper Mountain, over Searl Pass and Kokomo Pass, through Camp Hale and over Tennessee Pass. At the start of the day we stopped in Copper for food. I ate a 600 calorie cookie and took one for later. I had trouble swallowing the cookie. It tasted like sawdust. The trail over the passes were beautiful but there was a lot more pushing. It rained for a while going over Searl Pass. I was making a big mistake in not eating enough. I was going as fast as I could and we had very few stops except for me trying to catch my breath or take a picture.   We had hoped to make it to Leadville but ran out of daylight and set up camp just before dark. It had been a 12 hour day filled with high passes and hours of pushing the bike.
I was pleased to find out that my sleeping bag wasn't wet inside even if my bivy tent was.
Before I went to bed this time I remembered to take Xoboline and Rem Caps since I had forgotten them the first night.   Every part of my body was sore to touch. I was hoping the Xoboline would provide the magic it had before after hard rides. The REM Caps helped me sleep much better. In the morning I felt rested and the Xoboline had done its magic because nothing was sore. Well, my heels were becoming tender. The night before looked to be clear so I spread out all my wet clothes to dry overnight. Big mistake. We were camped beside a meadow that created a fog bank during the night. Everything was wetter than before.   The inside of my bivy was dripping in the morning and now I was sure the sleeping bag would be wet at night.
The Colorado Trail travels through several wilderness areas that bicycle are not allowed in. For this reason there are several road detours. Our third day would be the first detour. We would go through Leadville and up Half Moon Road to get back on the Colorado Trail. We stopped in Leadville at the Safeway for food and water. I ate a sub sandwich and should have bought one to take for later.
With a loaded bike and backpack, riding up hills at high altitude becomes difficult, so many hours are spent pushing the bike where I would normally be able to ride. This day would be no different. Our mantra was consistent movement forward. We never stopped longer than was necessary to filter water, eat a few bites, catch my breath or take a picture. If I intend to participate in the real race this is what has to be done. I had been wearing wet socks for two days and my heels began to hurt with the beginnings of blisters. MoleSkin and tape wouldn't stay on. I tried blister shields which worked well, but I should have put them on at the start.
It was becoming quite obvious that by pushing so hard I was digging a big hole for myself and not eating enough wasn't helping. There were no huge passes to go over but it was constant up and down. On the descents I completely forgot about all the pain going up. The aspen groves and wild flower filled meadows were all worth it. Randy suggested that we stop at friends in Buena Vista for the night, dry out our bags, and see how I was feeling in the morning.
A hot shower, big meal, and soft, dry bed were heavenly. By morning blisters had appeared on both heels so we decided to stop. I had made it through 7 1/2 segments, and 130 miles, which was 1 1/2 segments short of my original goal.
I wasn't disappointed with stopping short. The ride had been an incredible experience and I learned some valuable lessons. For one thing don't carry around 4 pounds of extra food and items that are never used. I didn't plan the food I was taking well enough and should have counted calories to know exactly what I was carrying. I also know better what my stomach will tolerate.
Randy was a wonderful partner to have this experience with. Whenever I was getting tired he was always encouraging and telling me what a good job I was doing. I know I would never have taken on this challenge by myself. However, now I believe I could tackle it alone, though it wouldn't be nearly as fun and probably a lot more scary.
I want to thank all those who came to my support and made this adventure happen: Brent, Randy, Jeff,(did a fantastic job getting all my bags attached to my bike in a slick way), Sheri, Susan, Betty and Manny at Tri-A-Bike who stopped what he was doing to get my bike ready. Eric at Revelate makes the best equipment for bikepacking. I was very happy with my Big Agnes sleeping bag and pad. I was certainly tired at the end but I wasn't sore and I have Hammer products to thank for that. My Siren bike was perfect. Coach Kristen did an amazing job getting me ready with a minimal amount of time after my knee injury.
I have made many notes and read the blogs of the racers. I am already planning what I need to do to make next year more successful. All my thoughts will be on the 2012 Colorado Race. Just how far can I make it?