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You Will Have to Slow Down So I Can Pass You…
We drove to Tsali the night before to set up our tent in the feed zone, found an old favorite pasta joint in Bryson City for a large helping of chicken & pasta, returned to camp and layed down in our mobile camping unit for a chilly nights rest. The morning air was cold and the clouds were low but within an hour the sky was bright blue…a wonderful day for a very long bike ride!!! Longest ride on a mountain bike for me so far…
I had no idea it was going to be such a great ride…the race started with a Lemans start (you run a good distance to your bike which is hidden amongst the rest of the hundreds of other bikes…good thing for extremely bright hot pink grips!) Most cyclist will complain about this kind of start because it is why we ride…we hate to run!!! I do agree but this gave me time to get my heart rate started and it thinned out the crowd nicely. Tsali trails provide a wee bit of everything for a mtbiker…long gravel road climbs, swoopy single-track, wet roots, mud PITS, rocks, and fast, fast, turns!!! The mud puddles were abundant for a few laps but it seemed the only way was right through them which splashed much of the water out resulting in somewhat dryer pits…slippery - yes…miserable mud pits – no! (except for 2 sloppy areas I knew I was going down…but I managed to defeat the pull of the mud Gnomes!)
Lap 1 – Keep heart rate at a reasonable pace…and convince myself that I really wanted to be out here!
Lap 2 – Study the trail…learn it, know it, become one with it!
Lap 3 – Start the lap reversal count…I intended on doing 8 laps so 5 more, 5 more!!!
Lap 4 – Am I eating enough? Do I feel ok? Starting to get sluggish…what can I eat on the next feed stop?
Lap 5 – WOW…this is fun!!!! I am doing so good I just might get 9 laps!!!
Lap 6 – Chris was done with his 6 hour adventure and now waiting so diligently for me in the feed zone! What a difference it makes to have support at each lap! Smack on the a$$ and he sends me off for more…
Lap 7 – Get through this and it is only 2 more…this was a hard one to get started on! The first 25 minutes of the lap is brutal…long boring fireroad climb to a wet slippery section loaded with roots.
Lap 8 – OH MY GOODNESS!!! This is my goal lap and I have so much time left…who’d a thought???
Lap 9 - If I power through this one I may be able to tack one more lap…do I wanna??? No…but I will try! Resist looking at the time and just pedal! No walking the hills! I have only walked one (every lap…it is a bugger of a grunt!) but no walking!!! By the way – it is dark now! It seems that the darkness takes away some skill…and speed! I did great the entire day until this lap…I never went down but I hit a root or two that I know were not there in the daylight!!! Those crazy Trail Gnomes out to get me again!!!
For the most part it was a hard day! Kristi, a gal I ride with often, was against me along with 2 other gals. I would say in a friendly but aggressive way we battled it out till the end! She wanted this win just a few seconds more than me and got it…but I made her work for it! She may not have liked me that day…but I think she is happy to know she has it in her to push it to that level…I was definitely glad she made me work hard too!!!
This was the second time I was on my new bike…first time as its complete build with the new fork and all! I rode it for a 10 hour ride a few weeks prior and knew I was in love…but that ride was a mental disaster for me so I did not get a good feel for my Yeti. I named her AnnaBell…it is a Yeti ASR…and the most awesome bike ever! The geometry just works…it goes where I want it to go…cushy when I want cush…stiff when I want support…and stable as a…em…well…um…a YETI!!!! I have never gone as fast as I had rode this day…in fact I never, ever use the big ring! …and I was in the big ring a lot!!! When I powered up it flew! Handled berms like it knew what to do! And tackled the rough sections like they were smooth! My Yeti made my day that much more enjoyable!!!
Over the course of the day riders are passing you, you are passing riders…it is a constant game of leap frog with various players…and cat & mouse game with your immediate competitors. I was passed by the 1st place winner about lap 7…she was gone!!! I rode off and on with the 4th place gal for a few laps but never saw her after about the 4th lap. Kristi and I, however, played cat & mouse ALL day!!! Me first, no her first, now me, now her, my turn…then her turn to the finish! I could see her in my sights but just could not catch!!! On the final lap a girl came up behind me…I asked if she was on a team which meant she was not in immediate competition so I would let her go around. Unfortunately it was on a pretty tight section of the trail so I told her when it’s clear I would give her room to pass…”OK, GO!!! GO…go on! Here comes another wide spot…get ready!!!! GO!!!” then I hear “you are going to have to slow down so I can pass!” HAHAHHAHAHHAA….I have never heard that one! That made my day!!!! Woooohoooo….I am fast…hehe!
On the last couple miles I was approached again from behind…this time it was a guy. No threat for place with him…so I once again said when it’s clear I will let you by. He responded very politely (in fact EVERYONE was so polite and encouraging!) “when ever you feel comfortable…I am not into falling right now!” I said “Well, I am into catching someone right now!” His next words made me laugh and kick it into high gear…”Well, GO FASTER!!!! WooooHoooo…that is what I am talking about! Go Girl!!!” Eventually the trail had a bit of a climb and my legs were not spinning as fast as his so he went around but not without some encouraging go get’em words!!!
I crossed the finish line exhausted but happy…then I found out I placed!!! That was the sweetest moment of the day…my first time on the podium EVER!!!!
Chris did the 6 hour “ride”…he is still recovering from his ankle injury…6 months off the bike is a long time! 40 miles later he was exhausted! I have a feeling by this time next year he won’t even blink at doing 10 laps…maybe 11??? Hehe…yeah that could be a challenge?!?! After his time on the bike he was there for me between every lap…feeding, hydrating, oiling chain, attaching lights…doing all those great things that every racer appreciates! All the while, taking excellent care of me, he played support for Wes, Dave and my competitor Kristi!!! A huge Thank You Sweetie…it would not have been the race it was without you!!! And I would not have been near that podium without all your support throughout the pre-season…Thank you for that too!!!!
I placed 3rd in Women’s 12 Hour Solo.
10th OVERALL!!!! That is men, women, single-speeders…all the soloist out there!!! With a total of 9 laps….that adds up to almost 100 miles!!!! A mountain century…wow!
