Elkhorn Classic Stage Race 2007 - Long! Long!

[Eden]

my hubby took this during the crit - d@mn I'm little...

[Eden]

the crit again... she had a pink Chris King rear hub....

[RoadRaven]

Sigh... cyclists like me need "real" heros, like you...

Not glamour-pusses who do the international circuitts and win big money and international glory... they're nice to have... but so unachievable for some people... like me...

And then here on TE we have "real" people, living "real" lives and doing significant things on their bike. Things that one day I might get near doing...

I felt tired and envious and proud just reading your post Eden. Glad you achieved your goal - you certainly deserved it.

Your Stage 4 account made me think of that discussion about "is it fun?" and I figured it was thinking about being fun as soon as you passed that 3km sign and was absolutely fun after you finished and ate.

And it is so good this other woman was willing to be your guardian angel from Stage 1, like her, I don't mind towing smaller and lighter riders in a head wind (I'm 5'10 and 99kg)... I always get favours returned by others... and sometimes its not just finishing, its how you finish...


And the last comment... the one with your second pic... that made me laugh out loud! Too funny...

[Eden]

Sigh... cyclists like me need "real" heros, like you...

And it is so good this other woman was willing to be your guardian angel from Stage 1, like her, I don't mind towing smaller and lighter riders in a head wind (I'm 5'10 and 99kg)... I always get favours returned by others... and sometimes its not just finishing, its how you finish...

That first day we traded off pulls for a little while, but the wind started whipping up so bad that I'd get on the front and just get bounced all over. It probably also didn't hurt that we weren't really in direct competition - she was in the 1/2 field, me the 3/4 and just having some companionship was probably more than worth having someone who couldn't do much to help along - it would have been any easier without me there, just lonlier. I did try to lead up the hills a bit too, but I don't really offer to much shelter.... The 4th day was much better. There were 4 of us and we were all doing our turns at the front.

[RoadRaven]

See, this is what I mean... she helped you more in Stage 1... by Stage 4 there were 4 of you (including you and guardian angel) who could help each other and probably achieve a better time than if you had all been doing stage 4 on your own.

This is why I like cycling - its such an individual thing - and yet such a team thing too - and your team can be strangers to each other for only one day and yet you can get it together and know how each other feels.

I don't think there are too many situations in todays world where complete strangers can work so effectively together to acieve a common goal so quickly!

[bikerz]

my hubby took this during the crit - d@mn I'm little...

I love this photo!

What a fantastic write-up - I always read these race reports with my mouth open in complete awe!