35 Degrees, Pouring Rain, Lots of Mud.

[Crankin]

It sounds awful. You are tough for sticking it out!

[Wahine]

Good work!!

There is something very gratifying about a race like that. Just make sure you not only clean your bike well but lube all of your cables and such. I didn't, and eventually the grim on my cables and in my housings caused enough drag that I broke my shifter. oops.

[limewave]

Wahine--I have to recable my entire bike as it is, new housing and everything. The bikes, as it is, are unrideable. DH steam cleaned them last night and was left under the grime was not pretty :-(

[Catrin]

You are indeed a rock star! This is awesome, and if you had to destroy your bike you at least had a lot of fun doing it Really like what you said about the 11 mile mud hole. Sounds like the directors made a good call though about shortening things.

[Owlie]

Wow! That has to be satisfying that you finished. You ARE a rock star! I'm glad they shortened it. But, poor bike!

[zoom-zoom]

Wahine--I have to recable my entire bike as it is, new housing and everything. The bikes, as it is, are unrideable. DH steam cleaned them last night and was left under the grime was not pretty :-(

That's pretty amazing, really. I had wanted to do that race, this year, but without a decent bike it was not meant to happen...perhaps that's a good thing. Not sure I'd want to subject a brand new bike to that level of abuse!

What an amazing story and memory, though. And I LOVE the heat-pack-in-bra advice--brilliant! My boobs always seem to get cold fast. I wish they'd come up with packs like that for butt and thighs--the parts of me that get cold running in the Winter.

[limewave]

The toe warmers are best for the bra. They are just the right size to cover the "sensitive" area and they have a sticky back so they will stay in place. Plus they are thin and unnoticeable. :-)

Zoom--if you would have raced Sport in the morning, the conditions weren't as bad. But it was still muddy. I would not have wanted to ride a brand new bike under those conditions either. In some ways this is a good thing for me, I will be replacing a lot of parts on my bike so it will be like brand new all over again! lol.

Here's a pic of me sliding down the mountain in the first lap! It got much worse for the second . . .

[Catrin]

I love that big smile on your face Limewave!

[limewave]

Thanks Catrin!

I think one of the more interesting aspects I'm noticing from this race is the difference between people like myself that 'rolled with' the weather and its havoc and those that focused on them. There are several people that are still complaining and griping about the mud and the mechanicals. I think it showed in their results--or lack of results. It was what it was--no one had the power to change the weather or the effects it was having on our bikes. I focused instead on what I could do: pedal, move forward . . . and have fun :-)