December 11, 2004 - PAGE 4
I get caught by a Team Telecom guy and the technician manager of Supergo. I re-oil the chain on the other side (something I should have done calmly while waiting for a tube), and I have a consolation group to ride with, albeit at a slower pace. I'm on the rakes getting them to work with me to still do a good time though. We wade through some stream crossings which felt very welcome. On the other side the guy from SuperGo flats, and I'm down to working with one guy. We hit a few more river crossings. One with very wide railway ties, I was wondering how a guy with short legs would make it - it was almost comical, with photographers right there.
I'm
starting to move nicely again, till the front wheel, feels all wonky
again - another front fr**gn flat - totally different wheel, and tire.
Still no tube, pump, I'm riding the flat until someone will donate. Finally
Mario from California comes by, and recognizes me. Slams on his brakes,
drops out of his group, empties his pockets and takes off.
Another 20 minutes penalty and I'm off again. Now with 20 catchable riders
that have passed me I'm on the gas again. We hit 9k of railway ties, and
again the dual suspension is the ticket. I pick off the riders, but its
hard to pass going down the center of the tracks! At any slight hesitation
I get by and hammer out this section solo. Now the rain starts pouring
down like a monsoon, and it felt great. Off the tracks and through the
muddy swampland, I grab a Red Bull to blast me home. One last group to
pass, and I'm on the Scott Rakes making the most of the disaster. The swamp
was so deep at one point I thought I might have to swim. I heave the bike
over a water pipe, back on to the railway ties once more till we hit pavement
in the finishing town. I wanted to finish the race with a bang, I don't
know what place I sank to, but was having fun anyway. One dude got on my
wheel and we were racing for the finish over a sprinters hill he attacked
like in a crit. I got on him, we hit the finishing barriers almost like
a cross race. We were side by side going into the last corner and I punched
it hard, unlike the last 18 hours, to the finish through the line with
a gap, and glided on the sandy beach half way to the ocean water, which
was a nice finishing scene. Friends from Alberta had me reenact the finish
for another photo op.
Its Over
So this long winded report, like the race is now over, and I'm now back
out of fantasy land in DE, scheming of the next goal to work for. I'm being
convinced to do the Trans Rockies Challenge in B.C. / Alberta Canada next
August. I know some of the trails there as I used to train mtb in the off
season when I lived there between '89-'96 before moving here to Delaware.
So if anyone wants a noble goal, and is willing to take up the 7-day challenge
and all the training that goes with it, let me know I'm looking for a partner. Actually,
my buddy Lindsay, from Winnipeg who got me to do La Ruta, and was the oldest
finisher at 56, tried to get Tinker to partner up with me, but
he doesn't like camping - or at least that's the excuse he gave us :) There
are a couple other candidates who live in Canada that would be good partners
that are candidates, but I wouldn't be able to train with them until I
got to the race.
Thanks for everyone's well wishes, and to Lindsay Gauld (seen above), owner
of Olympia Cycle and Ski and former Olympian himself, for supporting this
goal. It was a blast and is definitely another chapter in my sporting
career.
Blair Saunders
Member, First State Velo Sport, Delaware (www.fsvs.org)
