Well instead of boring you with tons of information about the windstorm from hell, I'll summarize by saying, my lights got knocked out Friday night when it rolled through and didn't come back until July 4th; so 4.5 days without power. You know all that you need to know by now about what happened and I'll share some funny stories and insights about my experience towards the end of this long post. Since this is a bike blog, I'll focus on the bike race.
Of course the power got knocked out the night before I was to be in a 5 hour mountain bike race. I had been hydrating all week since the forecasted temperatures kept climbing and climbing without any respite in sight (had to rhyme sorry). I slept horribly without AC and my mind was on a dozen other things. I woke up at 545 after probably falling asleep around 1am. I decided that since Kenny Palmer is almost certifiably insane when it comes to his races that the show must go on. I turned on my phone which by now was down to minimal battery and found on facebook that indeed the race would go on as scheduled with a possible delayed start due to many fallen trees on the 7.5 mile race course.
So I decided to pack up my stuff and head down to Bedford. This was an adventure in itself as I had to move sticks and debris from my stairs before I could even get my bike and coolers out of my basement. Then along the drive there were a few trees that had fallen on the road and of course VDOT had not bothered to set out any warnings or even attempt to move them. Well made it to Bedford, set up "camp" near the bottom of the hill - any amount of shade was the goal with the temperature now forecasted to be 100°F. Prior to the race, we all shared stories of wind damage, power outages etc; but all decided we were going to have a fun day! As we were getting ready, Kenny and his band of merry men were out on course clearing trees and other debris. I think he said they moved around 20 trees with 10" or larger trunks on the first 5 miles alone. Now that is a dedicated race promoter! The show must go on!!!
I think the race started about 20 minutes later that originally planned. I had a goal of completing 3 laps or ride for 3 hours (of 5 total) then I could quit. Falling Creek Park and I have a tendency to not get along in the summer. Recall two weeks ago I crashed, last year was a horrible race; so it was bound to be my turn, right? So when the race started, the fast guys went off like they had 5 minutes to get done while I decided just to take it easy and get into a comfortable pace. It was already hot. What was I thinking?
The good thing about Falling Creek Park is that I've been there enough to know the trails. I know where I can go and where I need to take time to pick a good line. I still can't ride one particular right hand switchback - it's aggravating!!! I didn't wipe out at the bottom of the first down hill for the left hand turn before the Strava climb. In fact, I climbed the hill behind the nursing home every time without walking and actually passed people on it. There is this one uphill that goes over a tree root, immediately followed by a flat, left hand turn over another root then down. I rode it the first lap and encountered someone stopped on the flat, so I managed to foot out and get around them. On one of my other laps I flew up and over it all the while a guy stood there watching and asked how do you ride that? I said it's taken me 5 years to figure it out and laughed. The other memorable section of the race course was the "beginner downhill run" at the end of the bike park. Kenny routed us through the bike park where obstacles were optional - the only one I messed with was the rock garden each lap. The downhill run is a flowy, singletrack downhill with berms and jumps. An absolute blast! I enjoyed jumping the jumps each time especially the last two. I did play on the berms a couple of times, but as I got more and more fatigued I just skipped them.
In the end, I was so happy with my effort - I did 4 laps (got talked into the 4th one as I was going to quit). I rode for about 4 hours and 45 minutes which was about 29 miles. I finished 5th out of 7 women (last of those doing 4 laps), but I climbed really well at times. I did walk some, but not much. I managed to ride across the slick rock, but had to foot out on the far side of it. It was a tremendously fun day. There was more than enough water, gatorade and places to cool off. The misting tent at the finish line was so awesome. During the race, I did two laps before I stopped for a break. When I went back out for the 3rd lap I put ice in my jersey pockets then pulled some out and put in the top of my helmet. There were ice towels at the finish line and the water stop which were an shocking way to cool off. I have no idea how much fluid I drank during the race, but I never felt dehydrated nor did I get a headache after the race which usually happens.
This was a great day - I decided to enter another 6 hour race in Patrick County in August. I am hoping that I continue to have time to prepare for that type of race - I may drum up a partner for it since I've never ridden there and supposedly it is a harder course. The big goal for me this year is the Rotor Meltdown in October which will be approximately 33 miles at Carvins Cove. Meanwhile, today is rest day since it's raining and I need to head to Kroger for food!
I'll write up another post about living powerless for 4.5 days! Stay cool, have fun!
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