RACE #6 - Signal Peak Challenge

It has been nearly two weeks since the race, and I think I have finally recoverd. I thought after the Sandia race that I had seen the worse of it, but this was a whole other level of suffering. I hadn't given the course its proper due before the race began. A little background. The race was called "Signal Peak Challenge" It was about 20 miles north of Silver City, New Mexico down a beautiful winding mountain road. The day before the race my wife and I drove over to the course and met my father who drove down from Albuquerque. We set up camp and prepared dinner next to the course. It is such a beautiful place. Tall trees that smell like vanilla and green in all directions. Wonderful. I was feeling pretty good about the race and excited to see what I could do the next day.

I can't say I wasn't warned. There was a sign at the start that said "Enter at your Own Risk": Hmm, that can't be that serious can they? I should have listened.

It was a 32 mile course that I figured wouldn't be too bad. Granted the base elevation was 7,500 feet, but it only climbs to 9,200. I mean that is only 1,700 feet. Nothing, right? Well, after 1 hour and 10 minutes of climbing I realized it might be a big deal. Now that was just less than half of the first lap. After the climb the course descended and climbed back to the start finish area and another trip past the previously mentioned sign. And these laps were brutal affairs. Steep up after steep up after steep climb after another steep up. I'd never been on a course that started and stopped at the same spot, but some how managed to climb the entire time.

Another problem is that I miscalculated my water consumption and the amount of time I would be out on course. By midway through the second lap I was completely out of water and there was no feed station where they were helping out with liquid. The end result was that I was dehydrated by the end of the race in a big way. Too bad, because I lost two spots as a result of it, but still managed to finish 5th. AWESOME! I would have loved top 3, but 5th is great! I am still pretty stoked about that. We'll see what I can put together at the next race........

Adventure Ride

Summer in the Sonoran Desert here in Tucson often means monsoon. If you are lucky that is. In a good year we get about 12 inches of rain, but most of it comes in a few storms in July and August and December and January. I have been riding the 30 minute commute to work lately and decided early in the week to go riding after work on Wednesday out to Fantasy Island (http://www.mountainbikebill.com/AZ07TucsonFantasy.htm) a cool local trail system. Rain was predicted for Wednesday, but I wasn't worried, since rain is often predicted but rarely comes. So Wednesday after work rolls around and I am still ready to go ride. I look to the south and the east and see dark skies, but figure I can miss it. You see south and east are the direction I need to head. So I start out and can see and feel the storm coming, but I still figure I can make it. It was probably 20-30 mph wind I was riding into, so I thought good it will increase fitness. After about 30 minutes with 15 minutes still to go the the trail head it starts to get serious with lightning and more rain, but I figure the storm and I are headed in the opposite direction and we'll pass each other. Yeah, that's what will happen.

I was mostly correct. I got a bunch of rain, but missed most of the lightning. Some of it was really close, but luckily I missed any flash flooding. By the time I get to the trail head it is raining lightly, but there is a lot of lighting and the promise of more rain. I decide to press on. About 5 minutes in I get a feeling that I was a engaged in a bad idea and something bad was going to happen. As such, I decided to turn around and head home. I hate to cut a ride short, but I have learned to trust such feelings. I found out later why. About 15 minutes later it really started to rain and my tire went flat. I thought, 'no problem' I have two spares. Well it was a problem, neither would hold air and it really started to rain while I worked on it. So great, I have a 45 minute ride home now with a flat front tire. I try to call my wife several times to see if she can come get me, but the call won't go through. Seems the storm has moved on over to our house. She told me later there was a ton of lightning and rain at the house when I was trying to call. She was worried about me, but figured since I didn't call, things were OK. They were, but it was a long ride home in intermittant rain and lightning.

Only one mishap. As you well know, a flat tire rides decently in a straight line, but doesn't turn so well. Most of the ride was on a bike trail, but small portions were on road. Well on one of the road portions I caught the rim on a asphalt curb transition and went down on my right side. Nothing too serious and I slid a ways on the wet sidewalk, but I did re-cut my knee that was injured at the Sandia race a few weeks ago. Not a major set-back, but it hurts a little bit to bend and the flesh gets stretched. Alls well that ends well. Besides the flat it was a great ride. When it rains to rarely it is super fun to get out and cruise around in it.

So go out and have an adventure ride yourself.