There is a moment before a race starts, when the corals are filled with a quiet anticipation of what to come. The heartbeats of the racers, echoing the nerves. Then the shotgun blasts and the nervous energy is transformed into pedal strokes. Where will those pedal strokes take you? That is the question to be answered over then next 64 miles and untold hours in the saddle. It is up to each racer to decide how those hours will be approached and how the race will unfold.
Such was the setting Sunday morning when Nick dropped me off for the Original Growler. A quiet group of cyclists gathering in downtown Gunnison - unsure of what the day would bring. For me, I just wanted to get through the neutral start and onto the single track. Ever since I almost went down after a guy tangled his handlebars with mine a few years ago, the start makes me nervous. I just want to get to Kill Hill in one piece. It also doesn't help the nerves when the escort vehicle doesn't keep a steady pace - the yo-yoing causes havoc. For the most part, we had a decent start - but there were a few times when people slammed on their brakes, with skidding and a few choice words exchanged later. The slow starts might keep the group together better, but they are definitely stressful! I’ve made it a point to try to stay as close to the front as I can in these starts and this year was no different.
Finally, the escort stepped on the gas, accelerating away from the peloton. We charged up the last hill on Gold Basin Rd before turning onto the dirt. Let the racing begin! At least the race to the top of Kill Hill that is... Before the day, I was hopeful that I’d be strong on Kill Hill and maybe even take the prime this year. But ugh - while I could quite comfortably spin to climb, there was no attacking the hill for me today. I wasn’t swamped like I’ve been in the past, but it was not my strongest performance on Kill Hill by a long shot. Even so, I was right there - in the mix with Sparky and two other women. The hard part about going counter clockwise is the second hill though - you get just enough time to recover and then it's another steep road climb. That one I know well from the years of racing 24 hours in the Sage, so I was ready for it. The other hard part about counter clockwise is the fast road descent before the climb up Top of the World. Yes, it spreads the field out well, but with the fitness riders getting a better jump. So the first major rock feature on Top of the World becomes a bit of a conga line if you aren't in a good position. I was lucky. I pushed hard enough and took enough chances on the double track descent that I got through the rocks before the conga line!
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Focused on the trail ahead of me
Photo - Matt Burt |
Time to settle in - ride hard, ride smart and focus on my primary goal for the day. Always, the primary goal for Growler is to ride everything I can. I know a few things like the Skull Pass climb aren't in my wheelhouse for riding, but everything else on that course? Going counter clockwise, I should be able to make everything else! At least that's what I think. How did I do this year? Well two stupid mistakes where I had to unclip and get off the bike, three dabs plus two areas that I ran into traffic and couldn't take the line I needed and that was it. Not bad. There's a few rock things that I need to work on for next time we go counter clockwise, but overall I was pleased with my riding. Given that I haven't been riding that much and haven't really hit up much of the technical riding lately, the confidence and smoothness throughout the day was a good boost. Even when I was tired, I was still working hard on the rocks and taking some of the big lines. The two stupid mistakes on the first lap were corrected on the second lap. The areas with traffic, I was able to make on the second lap. One of the things I dabbed on Gateway, I missed the second lap, but it wasn't for lack of trying! I also had no issues with guys this year. I was leading a little train at one point, feeling bad that I was climbing slower then usual. But none of them asked, so I didn't worry too much. And the reason none of the asked? Usually by the time they caught up with me, it was almost time to go downhill or through a rock obstacle again! So it went. I will say though - if it's your second time racing the Growler and you haven't gone counter clockwise before, please. Don't try to coach me through the technical sections!
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Motion in the stillness of the sage
Photo - Matt Burt |
But anyways. While I was riding the technical sections well, I was definitely feeling the lack of cycling fitness. I thought I'd gotten a decent gap on third and fourth when I was climbing out of Skull Pass on the first lap, only to see both of them right behind me on the top of the climb up Nine-O! Whoops... Last year I'd melted in the heat, dropping solidly out of podium contention on the second lap. Was the same fate waiting for me this year? I knew I had the endurance to keep riding steady, but I didn't have the bike specific fitness to really pick up the pace that much. I would have to use mental strength and really hope the endurance from all the running would carry over. My first lap was my slowest first lap ever. Not good for the mental boost. I knew it would be slow based on the times through all the checkpoints, but I didn't realize it was quite that slow. But when I stopped at the top of Jacks for Nick to do a quick lube and wipe on my chain, the gap to first was only 6 minutes. Not much at all. It was even closer to third - less then a minute and a half behind me. I dug deep on the technical sections of Ridge and Top of the World, knowing that I needed to have more time before we hit the fitness sections in last third of the day. And there's always the hope for negative splits! To my surprise, as the race got longer, I actually was feeling better! Granted, better didn't mean much faster - I was nine minutes slower on that second lap then the first. But I turned in the fastest second lap for all the women in the race.
I was the hunter for that entire last lap, hearing the gap to Sparky slowly, slowly coming down. But I was running out of trails and the gap wasn't close enough. In the end, I'd brought back three and a half minutes - finishing a mere 3:44 behind Sparky. It was my slowest Growler finish time by a good half an hour, but one that I was the most satisfied with. Despite a severe lack of time on my bike in favor for time on feet, I was able to hold strong and ride harder in the end of the day. There were a few low points mentally, but I was always able to come back and focus on the positive of the day.
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Women's Podium - Sparky Sears 1st, Me 2nd, Erin Weber 3rd
And the podium puppies! |
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