Yee ha!

The day started promisingly enough with a full moon hanging overhead and temperatures well out of the "see your breathe" range. Since my little tootsies don't like the cold weather this was a welcome sign! As a first time Leadville racer I got corralled in with all the other first timers at the back so after the gun went off I didn't move a foot for quite a while and had plenty of time to finish off my Honey Stinger waffle. After rolling across the start line several minutes later my huge pack of racers immediately bottled up on the first hill, and the walking started. This went off and on for most of the first totally rideable climb, dismount and hike, remount and ride a bit only to get stopped by the masses on the next steeper bit. Soon enough though I started moving up and getting in better position with riders closer to my own pace and ticking off the early miles around Turquoise Lake. Mile 40 came sooner than I thought and I was glad to see my support crew briefly and reload my pockets with chews before heading out on the infamous Columbine climb. I felt stronger than expected on the long climb and was pleased to pass more than passed me on the ascent. At the top the weather held, clear and sunny and no need for all the various emergency items in my drop bag, thank God. 50 miles down and I was encouraged by my pace and how the legs were holding up, fueling and hydrating sufficiently I was confident dropping back down. The descent ended up being more draining than I planned but I still was riding strong through to the 70 mile aid station. At this point the miles and heat started to take their toll and I could see the last 30 were going to hurt. Next up was the dreaded Powerline climb, and it did not disappoint with 4, count 'em 4 false summits to discourage and delude me and a baking hot sun to drain my energy further. Watching rider after rider in front of me peel off the climb to seek shelter under the sparse trees didn't help but somehow I pressed on and rode most of the top section. After another challenging descent and endless road climb I was excited to hit the last aid station with 10 miles to go. At this point I was still shooting for sub eleven hour finish time so I shoved potato chips more chews in my mouth and took off onto a fun descent. The last 5 miles felt more like 15 though and the heat and exertion was wreaking havoc on my ability to keep hydrated but I felt so close to the finish I put my head down and hammered it home as fast as I could turn the pedals. Fellow riders at this point were barfing while riding, and I felt much the same but soon I rolled into town and the cheering crowds propelled me all the way to the red carpet finish. Yippee! For the next two hours I celebrated my success in the Medical tent, wrapped in two sleeping bags to stop my uncontrolled shivering as they squeezed two IV bags of fluid into my parched system. Fun! Soon after I started regaining my appetite and strength and by the next morning's Award Ceremony I was right as rain and plenty strong enough to receive my HUGE belt buckle for a finishing time of 11:21. Big thanks to all the volunteers at the aid stations, in town and especially the Medical Tent staff who took such good care of me. Thanks Jimmy!