Came back from Savageman on monday and rested for ...a couple hours! The Mayor's cup was coming up next with Vt 50 on tap the next day.
The Boston crit was great! Great venue, huge crowd and some good racing!
felt good, got 6th and was happy to be part of the last race of Tina Pic, one of the most successful racer in the US. Congrats to her for an unbelievable career.
After the race I jumped in y little red VW heading north to White River Jonction to try to make it to bed as early as possible for the 6 am start for the VT 50....That didn't happen but had a very nice dinner with friends and Matt O'keeff...He is the reason why I got into this race! Matt was very kind to think of me this year because last year I wanted to race but missed the deadline and didn't get in. This year I had NOT plan to race...but then one night we are having dinner at Matt's house and he said" Hey we are both in for the VT 50" I said " this year?" "yup"...he said..
At that moment I told myself that it couldn't be worst than the 5 day stage race I did in BC this summer at 100+ degres....
Woke up at 430 am with the sound of...HEAVY RAIN.
I 've never done this race so I didn't think it would be that bad. You know racing 50 miles in the mud:). I am so NOT realistic sometimes.
Everything ready Matt and I got in the elevator ( cyclist do not run, walk or take stairs...except for me of course) anyway, in the elevator with two lovely mom's. The first thing they said was:" Here's your 2 first DNS of the day" I of course asked why and they simply said:" Oh we did it in the rain 2 years ago and we hated it" Hmmmmm...
Start:
its 6am, Its dark and Im nervous but excited to try Mt biking again.
Off we go! First section is neutral, paved, than the dirt road comes and the truck leaves us...
I can barely follow the wheels in front of me, my legs are like telephone poles (or still in Boston at the crit!). I am over dressed, hot and did I said it was dark? To help the situation it was misty and a very tick cloud blanket over our heads would keep the sun from lighting the trails...
It was still dark for the first couple sections of single track. I had to adjust again from my TT bike, to road bike to mt bike so it took me a while to feel ok. I was 2nd for a while...hurting like hell, every time I got on a dirt road I thought it would help me but no I felt like I was going backwards...I told myself again that I was NOT a mt biker and that was suppose to be fun.
More than Half way:
Ok I kept going for 36 miles then I was done, so done I stopped at a private house. A lot of the course of this race pass through some private properties and people are outside helping with feed, water station to clean the MUD of the bikes and...BEER. I stopped...I was going to quit, I ask the directions to get back to the lodge. I sat down in a chair, had a beer and was motivated again by a women to finish.."There is only 14 miles to go it's not that bad, you should finish"
I guess the beer didn't help my situation because I took the wrong decision: the one to finish.
After 15 min I was getting cold sitting so by that point I had decided to get going. I get back on my bike. Those last 14 miles took me longer than the first 36. I hated every parts of it except...
A friend of mine that was in my cycling classes last fall was running the 50km. The day was so miserable that the runners where faster than the average cyclist ..and me. He came by me and said: " You look like a girl that I know she is tall , very good cyclist her name is line basset or something like that..." I said "Its me!" He turned around and then I recognized him! He was joking cause he knew it was me!
I rode by is side or I should say he ran by my side for a while and we chatted . It was like the sunshine of my day. At that point I was so out of it, I have been out there for more than 8hres ( It was like being at the gym for 8hres none stop) and I was ready for something to happen ...and there he was! Thanks Jay!
So I come in after 8 h and 35 min according to my watch...Matt had stop at the same place I had my beer because he knew how hard the second part was and didn't even want to get near it!
He was there at the finish (but I would of understand if he had left) worried that I got injured, crashed or just decided to camp until the rain stopped. He had called Tim, hi wife, gone to the medical...
I crossed the line, got my medal, was having a hard time to walk, my body was not doing so well.
Matt gave me a hug and I started to cry. I said that was to hard for me and that Mt biking was not for me... Well not true, I love Mt -biking but at my own speed, not in a race, and when the sun is shinning!
I sorted cleaned up, got food, another beer, talked with Matt about life and drove home.
Just so you know that was my last mt bike RACE for a LOOOONG LOOOOONG time!
lyne
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