The Inner Mtn Goat: Maupin 6hr TT & official retirement from racing (...for 2014)

I had an amazing time traveling and racing Maupin TT earlier this month. A whole new landscape (dry, rolling) really made me keen to give this race, dubbed The Ring of Fire TT, an honest go. Originally planning to do the 12 hour race the numerous hiccups in my preparation made the 6 hour a more feasible (and enjoyable) experience. Wendy and I traveled down on Friday night and stayed two nights in Hood River which is about an hour north of Maupin.
I myself prefer Hood River to Bend for that "awesome outdoorsy town" in Central Oregon.

The 6 hour started at NOON. Which for many reasons this was awesome:
1. I hate early race start times.
2. I like to have my mornings to get psyched up to ride.
3. Wendy and I could get a great breakfast in Hood River before driving down to Maupin
4. It wouldn't be cold.

There was one main hesitation for starting this late in the day and that was the heat in the weather forecast. The Ring of Fire certainly lived up to it's namesake!

Early Going
The starts for the TT were staggered instead of mass start, which was different than the other multi-hour TT and 12 hour races I had done in the past. While I was one of the last racers to start I enjoyed having plenty of "rabbits" ahead of me!

The course was a 27 mile loop up out, around, and back down into the town of Maupin (long enough that it wasn't boring or repetitive!). The starting climb went well, with pushing a moderate gear with steady cadence. Very quickly I picked up two of the starters right before me and by the top of the 3 mile climb I had moved up 4 slots. I felt plucky and with a bit of pop in my legs that I was worried wouldn't come out to play on race day. When my legs feel that good it's hard not to hit the gas-- but with the rising temperatures and the 6 hours of racing on my mind I held myself in reserve.
Upon coming off the climb there was a stiffening headwind and rough roads for a ways until a really great 2 mile downhill. From there it was rolling or moderate hills and a long descent into the river gorge and back into Maupin.

First lap checked off at goal pace and really nothing could have been done differently. My legs felt solid. Wendy had bottles already done up for me with Hammer Fizz (1 tab per 20 oz bottle) and I did a quick exchange and was back out on course. Keep moving, don't stop long. You stop too long and you'll lock up. Lap 2 went well except I had a run-in with a stinging insect of sorts. Nasty little critter too, as I still have marks and occasionally itch even 10 days after the event! I lost about 5 minutes on the second lap dealing my jersey and making sure the bug was out of my kit.

Lap 3 and the heat started to really get to my legs. I swapped bottles and took in a calories. The climb out of Maupin wasn't as spirited as the other two laps, and the headwind following was a motherfucker. My TCR chattered over this rough patch of road yet again and watched my Garmin in dismay at the speed I wasn't able to achieve even with putting out pretty good numbers. Being a taller, longer, and leaner athlete I really suffer in headwinds and rough road conditions.
The heat issues continued as I tried to up the pace on the rolling sections however I felt like I was starting to settle into a slower rhythm than before and my lower quadriceps started to complain to me. I began to notice the salt rings on my body. My lips weren't feeling too kissable. I thanked God for the sunscreen that Wendy reminded me to bring.

I rolled into the race HQ with 1h12min left to race. Obviously another full lap was out of the question given my quickly retreating legs. To make matters worse, I had no idea where I was in the race standings as I had been passing 6 AND 12 hour racers all day but was never passed myself. George informed I was sitting in 2nd place. With a quick pee (almost clear piss, hell yeah) and Wendy swapping my bottles out I was off for about an hour of what was a death march back into those headwinds on rough roads. 1st place was about 20 minutes ahead of me-- so while I knew he wasn't able to be caught, I could definitely limit my losses.

Wendy followed me in my Mazda as the clock kept ticking. I rolled another 13 miles into the 4th lap for 94 miles in 6 hours. Cramping, tired, and with an astounding amount of radiating road heat lapping at my legs I threw my bike in the back of the car and climbed in the passenger seat to finish out that 4th lap.

The post-race was low key and casual-- truly a down-to-earth group of folks. I spent a good 30 minutes on the asphalt eating overripe peaches, larabars, and trying to control my heat-induced nausea. For my efforts I scored a fresh set of Panache socks and a finisher cap from George. The food was great at the sponsored lodge restaurant.

Wendy drove us back to Hood River and the Airstream (thanks Jeff!) with me nodding off for most of the drive. A quick breakfast Sunday and damn good coffee from Hood River Coffee Company and we were off North over the Washington border and back to Olympia.

2014: Screwed up ankle, golf ball-sized tonsils, lungs, bruised ribs and road rash...oh my!

Doesn't quite have the same ring as the whole "Lions, Tigers..." song but it definitely makes me chuckle how hard this year has been for injury and illness. January kicked it off with what was a Grade II ankle sprain followed with Viral Tonsillitis (thank you Prednisone) in June. Come around to July with the wildfires all over WA I ended up with some significant asthma exacerbation (once again, steroids you rock). Hard training, hard breathing. Capping off an eventful Summer was crashing hard on train tracks 2 weeks before racing Maupin-- only road rash and some bruised ribs from a 32mph crash and we'll call that lucky (I got a new helmet out of it-- the old one cracked!). I did however miss riding in Pullman, WA.

So I'm really looking forward to working on my overall strength again and putting back on the 15 lbs of muscle I intentionally stripped to get down to an efficient riding weight. Every year I say I'll "race heavier" but I'm a lanky puncheur at heart and excessive weight is a burden.
I'm going to work on this ankle and get my running back to par (and beyond)-- I have a lot of unfinished business on the trail. I think most of all this year has truly rekindled my love for riding my bike and the range of experiences it brings for me. The growl of carbon on road will always bring a smile to my face.

When I look back on the year I started off with a solid 1st place and finished with a 2nd place. two pretty good results bookend a difficult year physically (not to mention the emotional toll it all put on me).

I'm writing this post while cooking local bacon and a healthy pour of Cabernet.

To an extended off season and long base training season, cheers!