Yea, what Lynda said ;)
It’s time to finish out this grand season riding for 25 hours in my most favorite of favored locales – Moab, Utah – not to be confused with the one in the middle east. Having been around that course at least 50 times, I know it like the back of my hand and it seems to get easier with every edition of the race.
It most certainly is not all about the race. Preparing for this event has been a manic cyclist’s dream come true. Lots and lots of relentless intensity, to steal a phrase. There just isn’t anything better than spending copious amounts of time on the bike traveling through epic terrain, and it’s even better when done with other crackheads. It has turned out to be yet another experiment, to find out where the limits are. The KT ride may have been pushing the envelope, time will tell. But, I’ve had an unexpected month off from work so what’s a guy to do? In years past (decades, actually) I’ve had enough spare time to completely toast myself. 12 years later my base fitness is so much different, so the experiment needed a repeat.
Jeff Kerkove posted a pic on his blog the other day that haunts me. The aftermath of 24HoA Worlds, top 2 riders attached to IVs, one unable to move/walk and spent several days in the hospital on dialysis…
This was perhaps the grittiest 24 hour race to unfold – these guys are rippin fast and took a no holds barred approach and raised the bar for these types of events.
For better or worse, I’ve climbed out of the underdog status these days. Does that mean a similar fate awaits should I find myself in contention…or do I have a “governor” that will prevent such madness? How much am I willing to push?
That’s why they hold the races, to answer these questions. The answers are hidden deep for 2 more days…