Ponch
Shake and Bake!
Here was my experience yesterday at the Western States Police and Fire Games at Lake Morena (they used the Sagebrush Safari course that is ran by the Big Bear team). First they started an hour late at 8:30 and it was hotter than the devils balls! The course was a loop which was 7.75 miles long and started with a 2.5 mile climb up what I will refer to as the hill of death. Once you crested the hill it dropped down a double wide single track on the backside that was crazy sketchy for about the first half mile. We were warned that it received a lot of damage from the rain fall. Once we got toward the bottom, the course turned into single track with a lot of quick up and downs. The last part of the course drops you in a gulch where you ride up out of, to the start of the course. Then you do it all over again for a second loop.
Once the race started I decided to take it easy and see how I felt later. So I cursed for about the first mile and a half, getting passed by everyone and their mom. Then I noticed on the later part of the hill of death, I started passing a ton of people. I hadn’t picked it up, but really just maintained my cadence. Before the crest I looked back and there must have been 40 riders behind me. On the down hill I got passed by 4 riders, one of which was on the ups and downs. No friendly form on my part, I wasn’t planning on giving up my line so he could easily pass, he had to work for it. On the climb out of the gulch I re-passed three of the riders that passed my on the decent. When I got back to the start I was having all kinds of mechanical issues.](*,) The bike was making all sorts of squeaking and rubbing noises (probably brakes) and I could not get into my big ring! I had a choice quit or continue. No option for fixing it for two reasons 1. No time to fix it 2. I don’t know how. So I thought about for about minute and realized I still had 16 gears to work with and JamR would do the course on a SS. So I continued and started my second climb up the hill of death. I was in what we call in running terms “no mans land” to far between the guy in front and behind me. Then I realized they were both in my category, so I rode as hard as I could. Did I mention it was really hot? Well, I got caught on the decent by the guy behind me who ending up finishing third in my category, the guy who was ahead of me was second, I was forth. I found out that almost half the field dropped out after the first lap due to the heat and the thought of doing the hill of death again.
All in all it was a good time. The guy who was right in front of me was from Anaheim Hills so we should see him on the STR soon. Also there was a firefighter from San Clemente who was fourth overall (an hour in front of me) and we should see him on the STR also.
Here is a pic of the hill of death in the distance and me after the race. They had a photo company that is supposed to post their photo’s on the web, so I will post when they are up.
Rachel
