Now that I've slept a little (and went out for the GDB fall picnic ride this morning, featuring excessive hill climbing
), I can try to expand beyond just lap numbers...
* Sincere thanks again to Plano Cycing, Performance at Walnut Hill, and Thingy's -- the nutritional stuff did wonders to both prevent leg cramps and keep energy levels up!!! But right now I don't want to even SMELL Gatorade or Gu for a week or so...
* Thanks again to everybody involved, for keeping it a "family picnic" type atmosphere. Knowing that if you needed something and you didn't have it, that somebody else did and would help you out, is a very comforting feeling, and reduces a lot of potential worry and stress. Thanks to those who got stuff donated or brought "community" stuff, whether it was the overheads, food, supplies, or whatever. If I had to name three necessary things at a competition like this, it's 1) food, 2) water, and 3) SHADE...
* Oh, yeah, and someplace to lie down after a 20-mile sprint... or several...
* Amazing efforts all around, on the RFII team...
>> Even though
Greg wasn't quite up to last year's standards for himself, he kept putting it out there, even at one point having to stop and upchuck by the Lime Plant for a few minutes... This wouldn't be the classically recommended technique, but, hey, if it gets you around the course...
>>
Mark, I had no idea if you had the endurance for an effort this concentrated, but you came through very nicely!! He even went out once for a fast lap about 10 minutes after waking up, due to a "schedule interpretation error."
>>
Brad thoroughly lived up to expectations on the VKII, despite being a "novice" 'bentrider -- his mid-50s times helped to both give us the time cushion we eventually needed, and kept the pressure on me to go faster...
And wife Beth was an excellent timekeeper, for someone who doesn't do math!
>>
I did OK...
and I was glad Terrie was able to come down on Friday afternoon and pitch in with everything, and "force" me to get some sleep here and there... I was pleasantly surprised by both my lap times and my consistency once again...
>> And thank the Fates or what/whoever's responsible for having another "Mechanical-Free Ride"!!!
* Seeing the MBO'N gang working together and enjoying themselves definitely added to the fun, especially with Dexter's competing mixed foursome stationed right next door to us!
* Having Sandy and Lindsay as part of the overall gang (although non-bent) was good, too. Sandy hammered out 360 miles, and Lindsay 160, most of the last 60 with bleeding saddle sores (obviously not riding a recumbent!!!!) due to ill-fitting shorts... But an admirable effort on both parts! C'mon back next year!
* I'm not quite sure WHAT to say about Terry Pickl, other than I'm proud of him for putting in the effort to do 100 miles on a very tough course, and fighting though various and sundry mechanical issues, and SERIOUS mental block
about downhill speed.... Going down Goatneck Hill at 15 mph is just WRONG, my friend.... but I'm sure the overall experience is something he'll never forget!
* The XStream is quite the steed -- Thanks again,
RANS! Yeah, the "engine" has something to do with it, I suppose, but being able to climb the toughest hills this course throws at you at 15-16 mph is a big key to success, a lot of which I attribute to the bike... Not a SINGLE rider passed me at any time during any of my laps. Granted, this was obviously due to convenient timing, since the AT&T boyz were throwing down sub-50 laps, but I also passed one of
them at least once on the backside of the course. In addition, I noticed that, whatever time had elapsed when I got to the Retreat (~15.5 mi point), I was at the finish line 10 minutes later -- which means averaging ~28 mph through the last fourth of the course -- talk about a "recumbent friendly" section!!
* The youngster
from Canada who won the 500 mile solo race (in 27 hours!!!) was a BEAST, himself -- I encountered him several times during the night, and chased him down and passed him every time on the back side of the course, thinking, "This is a
500 MILE rider going this fast???" Sure enough, it was him, because at the awards dinner, we happened to sit across from each other, and while talking about the race, he mentioned "...
this one recumbent rider would pass me EVERY time, ringing his bike bell!!!" I just smiled, and said, "That was ME...
"
Enough... I'll have my photos up in a few days, but here's an RBENT shot for now (Without Brad, who wasn't back yet at the site at the time -- he had gone to the hotel -- SORRY!). Good times...
Oh, and "Who's Number 1?", Ray???
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