ahh, thanks Paul - I'll get that fixed, along with Mr B's name and such.  Mostly just trying to fill in the gaps of information since I didn't get to see much of everyone's race.  I'm still just awed over how well everyone did, and how we covered every single event with at least 1 rider.  And of course our volunteers Bud and Mark.  They both worked their heineys off and it made all the difference in the world to me.  As a group RBENT had just an amazing showing.

Oops, I guess I didn't see you the first two times I passed that corner!!!!!  APOLOGIES!!  

How to write a race report when you really only remember bits and pieces of the race?
 
1.  Thank you, each and every one of you who were there, even if I don't remember seeing you.
 
2.  I agree with Kent, it was a 'bent friendly course.  I got passed by a group of 12 hour racers on their first lap, just past Brazos Point, and used them as motivation on the rollers leading up to the Yocham Hill.  I know I annoyed a couple of them by pointing out how many more miles my legs had in them, as I passed them on the climbs.  As for the final 5 miles, I used them to beat the 2nd place DF on lap 17, and that's all I needed to hold onto 2nd place over all (discussion point, should the 'bents be counted separately in a race like this?)
 
3.  Nutrition, it's a wonderful thing, especially when you actually come close to sticking to the plan.
 
4.  Thank you William, whoever you are.
 
5.  Nelson, watching you descend on that Barcroft was stunning.
 
6.  Steve, Peggy, 500 miles next year, right?
 
7.  Steve B, I really was worried that you'd beat me, right to the point where I started worrying about how bad you were injured.  I would have rather have you beat me.  Rest, recover and come back stronger.  I've set a goal for you (and Steve P, Nelson and any other RBENT racers) to beat.
 
8.  It's been said before, but the camaraderie in our pit area was as impressive as our performance on the road.

Bud! What corner were you on? Sorry I missed you there. Thanks so much. The corner workers were a godsend! I tried to thank every one of them as they flagged me through the corner.
 
Bryan, you did an unbelievable job. Just simply nailed that thing and apparently good work with the plan also (what was it? :^) You were going almost as fast as Greg and I were!
 
I did confirm what I suspected would be my big problem: It took me about 5 miles to get my legs warmed up. Every lap they were cranky and weak until I crested the Nemo hill. Next relay I'll need to come up with an attack plan to handle that.
 
As to the question of separation, I tend to say no in events like this. Separation holds up the wall that keeps people from seeing 'bents and having them be included in more racing. Did you see any mention in the news article of bents or of Bryan's 2nd place in the Tejas 500? It's like we are invisible sometimes. I felt a twinge during the ceremony when JS had to add "Or if you just want to go faster" to Dan's comment. Not that Dan is a bad guy. Most of us guys (Bryan excluded) showed what a bunch of old, fat guys can do on a hilly course on 'bents, but it still doesn't seem to have made an impact. But really, I'm used to that. I ride with my old pack who gladly admit that my bike is really fast and they absolutely love drafting me as fast as they can go, but seem to have a mental block against riding one themselves.
 
Yeah Nutrition. I finally got that one right also. What I did would not have worked for a solo race but this experiment was successful.

Quote from goatstick on Sep 28^th, 2009, 3:34pm:

 
That's simple.  Put a spotter 5 miles out from the relay zone.  Once they see your partner, have them call you and tell you to start spinning (on a spare bike).  
 

I sort of agree, why have a separate category when there's that much climbing?  Besides, they're commercially available, if someone wants one, they just have to buy one!  
 
Although "bent friendly"???   Hmmmm, I dunno about THAT...  

On an overall perspective, I agree that separation is not good for those of us that want to integrate bents with DF.
 
However,
 
Dan wants everyone to walk away with a trophy, and as many first place trophies as possible.  That's the sole reason for all the categories. Not just bents, but as many categories as he can think of.
 
Did you hear his comments during the awards ceremony?  He said that if anyone wanted to change their plaque; "for example, from a 6th place 26 mile race to a 1st place, 26 mile race in the 60-65 age category, he had not problem adding an age category".
 
It other words, Dan's primary interest in growing the race is to gain participation by creating as many categories as possible to reward riders for their accomplishments.  He was going to create a separate category for our mixed bent/DF team, but I asked him not to.

Quote:

 
Dan offered me a trophy if I just finished one lap.