Big Bikes

GG24, Even More

It seems inconceivable but I actually felt worse today than yesterday. A skinny, wise man once told me that's how it works. All I can hope is that I recover enough to get a day or two of training in before The Dh40 this coming Sunday.

The above photo:
1.) Harry showed up with his bottom bracket rocking more than Fu Manchu. As I set out for the opening lap, he set about swapping his crank and BB out 2.) Mat Katz looks on as I get ready to go Tai Chi Master on the competition 3.) This is what a Ringer looks like 4.) This is what the cycling equivalent of Klinger looks like.

Things about 24 hours races, not necessarily this one in particular...
there's always the "Fuck this shit" hour, where you just want to bag the whole thing and sleep for real. This usually comes just after you've gotten the tiniest bit of sleep and someone wakes you up to do your lap. You shuffle off lethargically, gag a Gu down, I mean literally dry heave trying to get it down your throat because you are nauseous in general and energy food is the last thing you want. You drink a Coke or have a coffee hoping in vain that it will snap you magically out of your funk of funks. Then you shamble off and deliver your worst lap of the night, hating life the whole time.

Miraculously in the morning, after you've gone and gotten yourself some of that Girl Scout breakfast with the bacon and the pancakes and the scrambled eggs and the Dunkin Donuts coffee, you feel like the bionic green offspring of Bruce Banner and Steve Austin (made up men can have make made up babies) and you head off and do a lap which rivals some of your earlier lap times and you are stoked as all hell.

I don't know what was going on a Great Glen this year but the night laps were other worldly. If the moon wasn't full it was close to it. It lit up the mist-filled valley, illuminating leaves of certain plants so they glowed white, even blue berries which were abundant and hanging ripe of the bushes on the switchbacked climb across the road were glowing bright, bright white. It was eerie and beautiful, enough to make you nearly forget the task at hand.

Some day soon I'll write something like a real race report, maybe post over on the 29er Crew Blog, stranger things have happened, I can count three things stranger that happened just today.

-t