It was time give the bike and the legs a good test at the Cohutta 100. This was my first race of the year and I did not expect a great finish. I just wanted to sample the fitness gap separating me from the top riders, so my strategy was to stay at the front as long as possible instead of riding at my own rhythm.
The day of registration, the weather was beautiful with warm temperatures. I was still hoping that the rain scheduled for the race day was going to miss our area. At 7:00am, we were all lined up at the Ocoee Whitewater Center. The ground was slightly humid, the temperature fair and although the sky was mostly overcast, it seemed it would clear up. At the sign of the race organizer, we left at a good pace, up the paved road. Once we reached the single track, I was well positioned just 4 or 5 bikes behind the leader. The slick turns kept the speed at a reasonable level and it was just a good warm up. As we came back to the Ocoee Whitewater Center, few riders went down on the humid roots creating a small gap with the front. Few minutes later, the group reformed and we stayed together thru aid station #1.
We were now on the dirt roads. The speed greatly increased under the control of Jeff Schalk, Josh Tostado and Mike Simonson. Right then, I should have slowed down to prevent hitting the wall later into the race. However, I decided to follow my original idea and buried myself as the pain in the legs rapidly increased. Eventually, the group had shrunk as we approached aid station #2 but I was still there...
By aid station #2, I could have use a refill of my water bottles but instead I rode thru the aid station following Jeff Schalk. Instantly, the 6-7 men strong lead group shrunk in half: Jeff and I who skipped the feed and Mike Simonson whose wife handed him a fresh Camelbag without stopping.
I was over my head for over 3 hours and on an uphill section I let Jeff and Mike roll away. I possibly could have given another big push in an attempt to crest the mountain gap with them but it would just have delayed my demise jeopardizing even more an eventual recovery. Within a few pedal strokes, I went from 10 mph to 6 mph. I was in damage control slowly moving forward. I don't really remember much about the trail or the weather conditions. I was just wondering when I would be passed by the racers that stopped at aid #2. Chris Peariso was the first one to ride by me; it did even cross my mind to try to get on his wheel...
Slowly, I felt some signs of life in my legs again; but I could also hear some noise behind me. Josh Tostado was 30 yards behind but I would not make it too easy to bridge back. I accelerated a bit and he rapidly disappeared in the fog he came from.
By now, skipping aid station #2 felt like a real bad idea as I ran out of food and water. How much longer to aid #3? After a much needed stop at aid #3, Josh was back (he did not stop at #3) and we rode a little bit together. Somewhere in the mountains, Josh slowed down a bit and I was riding by myself until I saw Mike Simonson on the side of the road. He just finished fixing his tire. I rode behind him for a couple of minutes before he started to distance himself at the front. However, I reached aid station #4 ahead of Mike since his first tire fix was not good and had to stop again.
Eventually, Mike rode by me somewhere between aid #4 and #5. It also started to rain constantly and the lightning was striking on the nearby mountain tops making the thunder echoed in the valleys. I pushed hard on the climbs and went extra conservative in the downhill as I could barely see anything behind my mud tainted glasses.
After aid #5, I really felt better and I was able to up the pace. I used extreme caution in the last downhill to the finish and crossed the line in 4th place.
This is an unexpected result as I was almost wondering if I had enough strength to ride for 100 miles. I hope that next time; my legs will be able to endure the pace of the lead group a little longer. You can count on me: I will give my best shot at it.
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