Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Race Across the Sky – Leadville 100 - 08


Here is a race I thought I would never do. After moving away from Colorado in 1996 I didn’t think I would ever be up for competing in a race that takes place between 10000 and 12600 ft of altitude. Well….after a call from my old friend Mark Wolff last winter who said he could get us into the race, how could I refuse? Mark’s friend Reid is a sponsor of the 100 mile running race in Leadville and as such had a couple of reserved entry spots available that we could take advantage of….thanks Reid ! (I think :) ).
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I figured I would make a late season trip out of the event and drove out to stay with Mark in his Airstream trailer in Buena Vista, CO. Buena sits at about 8000 feet in the Arkansas river valley in the shadow of the Collegiate range mountain peaks….very cool. I arrived late Monday night the week before the race. Tuesday I was so tired from travel and affected by the altitude that I was useless and didn’t even ride. Wednesday was a little better and I got out for a couple hour ride on some fun trails near town. Thursday was feeling like I was adapting at least a little to the altitude and again went for a moderate ride near Buena with Mark. The weather was cool and rainy and we hoped that race day would be a little nicer. Friday we headed up to race registration in Leadville (just 35 miles north) and after the race meeting drove to look at a couple of key points on the course. I was a little bummed that I didn’t actually ride any of the course before hand, but it just didn’t work out.
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The pre race meeting was an interesting affair and it was cool that Lance Armstrong showed up and said a few words….he played down his chances in the race, but I suspected he would give 5 time winner Dave Weins some serious competition the next day. There were about 1000 registered riders….but the registration process was so well organized that we were in and out in just a few minutes. With a 6:30 am race start we decided on a 3:45 wake up so we could get organized and up to the line with plenty of time. I am definitely not a morning person, but somehow early race starts don’t bother me once I have my mind set to what is needed for proper waking/eating/travel/ arrival at venue times.
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With the shotgun blast we set out on the 100 mile course. The neutral start was a little sketchy, but I was able to stay safe and end up near the front as we hit the dirt and the official race start. I was about 10-15 riders back at the beginning of the first climb just 5 or 6 miles into the race. This climb went well and I crested about 11000 ft in 19th position. Onto the road for a fast paved downhill I was in the 2nd group (Lance, Dave and about 8 or 9 other guys were just up the road). This descent bottoms out and goes right into the next climb. It was not long after the start of this one when I realized the altitude was already starting to get to me. I was feeling nauseous with every pedal stroke. Oh well…nothing to do about it, just keep riding.
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This climb went up to around 11.5, the last couple of miles being pretty rough….then comes the power line descent. I had to back off a little on the climb, trying to stave off the ugly feeling of altitude sickness and I gave up quite a few spots, but I was surviving. The power line descent was really fun…although I was kicking myself for not having pre-ridden it during the week. Off the descent and onto the rolling / flattish portion of the course I was in about the 3rd group on the road and at aid station 1 was riding in a group of 20 or so. After that the sensations started to degrade and I had to continue to let off the pace. Every time I pressed hard on the pedals I felt like I was going to be sick….not a good feeling. I kept hoping I could “ride through it” and feel good on the big upcoming climb….but that was wishful thinking. My big panic was that I felt so sick that I could not properly fuel or hydrate. I did my best, but I knew I was fighting a losing battle there…..so for once I did something really smart: I went into conservation mode. Don’t get me wrong, I was not poking along (yet) but I was definitely holding way back…not riding fast …and not worrying about other riders. I let plenty of riders go by and tried not to be concerned about them. Now, instead of racing for what I had hoped to be a high placing, I was going for that 9 hour mark. I knew I could make it IF I stayed within myself and managed the nausea.
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I actually rode through aid station 2 at twin lakes only about 5 minutes slower than my predicted time…not bad so far, but I had not counted on feeling so poorly…and with a climb over an hour long coming up I knew my time would fall WAY off soon. The area around twin lakes was a mass of people…it was incredible all the people out cheering and supporting riders. For about a mile I felt like I was riding Paris Roubaix or something….I guess Lance really does get the spectators out. Just past twin lakes was the “crew only” aid station where Mark’s wife Kitty had set up shop to support us. I pulled in and took my time getting some food and drink in preparation for the climb up to the Columbine Mine.
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The first long part of the climb was uneventful….in fact I didn’t see many riders at this point. I passed a couple of riders and a couple of riders passed me, but we were all going our own pace. After maybe 40 minutes of climbing the road degrades into a rocky trail. This part was fun for about a mile and this is where I saw Lance and Dave come flying down the mountain…and I still had over a mile to climb! Further along and the trail turns into a rutted path that has very steep pitches. All of a sudden I was above tree line and could see for a long way up the mountain: a long line of riders struggling up, walking at times. I had been climbing for over an hour and still could not see the summit and turn around. The closer I got to the top the faster the riders were coming at me on their way down. This part of the race is pretty sketchy as the uphill riders stay to the right and the downhill riders are forced into a rutted, rocky gully. I was able to ride most of the last uphill portion…I was only off the bike for 2 or 3 small steep sections. I suspect if I was fresh (or closer to sea level) these sections would be easily rideable. As sick as I felt I did still take the time to look around…. Amazingly beautiful….even if there is no oxygen to breathe. Over the crest of the high point of the trail there is a short downhill to the summit aid station and the turn around. This is kind of comical as you actually have to ride back uphill after the turn around…just about the last thing I wanted to do at that point.
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Onto the downhill …which was a blast…seeing the endless line of riders struggling up as I was blasting down the mountain was sadistically fun. I didn’t stop at the crew aid station on the way back and decided I would wait and make one more stop at the final aid station which was still between 2 and 2.5 hours from the finish. Across the rolling part of the course I was feeling worse and worse, trying to eat and drink, but knowing my caloric deficit was increasing. Now I started to ride slow. From this point on I felt like I was racing in slow motion, just turning over the pedals trying to manage the altitude problems as best as possible…..looking for that last aid station where I promised myself I would actually get of the bike for a few minutes. I was playing numbers games with myself, guessing exactly when I would get to the stop and setting time tables as to how long it would take me to finish from there. I figured if I left the station after about 6 hours of riding I could easily make the 9 hours total.
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When I finally made it to the stop I was suffering pretty badly. The “flat” part of the course actually has some really steep and difficult hills. I got off the bike and looking at my watch gave myself 5 minutes of recovery. Several riders passed but I was not worried…I thought I heard someone say I was in 69th pulling into the stop….so I told myself I would be happy with a top 100 placing. Out of the aid station with *just* 25 miles or so to go, I knew I was about to face one of the toughest parts of the course: riding UP power line. My thoughts went something like this: how hard could it be? This is the last really difficult climb (not!), after power line everything is easy, how long could it take? 30 minutes? HA! Power line on the way back IS the most difficult part of the ride. It is steep and it is long. I rode all but a few short sections and that was just because I had that nausea when pressing too hard on the pedals. There are 3 or 4 false summits. You think you can see the top, then you get there only to see another summit in the distance. On top of this it started to rain pretty hard just as I was nearing the top. As I finally crested…after what felt like hours of climbing in my easiest gear (really probably 45-50 minutes) I stopped briefly to put my rain jacket on for the descent. This descent was interesting as it was muddy and my glasses became useless….oh well, I still got down pretty quickly and next thing I knew I was on that real final climb….mostly pavement…but still a tough bit of ascending. I passed a rider who was having the same thoughts as me….just wanted to finish in under 9 hours without needing a trip to the hospital afterwards. I figured that the finish would be just about an hour or a little less from the top….and as it turns out I was pretty close with that estimate. I crested the last climb and felt a small surge of energy as I got back onto the dirt. I was hoping for an immediate downhill, but the trail rolls around a bit on the crest before the final descent. Once my wheels pointed downhill I got some confidence, but I knew that at the bottom I still had a 5 plus mile gradual uphill grind back to town.
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The return to town is slightly different that the route at the start…and slightly longer as well, just to add a little bit of extra cruelty. When I hit the pavement I thought I was home free….but in fact I still had a bit of suffering to complete. Instead of mostly pavement to get back, they send you off onto a loose gravel road called “the Boulevard”. Here is where I was cursing myself for not having looked at the finish section. I was on the boulevard, grinding away, but the town was nowhere in sight! I kept thinking “how far could it be!”....but it just would not come into view. Finally I asked a couple of spectators who walking along the course (almost going the same speed as me) how far it was and I think I heard a little chuckle as they said less than 2 miles. OK, I can walk 2 miles if I have to, so this set my mind at ease. I was crawling…but I would finish…and well under 9 hours. I made the final turn onto the road and hit the last couple of rollers up to the finish. It was awesome…there were hundreds of people out cheering for ALL the finishers….and since Lance and Dave had finished almost 2 hours earlier it was incredible to see this much support. I crossed the line in 8 hours 39 minutes in 71st place overall and somehow managed to hide my exhaustion because a few people were talking to me and I can’t really recall much of anything. I felt so sick, I still couldn’t eat and I went up to the car and just sat in the passenger seat trying to relax and let my stomach settle enough to start replenishing calories. This took a long time, but I had to wait for Mark to get in so I had time before I had to move around much.
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I went back to the line to wait for Mark and as 11 hours passed I was getting a little worried that he would not make the official finish cut off of 12 hours….on such a brutal course anything can happen. He made it in at about 11:22….great! As we were starting to get ready to leave and the 12 hour mark was approaching, the countdown began. One minute! At the finish you can see for several minutes down the road so you can see the riders suffering trying to make that 12 hour mark. 3, 2, 1 Bang! They fire the shotgun again at 12 hours signifying the end of the race….All I could think of was riders who were still out there hearing that gunshot and knowing they missed the cut off.
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We headed back to Buena, a big meal, and thankfully a couple thousand feet lower altitude. After an hour or so I started to feel better and the appetite came back nicely. The awards ceremony was at 8:30 am the next morning and it really was quite an affair. The race promoter actually reads off the name of every finisher under 12 hours. You get a belt buckle for under 12 and a bigger buckle for under 9 hours. Pretty cool. The winning tandem time was 10 hours and 17 minutes….there were actually quite a few tandems….and believe me I took note of that time….hmmmmm.
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After the awards I wandered around town a little, and then hit the road for the 2 day drive back to NC. What an experience this event was…I am so glad to have done it. I didn’t even come close to my potential time on the course….I suspect with the right acclimatization and training I could get close to 8 hours….but that will have to wait. Maybe next year?

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Sunday, August 17, 2008

HEKMAN 3RD AT US PRO CRITERIUM CHAMPIONSHIPS !!!!!



Let me repeat that: Mark Hekman just grabbed the bronze medal at the US PRO criterium championships in Downers Grove, IL. This comes exactly one year after crashing and breaking his heel in the 2007 amateur edition of the race. I couldn't be happier for Mark. The pic above is not from crit nats, but will have to suffice until we get one.
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Those who know Mark are familiar with his laid back style and sense of humor. What they often don't realize is the unbelievable amount of work he puts into his cycling profession. Of all the athletes I have had the pleasure to work with over the years, Mark has by far the ability to sustain the highest training work load. The other thing that really stands out is his consistency of race results. Week in and week out all year long Mark performs.....He has had some really good results this season, but 3rd today is some great payoff for all his efforts.
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Also a big congrats to Marco Aledia and the entire Inferno Racing team for Marco's 2nd place in the elite amateur crit championships earlier in the day!
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And it doesn't stop there! Asheville superstar Lauren Franges (Tibco) won the Saturday warm up race in Downer's where VeloSports coach Laura Bowles (Advil) was a driving force in the 4 woman winning break.
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Leadville report coming soon...I promise!