Post-Race

Well that was a rough day on the bike. I figured I should put my typical post race insomnia to good use this morning and jot down a few thoughts about yesterday's race. Cutting to the chase: I was second. Again. And I had a lengthy flat. Again. I did it in 8:12 and was 5 min. ahead of my splits for a sub 8-hr. finish time when I flatted. I felt just okay all day and that was frustrating. I never felt absolutely awful but I never felt good and never once approached feeling great.

Photo Dave McElwaine @ trailwatch.net

It was also by far the most beautiful weather we could have asked for. The course conditions were fast, a bit windy on the return trip and the one or two times I actually looked at the views, they were stunning. The race start pace was civil. I rode with Rebecca until the base of Columbine and that was a really hard 3 hours. The pace was insane and she threw down an aggressive attack up Sugarloaf to try to shake me before powerline. I hung on and then led the first half of the descent and she took the second half. We rode a blistering pace to the base of Columbine where my husband just barely got me my feed. I was practically starting the climb, wondering where he was when he goes ripping by on his moto, crash lands it on the side, and just barely gets me my feed bag. I slowed up to get my feed, so Rebecca attacked there, got a small gap as I was stuffing my pockets and then she slowly put in 6 min. into me on the 3,000 foot 10-mile climb and descent up to 12,400. (Yes, I suck at climbing. Must work on that ;)

Anyway, that was the last I saw of her. When I saw her pull away, I had to change my focus onto riding my own race, making time where I could and doing damage control where I couldn't. I came into the Twin Lakes aid station and she had 6 min. on me. When I got to the last aid station at mile 74, she had a 9 min. Gap. Crap. My legs still hadn't started feeling any better and all I could think of was oh my lord, there is no way I am going to make it up the Powerline climb. Then something finally clicked. 6 hrs in I started to feel more like myself. I rode the entire Powerline climb - Cleaned the entire thing. Columbine too. That makes me happy. The funniest part about the Poweline climb was that Ned Overand was just ahead of me and I could see him walking. There were so many awesome people lining that climb, cheering me on to ride the whole thing, heckling me that Ned walked it, I'm younger than Ned, etc. Hilarious. Cleaning the entire first section gave me confidence that I had more in my tank than I thought and I was ready to make a move to at least try to put a dent into that 9 min. gap.

I got to the top of Sugarloaf and said to myself, okay, go time. I really pushed it on the descent and couldn't see many of the rocks lurking in the shadows. It must have been one of those that I nailed, burped my rear tire and flatted immediately. I gave it a quick shot of Co2-nothing. I had learned my lesson last year to not mess around, so I immediately got to work on putting a tube in. Problem was my valve stem was absolutely stuck in there. After 10 minutes of trying, 4 bloody finger tips, a ripped fingernail and lots of people passing me, I gave up on the valve stem and had started putting my stuff away so I could put my bike on my shoulder and walk to the junction on Hagerman Rd. about 3 miles or so away and hitch a ride home. My Leadville and my effort to throw down a sub 8 hr time was over.

All of the sudden my pal Ted who has been staying at the same house as me here in Leadville comes around the corner and asks if I need help. My trail angel stopped and railed on my valve stem for me with his man hands and got it off! As soon as he did I said "thank you, thank you now go go go!" and I got to work on finally putting a tube in. It must have been 15 min. or so before I got going again. Ted absolutely saved my race. This is why I love this sport so much. Here's a guy who has done Leadville 9 times, has come in 2nd a few times himself, and he selflessly stopped on the side of the trail to help me get home. Amazing.

This act of kindness helped me through the rest of the sufferfest home. I was sooooo deflated after my flat (haha). I was disappointed, pissed, embarrassed and just plain sad. I wanted to win this race so badly and once again, it just wasn't working out. I made it to the aid station at the top of Carter where I had planned to pick up a bottle. Instead I got a new wheel, tube, a CO2 and the final split that Rebecca was over 20 min. ahead. It was a long 11 miles home.

But, I rode it out as fast as I could and had more than a few a-ha moments out there. When I passed the 180 turn on St. Kevin's, I remembered my friends Wendy and Jillian being right there the year before cheering me on. Jillian was climbing the middle Teton this summer when she slipped and fell to her death. She was 21. It got me thinking about the bigger picture once again. Leadville is still just a bike race. It made me smile and pedal harder.

I rode the last section of the Boulevard alongside Dave Weins' brother, trying to keep my head high, knowing I had given it everything I had out there. My everything just wasn't enough. I got beat fair and square by a better rider who had a great day and was super motivated. A huge congrats to Rebecca Rusch for not only riding a spectacular race, but for also setting a new course record! I only hope that it helps increase the exposure women get at Leadville.

It's embarrassingly lopsided to the men's side of things here. Only 257 of the 1600 entrants were women. There is no podium. You either win it or you don't. After the race a photographer said to me "Oh, you're second place, don't you think they want you in the press tent?" I laughed and said this is the 3rd time I have been 2nd place here and no one has ever spoken to me post race. Ever. Same for this year, too. As a woman, you either win Leadville or you don't. As Ricky-Bobby would lament, "If you're not first, you're last."

Will I come back for a 4th? Now's not the time to say, but I will say this: the competitive atmosphere at Leadville is practically addictive. I will never experience crowds like this in my life. Where else could you get a guy dressed up in a tux and a chef's outfit offering you a hot dog and cold beer at 12,000 feet? Where else can you get serenaded by a man in overalls playing a banjo while you are suffering up a granny gear climb? I was chased for over a minute by what I think must have been the local girls' high school cross country team screaming their lungs out, running beside me. I was followed by cowbell all the way up powerline. People cheered for me by name all day. It was awesome. So, so, so, so awesome. When it comes time to enter the lottery this winter, it'll be hard to pass that experience up. As many times as it has handed it to me, I still LOVE this race.

A huge thanks again to everyone who was pulling for me on this one. A special thanks to Nate for being the best supporter I could ever ask for. I may not be a factory rider with the equipment, support and perks that come along with it, but he bends over backwards to make me feel like I am at no disadvantage because of it. He even bought me flowers and gave them to me anyway even though I didn't get first. I couldn't do this type of racing with out him-thanks honey for being such an enthusiastic member of Team Carey!