L'epic avec JG: musings de la musette.- Stage 2

Sorry for the delay in post everybody. Our condo has been having technical difficulties in the Internets department. I have contacted the Interweb spider...haven't heard back from him. But we did get a visit from a bear the other night. This came after a brief conversation following dinner as to whether or not putting steak leftovers in the outside compost was a good idea. We did it. And he came. The huge wooden bin was completely tipped over and the steak bits...gone!
So that was exciting, but not nearly as much as the first real big stage of the event. As I write this post I have actually already finished the third day so what follows is an account of yesterday's race.

It started with us following the police escort up towards the climb that many of you would remember from the Fall Classic. I got some beta from Brett Batchelder aka “Big Shooter” that the course was a good one for my Spot hartail. The bike rode great, but I think it better suited for the shorter xc races that I normally do. These high altitude and rugged mountain courses really do lend themselves to the rider with a sweet sauce. For me, this was the first ride I’d ever done while riding with a camel back. It sucked. 70 ounces, plus all of my flat repair artillery, a rain coat, food and of course the space blanket all hanging out on my back really felt like a big ol’ monkey.

The race was a bit harder than I thought. I have been putting in a lot of shorter miles over the past month and it came back to bite me a little. I can say though now after today’s race that my legs are feeling sooo much better. I admit too that I was feeling slightly grumpy on the day despite the unbelievably amazing views, sweet singletrack and sunny skies. You know that Chevy Chase movie, Caddyshack? Of course you do. Feel the ball feel the flow, na na na na…na na na na. Ya, there was none of that na na na nada! It’s cool though because we all have those days. Your mind wonders in every direction except for the place where you feel the flow.
Speaking of feeling the flow, the Tour de France was sweet this day. I can only imagine the moral and the team chatter at camp Astana following that riveting breakaway when team Columbia-HTC (can someone please tell me what the HTC stands for?) Thanks. So yeah, a sweet ride by those men who were savvy enough and strong enough to make the break. Who knew stage three would be so great?

At the end of the stage, my stage, I pretty much fell into a couple of bags of freaking awesome “Mother’s” cookies. There were chocolate chip ones and lemon iced bite sized pieces that made me smile. What is it about bite sized goodies? I don’t know about you but I always end up eating the entire package of bite sized anythings.
Luckily that wasn’t the only thing I ate…you should see our refrigerator right now. Bad ass. It has a clear door and is full of great eats. That is definitely one of the most important aspects to remember in a race of this difficulty. Eating is key. If you forget to eat while you’re on the bike, you’re done. If you forget to eat off the bike, forget about having any strength for the next day. Another technique I find helpful in recovering is the always pleasant ice bath. Brrrrr. But after a little massage and an ice bath it is incredible how much better you feel. So that’s what’s next for me. I usually get a hot cup of tea and put on a thick sweatshirt for the ordeal. Oooh a bite personal, sorry! Ha!

On that note I hope you all have a great evening. I will get today’s post up earlier tomorrow so that we can hopefully get caught up.

Viva la tour!

Smiles and stuff
JG