L'epic avec JG: musings de la musette.- Stage 3

Race fans,
Here we go…the race report from today. Stage 3. After riding the Spot hardtail yesterday I decided it was time for me to make the switch over to the Maverick, “Copious”. My seat bag met the Grim Reeper yesterday so I had to pack even more stuff into my camel back. But it was ok today. I was more prepared for what it feels like to carry it and the full-suspension made the bumps easier on my back. The start of the race was at the bottom of Boreas pass and climbed and climbed and climbed and then it went down some and then climbed again. It was about 7700 feet of uphill in about 30 miles. The pro men did it super fast. As it stands now Jeramiah Bishop has a 40 second lead over Travis Brown for GC. They are having an epic battle. It’s cool.

As for me, I am duking it out with Christina Begy. She is amazing. Not only is she always right behind me everywhere, ups and downs, she is doing it all on a single speed. I am impressed. Plus she always looks like a spring flower at the finish line. Totally an inspirational athlete. Somehow I have about 10 minutes on her for the overall GC but I do not consider myself safe! With three really hard stages left, tomorrow being the toughest, anything could happen.

I liked the race today. The course was fun, my legs felt better and the bike was the right machine for the terrain. After the ascent up Boreas pass road we ripped some fun singletrack down to the creek and of course then began to go up. I let Granny eat for most of the day as a good steady spin is the best way for me to settle into a pace that I can easily roll over time. I’ve never done a long mountain bike stage race like this and I have had to remember that day to day. You cannot lay it out on the first few stages without considering what you need to have in the tank for the end. So I spun it out.

As the days continue I find myself a little bit brain dead! I am trying to recall the race and all I can think about was the middle section that was fun. There was swooping singletrack and I was able to rip down it on the Maverick. I had so much fun. There were roots and cool rocks. Again, you all know that I race on a Spot hardtail, which I love too, but there have been moments on this course when I can’t help but freak out about how much fun I am having on the full suspension.
Yep, so the best part of my day is when I reach the finish line and can dive into cookies and make Annie’s macaroni and cheese bunny pasta. Amy Robillard, Brett Batchelder and photo Eddie are all camped out with us in the condo. It’s awesome. Amy is killing it out there with me everyday, Brett is braaaping on his moto everywhere marking the course and washing our bikes with his power washer. I tell ya you know you are a pro when someone washes your bike for you. Too bad it hardly ever happens!! Ha. But I am totally grateful and I am even going to buy Brett some Belgium waffle caramel wafers.

I am also very grateful to photo Eddie Clark, he is always taking the best pics and giving us amazing shots to use for the blog. I don’t know if you have checked out his website www.photo-cycle.com, but if you haven’t, do it. He is very talented and we wouldn’t be able to provide many images for you since we are drooling, hurting and grinding our way through the week. Er something like that! It’s funny, Eddie has become a friend over the past year and whenever I see him on the course I get all excited and flash him an amazingly cheesy grin while shouting out the “hey Eddie!” So the shots of me make me look like a cheesy ham! Ha! But when you are out on the trails and all alone and suffering I tell ya the one thing that makes my day is seeing someone I know! My family members are awesome to have at races too, but xc races are not as exciting as let’s say watching the Nuggets in the finals and they have long since realized that watching me ride by for a minute then standing around for hours isn’t the best way to spend a day. So since it’s Eddie’s job to be out there he is everywhere! It’s awesome!

Well it’s time for dinner. Over and out and lots of love to everyone in my life that supports me.

JG

A www.photo-cycle.com gallery of stage 3.

Thanks to Brett and the army of moto minions for marking the course & rockin' lead moto each day....OH Yeah & for cleaning the bikes each evening.
Travis Brown & Jeremiah Bishop continue to battle for GC
CM rockin' gears & squish.
The one & only JG bringin' it home.
A shout to Larry Grossman & squirt lube for chasing the peloton from peak to peak & delivering fresh lube.
JG closes out the win on stage 3.

Party time..excellent.