Bob, Jay, Norma and I drove to Brian Head of Wednesday. Except for a couple of stops in Flagstaff and Kanab, we drove straight to our destination. Once we got there, it took no time to start feeling the effects of the elevation. Just carring the bikes to the third floor where we were staying required an anerobic effort.
We went for a short spin that evening. The next morning after a good breakfast we took care of the registration process and rode around the venue. There were big names all over the place getting ready to throw down at 3PM during the prologue, even though it didn't count for the overall.
The start was down the pavement and onto a rolling fire road. I found myself in the middle of the pack and when Jeremy Horgan Kobelski finally passed me, I knew I had gone out too hard. Less than 3 milles into the ride I turn the back up lights and started going in reverse...or thats what it seemed. Eventually I crawled back to the finish riding like a 6 year old to finish in second to last place. I barely managed to stay ahead of the Lea Davidson who was leading the female Elite grounp. 
After the experience of day one, I decided I was going to take it easier on day 2 when we had to tackle over 55 miles. Once again, testosterone took over and soon I found myself way above my LT. Eventually the course tamed my efforts however less than 20 miles into the ride, I started to experience leg cramps.I felt a little better after aid station 1 and recover some ground before getting to Navajo Lake where aid station 2 was located.
After aid station 2 I rode pretty well however I started to get a mental bonk. For some reason I was expecting to start going down hill sooner than we did. I lost a lot a motivation to push the climb since I couldn't see where the downhill started. By the time I made it to aid station 3 I had cramps on both legs and just wanted to finish. Thankfully there were only 3 miles, two of which were downhill back to the finish. In the end I crossed the finish line in 25th place after 4 hours and 34 minutes on the saddle. 
This is what life was like after each event at our place. Ice packets, food and lots of resting to be as ready as possible for the next day.
The third stage would start from Brian Head and the first few miles consisted of a 13% pavement climb to the top of Brian Head Peak. I did take it easier that day and lost a lot of places however I felt half decent by the time we got the top, so I started gaining spots through the rest of the event.
I did have another mental lapse towards the end when I reach a steep switchback when all I was expecting was to cruise down to the finish line. I managed to down shift to my lowest gear (yes I rode a 34 on the back and used it too) then coasted down to the finish after 4 hours and 15 minutes of pain to finish in 24th place. The biggest improvement from the day before was that I didn't cramp up. I diluted two endurolites per bottle of water and that really help. We repeated this for the rest of the event. 
I had a hard time going to sleep on Saturday, eventually I got some zzzz before our 5:30 wake up time to get some breakfast and get ready for the last stage. Stage 4 started the same way as the day before. On the way to the start line I took a detour from our condo through some rarely used single-track. Eventually I could see the start line but the trail keep veering in the opposite direction so I had to bushwack down this really steep slope to make it on time. The good thing was that I got a better warm up that the previous days. I pushed just a tad harder up the climb trying to stay below my LT, which was not difficult as my HR had gradually dropped as the days went on. The first downhill was the same as the day before, so I took a few more risk and made up a few spots before aid station 1, the we climbed back to the top of the Brian Head Peak before heading down on one of the towns most famous trail, the Dark Hollow. I cleaned the whole thing and except for a little mistake at the top that could have gone really bad I managed to tame the Dark Hollow. Some people weren't that lucky and either flatted or crash like Ryan Trebon. The last part of the course took us to the same trails we rode during the prologue, however I felt a lot better this time. I went by the finish line just shy of 2 and a half hours ready to start the second lap. On the second lap, the efforts of the previous three days started to creep up but I still completed the second lap just 8 minutes slower on what seem to have been my best day of the event. The placing that day was 15th which put me into 17th in the GC.
Jay and Bob also had great results. Jay finished 3rd in the Open 30-34.
Bob was the champion of the Open 45-49.
In the end we had a great time, awesome weather, inspiring views and tough competition. Here we are sporting our AMC Finishers Jerseys with Cedar Break National Park as our backdrop.
Obviously the weekend couldn't have been near as perfect without the support of my wonderful wife. Norma served as our driver, nutritionist and manager. She waited for us at all aid stations and handed off bottles and food for us three then came back to the condo and prepared delicious food. Before the last stage she went and pre-rode the course so she could give us a better description of what was ahead of us. Thank YOU so much my love for all your support. We couldn't have done it without you. Gracias Mi Amor!
To see the rest of the 96 pictures we took during the event, check out our picasa album.Pura Vida!
