The Moab Report

I thought I'd throw one last post out there regarding this year's 24 Hours of Moab. I'll try to fill you in on how the laps went down, how I felt, and what was going on inside my head.

Saturday morning 8:30ish, I roll out of my comfy slumber in the trailer. After a breakfast of oatmeal, banana, coffee, oj, and blueberry muffin, I make sure all my lights, clothes, gear are organized. I start getting ready around 11am (I think). I'm pretty relaxed and try to contain the excitement, the anticipation, the emotions.

Noon on Saturday. Still pretty relaxed, even in the midst of hundreds of racers lined up for the chaotic start. The cannon goes off and the herd of racers make the run around the juniper bush and back to the bikes. The race has begun.

The first lap was pretty hectic, as it always is. Everyone is pretty caught up in the excitement and chaos and several riders seem to forget that this is a 24 hour race. I manage to do a pretty good job of staying out of trouble and riding my own race.

Laps 2-3 were pretty similar, just keep plugging away. At the end of lap 3 is when I started thinking that it wasn't going to be too much longer before I was going to have to start fighting through some stuff (physically and mentally). I know it sounds early to be having those thoughts, but you can't help to think about how many more hours you're going to be riding.

Lap 4 felt pretty good. It was my last lap before I had to hook up the lights and get ready to take on the night. I honestly had know idea what place I was in at this point. I didn't care either. I was riding well, riding my race.

Lap 5. Nightfall came quick. I got in about a 1/4 of my 5th lap before I had to turn on my lights. It's bitter sweet when nightfall comes. You know you're that much closer to finishing, but in order to do so you have to fight through the night.

Nightfall is when the race really starts. It's when you have to fight the demons that are trying to get you to bag it, it's when you have to overcome the urge to stay in the comfort of your camp, it's when you just have to get on your bike and start another lap.

My night laps are a blur. I do vividly remember the cool air on my face. I remember really struggling on one of my night laps, crashing while riding up a rocky section on the backside of the Butte. I remember lying on my back after that crash and looking up at the stars in the night sky and thinking I'd better get my ass up. If I continued to lay there, it may have broke me. I wasn't hurt, but the demons were starting to slip in and I couldn't allow it to happen. So I got up and kept riding. I also remember I felt a LOT better the next lap. Somewhere in the night, I took another spill on a tricky downhill covered with baby heads. I banged up my thigh a little, but it could have been a lot worse. I was immediately back on my bike this time and finished the lap pretty strong. I also remember finishing a lap that I started around 3am and my wife Sharon telling me that I got over the 3am hump. I remember the trees and bushes along the trail taking on lifelike shapes (one was my mom with a camera, one was a guy in a white robe, one was a cyclist changing a tire), I remember seeing a man (that I'm certain didn't exist) walk across the trail in front of me. I also remember my parents and Sharon getting up after each of my night laps to get me food, and keep me company. I remember seeing my dad standing by the fire late in the night or early in the morning.

Sunrise lap. Arguably the best lap of a 24 hour race. I started mine around 6am. I dedicated this lap to my grandfather for his birthday. I remember looking up at the sky as the sun started to fill it full of colors and knew my grandfather was smiling down on me. Most people get a boost when the sun comes up. You know you're on your home stretch. I finished that lap and knocked back some oatmeal and coffee. Damn that was good coffee.

I still didn't know what place I was in. I think it was after my next lap that my parents told me that Clint had called to tell them he saw I was in 9th place. I remember saying "I'm racing". I had time to do two more laps. I sucked down a red bull and took off again. My next lap was pretty fast. I was getting faster and most of the others were logging slower lap times. I remember passing several solo riders on that second to last lap and they looked haggard. They would ask what lap I was on, was I going for another. "Yeah, I'm going for another. Are you?" Most said, they just wanted to get through this lap. I passed a couple of solo riders that looked pretty good though. I didn't want to talk to them, I just wanted to ride. I didn't care what they were doing. I was in my 23rd hour and wanted to finish strong. I was psyched to think I'd probably getting a top 10 finish.

11:40ish am Sunday morning. I stopped briefly before my last lap. I ate something, a banana I think, and drank another red bull. I knew I was going to have to dig deep for this lap. Red went out with me on this lap to follow behind and keep me company. Somewhere along the way, I must have passed a couple of riders. Some may have decided not to go out for another lap. I'm not sure exactly how it played out. I finished that last lap with a strong time. I finished the race strong. I felt good. I felt like I had just ridden my bike for 24 hours, but I felt good (all things considered). My parents and Sharon went to check the final results while I took a shower and collected myself. When they came back and told me I came in 5th, I was stunned...and happy! I had ridden my race and done well. Things just clicked.

Thanks again for every one's support. I love you all!