Author Archives: Steve Tilford

Leadville Morning

This entry was posted in Comments about Cycling on by .

It’s ugly.  Not much sleep when the race starts at 6:30 and you have to get up to eat before 4 am.  We’re driving at 4:45 am to get there 45 minutes before the start.

I think I’m ready.  We’ll as ready as I can be.  Now it is just what day I have.  It is supposed to start raining between 12-1 pm, so hopefully I’ll be in before I get too wet.

Trudi has to take off as soon as the race is over and get to Steamboat to give some massages to her BMC guys and just be the all around calmer.

Vincent is going to be riding his motorcycle around the course, so I plan to see him a lot.  I know so many people that are going to be there, either racing or feeding, that I don’t think I’ll be feeling lonely out there much.

Okay, hoping to finish under 7 hours, but it really just depends what Steve shows up to race.  Hopefully even if I struggle early, I have plenty of time to get back into the groove.  I guess that is the advantage of a 100 mile MTB race.

I’ll post again after the race.

Yesterday there was a huge storm in the afternoon.  I saw a beautiful double rainbow.  I took it as a good luck sign.

Yesterday there was a huge storm in the afternoon. I saw a beautiful double rainbow. I took it as a good luck sign.

Oakley put this right before the steep descent of Powerline.

Oakley put this right before the steep descent of Powerline.

This stuff was in my race bag.  This was, for sure, the first time I've ever received a fork in a bag.

This stuff was in my race bag. This was, for sure, the first time I’ve ever received a fork in a bag.

This was on the back of the fork.

This was on the back of the fork.

 

 

Day after (Leadville)

This entry was posted in Racing on by .

I have to drive back over to Leadville to get my belt buckle this morning, so this has to be short. I’ve never heard of an awards presentation at 7:30 am, the day after the race.  Crazy.  We’re going to take our road bikes and do a ride around the town after.  Vincent says the bike path around Leadville is pretty interesting, going by a lot of old mines, etc.

Yesterday didn’t go as I had hoped or planned.  I’ll write about it tomorrow.   I kept motivated, even though I had no reason to be.  Finally, with about 1/2 the race left, I started cramping and that was it.  I tried to control the cramping as best I could, but who knows how to do that?  Certainly not me.

Anyway, I’m not so disappointed.  I had no chance of ever winning the race, but felt like I had the form to finish way better than I did.  Limping in at the end of a race is not something I wish on anyone.

Okay, we have to head off.  This early morning stuff, especially after a real early morning race start isn’t my cup of tea.

 

Crossing the line about 30 minutes longer that I would have been happy.

Crossing the line about 30 minutes longer that I would have been happy.