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.

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 was on the back of the fork.

The Pro Challenge started yesterday in Steamboat Springs.  I was still stinging a little from Saturday and really didn’t feel like running into a thousand people that would most likely bring up Leadville.  I did manage to catch the end of the race, while waiting out a rain storm in a Whole Foods in Frisco.  Pretty great finish.  Small group finishes are always interesting.

Today we’re going to ride up Loveland Pass, down to Georgetown and then back up over the pass to, hopefully get to the finish in A Basin by the 4 o’clock finish.  It is pretty windy out today, so maybe the race time estimates will be fast and the race will finish later.  Plus, there is the normal chance of afternoon thunderstorms, which makes spectating at 10500 feet really unenjoyable.

Since BMC won yesterday, they are obviously happy, thus the support people work extra hard trying to reward the riders a little.  Maybe not reward, but when you are winning the race, there are always extra duties.  Trudi will be at the feed and then go to the finish, so hopefully I’ll catch up with her there.

I’ve got a lot of friends from all over the country following the whole race, so it will be nice meeting up with them randomly.

Both my knees are still a little sore from Leadville.  It is kind of weird, because after Lutsen, my right knee hurt, then the pain went away.   In Leadville, I experienced no knee pain, which is about the only place below my waste that was the case, but the day after, both my knees, between the kneecap and the skin hurt.  I’m not sure what that is all about.  My friend Stacie, an orthopedic surgeon, told me it was because I raced a 100 mile MTB race.  Duh?  I know the ultimate cause, but not why it only happens on a MTB, while racing a long time.

Eric Heiden said that I need to drink tonic water to help in the recovery from the cramping.  I guess the quinine in the water helps for some reason.  I don’t know if it’s too late for that, but I will probably get some tonight.

Okay, I’d better get going.  It is only a 70 miles ride, but twice over Loveland Pass, plus the climbing from Georgetown back up to Loveland is pretty hard.  It might take a while.