Distance: 32 miles
Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Average Speed: 18mph
Max Speed: 40mph
Song of the Day: Knock Knock - Band of Horses
It is that time of year again. The FHR was last Sunday. This one one of the reasons I love my bike club. This year was especially good because it didn't rain. It wasn't sunny exactly, but no rain is good. I also perfected my calorie intake a bit. Last year I ran out of energy towards the end. This year, that wasn't a problem. My solution? Donuts.
The race itself didn't have that much drama to it. I rode pretty well, except for dropping my chain. There were a number of people who would draft off of me, but I didn't find myself behind anyone else almost the whole race. The one time I did get stuck behind a clot of Cascade riders I had to pass them again once the line of guys hit a hill.
One change this year was the vodka stop had become a whiskey stop. It is still a performance reducing drug. I only wanted a little bit, so I pulled the cup away before Scott had finished filling it. He was kind enough to throw the rest at me any way. Thanks Scott!
After the whiskey (yuck), Baker Hill didn't seem that bad. I wasn't amazingly fast, but I wasn't running out of energy. From there it was just a rush to the finish. I was a little tired coming up the last couple of hills. I could still push myself a bit to get up them. I passed one rider on the last hill. I ended up coming in 6th, which I thought was pretty good all considered. (We had about 120 riders all told.) Then again, that is the unofficial number. I asked Derrick and he said "You weren't top three, so I stopped counting."
I also heard the police had been by to say no alcohol was allowed. The keg of beer had to remain in the back of the truck. Not that I minded, I don't drink beer. Even worse though the whiskey stop had been shut down by the police not long after I had been through. While in retrospect I can understand that announcing free liquor with a megaphone may not have been a good or even legal idea, it was all part of the tomfoolery that makes the race so fun. Not vomiting while going up the biggest hill of the race is part of the challenge. I realize this is not a solid legal defense, but there is a difference between illegal and doing harm. Really the worst harm to come from this was to my sense of taste. I hope we can work something out for next year because I would hate to loose the tradition.
Thanks to Derrick and all the sponsors for putting this on. I had a great time, and I look forward to next year.
-Dravis
Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Average Speed: 18mph
Max Speed: 40mph
Song of the Day: Knock Knock - Band of Horses
It is that time of year again. The FHR was last Sunday. This one one of the reasons I love my bike club. This year was especially good because it didn't rain. It wasn't sunny exactly, but no rain is good. I also perfected my calorie intake a bit. Last year I ran out of energy towards the end. This year, that wasn't a problem. My solution? Donuts.
The race itself didn't have that much drama to it. I rode pretty well, except for dropping my chain. There were a number of people who would draft off of me, but I didn't find myself behind anyone else almost the whole race. The one time I did get stuck behind a clot of Cascade riders I had to pass them again once the line of guys hit a hill.
One change this year was the vodka stop had become a whiskey stop. It is still a performance reducing drug. I only wanted a little bit, so I pulled the cup away before Scott had finished filling it. He was kind enough to throw the rest at me any way. Thanks Scott!
After the whiskey (yuck), Baker Hill didn't seem that bad. I wasn't amazingly fast, but I wasn't running out of energy. From there it was just a rush to the finish. I was a little tired coming up the last couple of hills. I could still push myself a bit to get up them. I passed one rider on the last hill. I ended up coming in 6th, which I thought was pretty good all considered. (We had about 120 riders all told.) Then again, that is the unofficial number. I asked Derrick and he said "You weren't top three, so I stopped counting."
I also heard the police had been by to say no alcohol was allowed. The keg of beer had to remain in the back of the truck. Not that I minded, I don't drink beer. Even worse though the whiskey stop had been shut down by the police not long after I had been through. While in retrospect I can understand that announcing free liquor with a megaphone may not have been a good or even legal idea, it was all part of the tomfoolery that makes the race so fun. Not vomiting while going up the biggest hill of the race is part of the challenge. I realize this is not a solid legal defense, but there is a difference between illegal and doing harm. Really the worst harm to come from this was to my sense of taste. I hope we can work something out for next year because I would hate to loose the tradition.
Thanks to Derrick and all the sponsors for putting this on. I had a great time, and I look forward to next year.
-Dravis
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