18 Hours of Fruita

   

 

This was my third year at this race in Fruita, CO. I won it the last two years. Starting at midnight this an 18 hour race. The laps were about 6 miles long and they took about 30 minutes. I ended up with 35 laps bringing the total mileage to 210. DAMN! 

I arrived at Highline state park on Friday 7  hours before the start to organize, set things up, and relax a bit before the race start. 

The first several hours of the race went smooth after Tad, from Orange peel in Steamboat Springs, CO. fixed my Bottom Bracket. I was keeping a consistent  pace on my Raleigh XXIX. Than the rain came!, the soil on this course is bentonite and while its raining its fine, but when it starts to dry out it becomes clay and just sticks to everything not allowing the wheels to roll,  so running with the bike than becomes the next best thing. Good thing I had a spare bike and an amazing pit crew so that every lap start I had a clean bike. I felt strong through out the entire race never going into the lull that normally I find my self in mid way through these long races. I think it had allot to do with eating wright and the nuun tabs I was consistently having my crew add to my water. I never got any consistent feed back on the results, so I never really new were I was place wise. I just kept eating and pedaling. At the race end I thought I had finished 2nd. I was stoked with this result thinking I did single speed nation proud even though I had wanted a win for the three peat. While in the showers a friend came over to let me know that I had actually one! Since I finished 5 min behind the guy I thought I was chasing I was confused as to how I possibly had one. After looking at the results I than saw I was actually about to lap who I thought was leading and was  actually 25 minutes ahead of him. YEAH! I GOT THE THREE PEAT!