And speaking of rides, this weekend was a tale of 2 incredible rides that will stick with me for a LONG time.
The first was my 2nd (and hopefully annual) Flight of the Pigs! Last year was all about NOT knowing what I was getting myself into. This year was about overcoming the challenges along the way and of being able to enjoy the ride more as it happened, instead of just the relief of having done it -and experiencing it with my "family".
I can't express how much easier it is mentally to do an event knowing that you've already done it before and knowing what lies ahead. Being able to recall the past and see the ride in it's entirety and knowing how much to exert or hold in reserve really makes the mental aspect of any endurance event easier. Experience really DOES matter.
As we "weighed in" at Jim's house (I weighed in at 231 down from 234 last year), I could physically feel the calmness that had replaced the complete nervousness from the previous year. My only worry was from my strained calf muscle that I injured 6 days earlier on a run and had been resting ever since. I wrapped it and hoped that it would hold up. My biggest concern was the hike-a-bike sections that were sure to tax my leg. A good group of friends were doing their 1st FOTP - some at my suggestion, so I felt that I should "help" them along and encourage them when needed.
The ride up to Buena Vista went without too much trouble. I did get stopped by a few bottlenecks of riders walking some technical bits but I was feeling good. I glanced at my GPS and realized I would be close to the cut-off time - even though the cutoff time is supposed to be from the parking lot and NOT Jim's house which is an extra 10 minutes! As I cleared the last saddle and saw a HUGE bottleneck right before BV, I knew I'd be over the 1 hour time. This is where experience helped me avoid unneccesary stress. I KNEW that Jim's cut-off time of 1 hour was "flexible". I also knew that all these people would NOT get cut. I also knew that Kathleen (who had been put in charge of sweeping since Jim was sick -and is a good friend) would NOT cut me. So I just chilled at the back of the pack and waited for those that were walking to clear. As I rode up to BV, I glanced at my GPS again and the time said 1:01. James, a friend who was doing the ride for the first time came up to me and told me my time, "1 hour 10 minutes". I knew that MY time was "moving time" and the waiting made up the difference. I told him it was OK. There were still plenty of people arriving. Kathleen didn't cut anyone.
James was a bit anxious about the next section (and I was a bit anxious about the hike-a-bike to come) so he suggested we keep rolling and I agreed. James is a super strong, all-around rider but I'm slightly better at the technical stuff so I flew down to Telegraph Pass and as I had predicted, by the time I made it to the top of the hike-a-bike James had caught up to me. We took a moment to enjoy the view from the ridgeline, knowing we had just finished the most challenging section of National Trail.
The west end of National has what I like to call The Dropoff. The trail turns into a steep, loose, chunky set of challenging switchbacks that you just have to surf your way through. It's a challenging skill to master - controlling your bike through uncontrollable sections. It's bike surfing at it's best! I blazed through this section (not as fast as during the Squealer but at a pretty good clip) and was all smiles when I started hearing a funny noise. What the? I stopped and looked the bike over and discovered that I had driven my bike a little past the breaking point. I had broken the frame!
As I sat there staring at the damage the smile left my face. I knew the break was catastrophic. My bike was finished. James and a few others rolled up to me and we strapped it up enough for me to ride it out to the road. When I made it to the road I told James I was calling my wife and to go ahead. I told him that my day was done. I really still planned to ride at least to the finish of National (and probably out to the nearest road) but I didn't want him to have the added stress of baby-sitting me on what was going to be a big enough day for him. I also wasn't sure how far my bike would make it and if it gave up the ghost, I wanted to be the only responsible party for that decision.
I called Amy and as we talked about the situation, we formulated a plan. She would load up the kids and her bike and drive out to meet me and if I felt like it when she arrived (and thought I could ride her bike) I would continue on after a bike swap - assuming I wasn't in a heap somewhere with a completely broken bike by then.
I nervously rode the last 2 miles of National, walking out of the rockiest washes hoping the bike would hold. I made it to the end - San Juan Trailhead - and spent a few minutes in disbelief at my luck before heading out again on my own in an attempt to reach the rendezvous point. From the San Juan Trailhead it was another 5 miles of roads and canals and noises coming from my bike. I knew that with every pedal stroke my bike was that much closer to collapsing underneath me. I gingerly made my way, trading phone calls with Amy as to my whereabouts and how to get to me. Finally I spotted her and the kids at the 7th Avenue turnoff. I quickly decided to continue and as I was swapping seats, I saw the herd of bikes coming towards me. I knew it would be a LONG ride by myself up 7th Ave if I didn't hurry so I hustled to finish and a quick thank you to my family later I was off and riding with the pack again. I really didn't even get a chance to assess the situation and come to a well thought out decision about continuing. I just went with my gut.
James happened to snap a picture of "Team Garza" and the bike swap and I've lifted it from his blog:
A few miles later we arrived at Zoe's for our lunch stop. Those miles gave me an opportunity to get a feel for Amy's bike (Buttercup) and evaluate whether I thought I could finish the ride on it. Even though her seatpost is slightly too long for me (with no way of dropping it) and the top tube is WAY too short, it was going to work. It was a GO!
After lunch, we got rolling again. I felt better than I did last year but I knew Trail 100 would be a test. Once again like last year, I fell towards the back of the back when we hit the dirt but I was IN the pack this year. The hike-a-bike sections were starting to wear on my calf but at least I wasn't getting lost this year.
Trail 100 was a challenge again this year but just like last year, when I started the descent down to Tatum I got my 2nd wind again. I love zipping down that last stretch to the parking lot, knowing that this marks the place where I KNOW I'm going to finish this thing.
I rode strong from there to Papago Park, staying near the front. It was great to see Mike R. show up there with bacon, Tecate & Cokes for the Piggies! That was priceless! I gobbled down a few strips of bacon and a Tecate (but I should've eaten something more substantial).
Soon enough we left Hunt's Tomb and were on the home stretch. This year's vibe was so much better than last year. The riders stayed together as a group and even when some of the riders at the back failed to make a light, those of us at the front stopped and waited to keep the group together.
When we reached Hardy Drive & Southern, in a flash my wheels came off - as in I hit the Wall. I went from being in the front of the pack to falling off the back. I was just a few miles from the finish but I was fading fast. The energy boost from the Tecate & bacon was gone and I was now watching the pack ride away from me.
I was limping through Guadalupe (alone again like last year) when some of my Ride AZ buddies who had gone off the back earlier caught up to me - and proceeded to pass me. Seeing them definitely lifted my spirits and helped me get over the I-10 bridge and into Ahwatukee. The end was near.
I rolled into the finish line at Jim's and straight into the buffet line. The family met me there and we all celebrated. I certainly could NOT have done it without them!
Last year I was as high as a kite at the finish with a sense of accomplishment. I remember Kathleen commenting on how happy I looked then. This year my happiness was less about the achievement and more about getting to experience it with my "family". From the beginning, having SO many of my Ride AZ family (and James) doing the ride with me, to having to call on my family to rescue me and my broken bike, to having the entire FOTP's family riding together as one - the entire day was about family.
Thank you family. Thank you friends and thank you Jim & Kim for putting on what is hands down one of THE best events of the year! Thank you also to Hoss Rogers for yet another awesome finisher's pin!
I hope to add more of them to my collection!
The final stats from the day according to my GPS are as follows:
Total Time: just under 11 hours
Moving Time: 07:33:09
Distance: 68.72 mi
Elevation Gain: 4,149 ft
Calories: 4,972 C
The "other" incredible ride from this weekend deserves a post of it's own so I'll save that for tomorrow.
PS: Yes, it's good to be back!
