The Bisbee Report

I don't what was more frightening at Safeway.  The fact that they were out of bananas or the high protein South Beach Diet bars.  I never cease to be amazed by the marketing gimmicks I find at supermarkets.  I was trying to food so I can recover from the past three days of racing.

Ah, the last three days of racing...La Vuelta de Bisbee.  The last and only time I competed in this race was 2002, my last year of racing.  After past three days, I can say two things for certain:

a) the Pro/1/2 fields have a much deeper level of talent.  My prologue time in 2002 put me in 8th place.  This year that same time would have been good for the top 20.
b) getting back in racing fitness is a challenge, probably more mentally then physically.

Bisbee is a 3-day, 4-stage race.  It starts on Friday with an uphill time trial.  It's a fun race through the streets of Bisbee to the top of Mule Pass.  Had I not nearly been run over by an errant driver, I might've saved a few seconds.  Still my time wasn't stellar, and I slotted in 68th.  A cool thing happened at the start, too.  Albert Hopper, the race organizer, came up to me and introduced himself.  He said that he became vegetarian 4 years ago, and it was one of the best decisions of his life.  That was inspiring.  I have to commend Albert and his crew on organizing a great event. 

Saturday's Stage 1 is a 79 mile road race with some climbing at the end, but mostly the challenge is the WIND.   I'm still trying to block out the pain and suffering endured twice along King's Ranch Road.  By the final climb, I was completely shattered.  I managed to hang on with the group I was with to the finish, some 6+ minutes back on the leaders.  I was pleased that I felt that this one of the first days this year that I've actually raced hard (and been able to race hard).  It was a small victory.

Saturday afternoon's Stage 2 is a 7.2 mile time trial.  With strong winds and unusually wet weather and no time trial bike, I had no intention of breaking any records.  Riding Eddy Merckx style, I finished some 3 minutes back on the leaders, but I was more concerned about Sunday's race.

A mental challenge I keep coming up against is the will to push myself in the races, to put it on the line.  Saturday night I had made up my mind that I would be in the early break.  I had nothing to lose.

It was the right move to be in.  The winner came from the 12-or-so rider break that formed at the first sprint line at mile 19.   The only trouble was that I was no longer with the break as we hit the climb towards the finish.  It came on gradually, but in the back of my mind I feared that I might run out of fuel.  I had woken up in the middle of the night hungry, and though I had a big breakfast, I was starting to get hungry again by the start of the race.  The start of an 89 mile road race with 6000 feet of climbing is not the place to begin making up for yesterday's calorie deficit.  So I bonked.

The field chewed me up and spit me out.  By the time I came crawling over Mule Pass for the first time, I had already made up my mind that I was not going to climb back up to finish.  I didn't need to, as my friend's house where we're staying is in the lower part of Bisbee.  Then I flatted on the descent, and I felt like I had a legitimate reason to DNF.

Now I'm stuffing my face with food (hence the anxiety attack on the banana shortage) and trying to prep my myself mentally for the Tour of the Gila.  My strategy for this so far has been to tell Akira the horrors of our upcoming 5 day stage race: the wind, the climbing, the roads, the competition. 

It'll be fun.