Teammates – Doc Todd, Zahnimal, Nick the Unabomber, Keith “I only show up when the road goes upwards” Howell, Shannon “Genius” Mitchell, and Lauren “The Vinewoman” Rignel

Results – 1st

Time – 52:26 (including 90 seconds of softpedaling)

I m never sure, is this race 17 miles or 170? It is simply tough as they come. Funny that you only climb 2000’ in that 17 miles but it feels like you are climbing the whole time. And oh yes it was HOT!

Freshly back from a Form-destroying trip to interbike ( as well as quite a few more drinks that this body is used to..) I went out and rode Trinity “hard” on Monday. I don’t think I have ever felt worse on the bike…ever!

Coming into this race, I wanted to just help out the guys in any way I could…Dc Todd was the defending champ so I figured I would work for him as until, like a speedo at a German Nudist beach, I came horrifyingly off.

There were around 48-93 Bobas toeing the line, Shane and Glen from NorCal were there with some good form from riding to vegas last week for Interbike. We started off at a pretty sedate and comfy pace up the slight climbs and onto the harder ones as well. The Bobas did a very good job of manning the front and setting the tempo. Jim Forni pulled for 1-2 miles I think, Then Andy Welling, Then Dave Baldwin, lastly Steve Palladino and Kirk Buckman when …and I know this will come as a total surprise to you all J,… Dc Todd attacked. The Unabomber goes with him. They get a 200 meter gap and I go to the front and softpull a bit. After a few minutes with their temps raising and their sunglasses melting to their faces they sit up a tad and we bring them back.

By this time I think it is down to Zahnimal, Shane, Glen and I. We pass the UB and I tell him to get on…I glance over and his face is oozing like the bad Nazi (is there any other type?) in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I instantly realized he would have to shut it down to cool off to live much longer!

I set the pace up the next hill. As I look back it is just Dc Todd, Shane, and Glen left. We continue to turn up the pace. This was one of the few times I can hear everyone really breathing hard and labored….not just me thank God J.

As Todd sets the pace next, Shane leaps free and gains 200 meters or so on us. Of Course Glen wasn’t going to chase and Todd has been working so it is my turn. I d pull, Glen would sit on, Dc Todd pulls, Glen would sit on…he knows the drill quite well.

At some point as I ve been pulling for ohhh.. eternity, I lose patience and turn look into the Glen’s face on my wheel and yell something profound to him like “this is retarded” or “ you breathe funny” not sure what came out…but Dc Todd then comes ripping past me and pulls Shane back like he had been doing a track stand! Nice Dc T!

We make it to the “turn around” only this time the person manning it had vanished up a driveway or something. Shane and I are screaming at Dr Todd and Glen, SLOW DOWN get ready to TURN. But they can’t hear us on the descent to it! They both go flying into the gravel section after the turn around point at 40 mph or so, yikes. Shane and I wait for Todd and Glen and it took exactly 90 seconds in the process…there goes the course record today.

Away we go again to the finish now. Shane is having a problem with his bike so he sits on and doesn’t pull to not endanger us. We would drop him about 3 miles from the end.

Last hill before the finishing flat, the games begin…i pulled to the bottom and move off, wham Glen attacks. Dc Todd and I both stick him …nada there, Glen goes again, we stick him….clank, not this time either. Dr Todd then sets a STIFF pace to the crest of the hill. I morph into the best wheel sucking, cyborg of non-emotion I can muster. Glen looks back at me every few seconds…Each time whatever ghastly face I had been making vanishes to a calm, focused caricature of something akin to boredom. He looks away, I flop wheezing onto my bars…repeat 4-5 more times.

Heading into the last half mile of flattish road. Dr Todd goes right to the front and blasts toward the finish. He surrendered his winning ambitions so that Glen and I could duke it out. I Love my selfless Red Brothers!

100 meters to go.

I m on Glen’s wheel, Glen is on Todd’s. I jump around Todd’s right side, Glen goes on the left..we start out side by side…a good ol drag race.

To say that there was no way on God’s Green Earth that was going to let Glen win on this day, is like saying Lady Gaga just might never be elected Pope.

I take 1st, Glen 2nd, Dc Todd 3rd. Shane comes in a bit later for 4th. Nick shows his really fast sprint and takes 4th. Zahnimal just misses 5th from Kirk Buckman and settles for a terrific 6th!

There have been a few times in wrestling when I knew with 100% certainty exactly how and when i was going to defeat an opponent. Those times were semi-rare but wonderful when they came. It wasn’t because the opponent was less skilled or weaker, quite often the opposite was true; but more that the focus and intent on the opponent are perfectly locked to the outcome. It is almost eerie and I have spent a lot of my later years wondering where and how I can regain and harness that place inside of us.

Tonight in the last 2 miles, it was there. And thanks to Dr Todd for helping set that up!

Thanks for reading…

~J Lee