THE FINAL STAGE – LEADVILLE
A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE PLAN TO WIN LEADVILLE. I’m not one of them. The rest of us are going for time, because if you go fast enough you get...
... a giant belt buckle.
To get to Leadville you have to qualify or lottery in. Those who qualify get lined up in corrals at the front of thousands of others...
... they also get a cool gold coin.
That was my goal this weekend, get the coin.
After stage 1, I thought I could get a coin but getting a coveted frontish corral seemed out of reach.
Yesterday things swung around and it looked pretty good.
Then, as I was tidying up the bike last night, I noticed 2 lugs had been torn off the sidewall and I could see some of the rear tire’s casing.
These are things you do not want to notice the night before a race,
far from home,
without all your tools.
Not too fear, I had just replaced, and kept, my old front time. All I have to do is scoot over to the start early and have the mechanic there hook me up.
No problem.
Except, 30 minutes before the race start, my bike is hanging in the stand and no tire.
Can’t get that old tire to seat.
Ok, let’s put the original back on.
It’s not seating either.
Did you pull the valve core out?
He shuffles through his toolbox and removes the valve core. It airs right up and seats.
How much pressure do you want?
22lbs would be great.
I slipped him $20 and thanked him for his efforts.
But, it got me thinking...
... isn’t awesome to have great support when it’s time to deliver?
Which brings up how well today went.
Surfergirl and I went over the logistics, we drove the course, we marked up the map. Covered it all forward and backward. This is what you do...
... when you want the gold coin.
The tire held, I got my bottle handups, and had the best ride of the 3 days. 10th overall, 3rd in my age group, gold coin, and the silver corral with 2 and half minutes to spare.
Hellyeah!
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Couldn't even feel it.
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A breathable membrane that repels water and wind.
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