Today I had to channel my inner Tom Wambsgans (from Succession) and tell myself:
“You will be okay, because you are a tough fucking bitch who will always survive because you do what you need. You will do whatever you need.”
I slept like shit the night before because of all the coughing. You’re truly inhaling dirt the whole gd time during this race and my asthma wasn’t having it.
I had the humidifier going last night. I took a ZzzQuil. And I woke up with the worst nausea and had to fight through it all day.
I knew I had major fatigue because I was more sketchy on the descents and struck my pedals a more too often.
Today we had to climb “Vomit Hill” and then Keystone Gulch and all the other fuggin’ climbs Mike peppers in there.
I’ll be there first to say that I’m not a very good or confident descender. That being said, Vomit Hill’s descent was sketch and in an attempt to miss a tree, I fell onto something and ripped open my knee.
With blood running down my shin and feeling like I was gonna spew, I continued on.
I got to Aid Station 2, inhaling a gel and a Red Bull (once it hits your lips 🤌🏼) when I heard a volunteer shout, “Number 49!” That’s the third place chick who came in second yesterday. I knew I had to push harder than I wanted to at least hold on to second place.
So I kept my power steady. We climbed for 6ish miles until we got to descend again. Then we climbed more. I made a video of me walking it when we previewed. I knew I couldn’t let her catch me so I kept repeating Tom’s line to myself.
When we finally had less than 3 miles left, we finally had a sustained descent. But it was dusty and loose and yes, I ate shit on it. Because of course I did. I ripped my bibs. Lacerated my thigh. And scared myself silly.
Then I felt like Ellie in Jurassic Park when she falls and says to herself, “Get up” as the velociraptor’s coming to get her. I didn’t have any dinos chasing me but I felt like I was maybe being hunted.
Today’s stats:
Distance: 41 miles
Elevation Gain: 6,830’
Placing: 2/6
GC Placing: 2/6