We did not compete in 2006 as our captain Gordon had injured his back, and cyclist (yours truly) was adjusting to becoming an epileptic and had lost training momentum. However, this year we were back with a vengeance! Over the last few years (OK more than a few) I had become everything in life I never wanted to be - an overworked, overweight, stressed out desk jockey. This year though I had a transformation! I'll elaborate more elsewhere, but this year I got serious. I've lost 43 lbs and hugely increased my workout intensity. It made a significant, tangible improvement!
For the uninitiated, Pole Pedal Paddle is a relay race in Bend, Oregon. It starts with a downhill ski at Mt. Bachelor, then transitions into a cross country ski, then transitions into a bicycle leg, then it transitions into a running leg, then it transitions into a kayaking leg, then it transitions into a 100 yard dash to the finish line! Then it transitions into a beer!
US Bank Quick Assets (our team) was formed in 1998, and that year and in 1999 they were the 'fun years' where we just want out to have fun and try to do good. Our team was sponsored by USB and we got some great swag - custom shirts, fleece vests, a huge BBQ the night before the race, even our lodging was comped! However, in about 2000 the results of the First Bank acquisition of USB were realized and we saw much of the events budget move from the West coast to the Midwest bank HQ. However, I'm not whining too much - USB still pays our entrance fee every year. I'm proud to say though that as a founding member of the team I'm still at it and this was my 9th year competing! Over time the team has changed to become more competitive, especially since Gordon took over the reigns of the team captain after I left USB. I love that guy, he is a great inspiration and a blast to be around. Oh, and did I mention he's competitive?
Well, I had been planning to take the Friday before the race (Saturday) off and enjoy a leisurely drive from Portland to Bend, go for a little spin on my bike, meet up with the team for a team meeting and a nice dinner and then to bed. However, my schedule changed and I needed to come into work early in the morning (4:00 AM) - no big deal. But one thing led to another and before I knew it the whole day had gone by. I hadn't even packed yet assuming that I was going to be home around 10:00 AM on Friday.
I actually left the office day about 5:00 PM! I headed home in rush hour traffic, and then carefully packed (if I am rushed before a race it is likely that I'll forget something critical, like my bike!). I was home by 6:00, and then packed up by 7:00. The Friday night commute around the Portland area can be horrendous, so I decided to wait until about 7:30 to hit the road. And hit a massive traffic jam going south toward Salem. Eventually I made it to Highway 22 and headed up past Detroit Lake. By that time I had been up for 17 hours and was getting groggy. I popped open a RockStar, cranked up the tunes and made it to the high desert. As I drove that long boring stretch into Sisters, I would roll the windows all the way down and the scent of the Junipers would refresh me, and then I would roll the windows up and then repeat after about a half hour. I checked into the motel about 11:30 and was settled and in bed by midnight. That's late for me normally, and especially on the eve of a race.
Race Day!
I love riding my bike. As I rode furiously, I heard a curious chittering noise, then a kind of a weird rustling and finally what sounded like a human yelp behind me. Taking my eyes off the road for a moment, I looked back and was amazed to see that I had been going so fast that my knifing through the air created a slipstream or vortex. Into that vacuum various flotsam and jetsam were trailing behind me. The chittering was a raccoon, the rustling was a smorgasboard of small trees, shrubs and rocks uprooted by my passing. The yelp turned out to be a competitor - I had passed him about 2 miles back and unknowingly to me he had been standed in my slipstream for several minutes and hollering for help. Like the tail of a comet the cacaphony of chaos followed furiously. I then heard an odd groaning and the ground started shaking. I thought "earthquake" and knowing how fast I was going my exit from this world would be imminent.
But then I realized - the enormous strength being pushed through my legs into the pavement was causing gravitational analomies! It was a fearful thought that one person as strong as myself could alter the gravitational pull of the earth.
And then I woke up from my dream! Now, let's look at what really happened.
Race Day - The Real Events (honest!)
Our category is Business/Service teams, and the teams are released in waves according to their category. Business/Service teams are one of the last categories, so it is typical that we would actually start a few hours after the first wave is released. Why do I tell you this? The road up to the mountain is closed in the morning so the cyclists are safe coming down the mountain. Because of that and our late start time, we end up having to drive up to the lodge and then have a few hours to spare. Although I wear a long sleeve jersey, I wear regular cycling shorts instead of pants. This works well as by the time I get down to Bend I'm working hard and plenty warm. The downside though is that it can get pretty cold up there on the mountain waiting for the bike leg to start. I found something good though that helps to overcome the chill while I'm waiting. I brought a cheap hoodie and it helped keep the cold out. When Marty transitioned to me, I tore the hoodie off and threw it on the ground at the feet of a lady standing there and said she could have it! She was a little startled but I was already gone before she could even respond.
Marty was both our downhill and cross country skier, and as I waited for him I realized that I had not seen him for two years since the race in 2005! In a relay race we typically show the person we're handing off to what we will wear. That way we know to look for the red jersey or the green tutu as our first glimpse from afar before we can even see the face of our team member. Well, sure enough as Marty appeared from the crowd like radar we spotted each other at the same moment. Off I went on the bike leg!
I have 3 bikes - an old Trek 2120 carbon frame, a Fuji Team Pro and a Trek Hilo 2000. I've named the Fuji Queen Elizabeth - she comes from royal lineage, has a regal bearing in her composite frame and with her Shimano Dura-Ace group she's as reliable as rain in Oregon. Oh, don't underestimate - when the pressure is on her queenship quenches foes from the throne. Now my Hilo I've named Princess Diana - she's fast, sexy with her 650 CC Rolf Vector wheels and carbon fork. Her integrated aero bars turn heads, and I'll probably die astride her in a fiery crash.
I ride Diana in triathlons and Pole Pedal Paddle. There are some long downhill stretches on the 22 mile ride into Bend, and tucked down on the aero bars with the low profile of the 650 CC wheels I've reached speeds of up to 55 MPH. I've learned years ago that the flapping of my number bib will be annoying, so rather than safety pinning I actually tape it right onto my jersey. I'm not superstitious (well, maybe I am) but I have a lucky jersey - yellow with flames on it and with my time trial helmet (yeah, the geeky ones) I can really fly.
In the first 3 miles I passed maybe 10 bikes, but then two guys passed me. All three of us were working hard but they inched ahead of me and slowly opened a gap. One of them was on a beautiful Orbea that probably cost more than 3K. When we got to the first downhill though I passed them so fast I know they were startled. I rode furiously near the top of my heart rate - pushing the pedals as hard as I could in my top gear. The lactic acid was reaching a point where I knew the wall was fast approaching but being very familiar with the route I knew I could time the last mile to exhaust myself and burn out just as I reached the transition. In the last 3 miles of the ride I glanced back, and the nearest one was a good quarter mile behind me. If that rider happens to be reading this, please do not be disheartened that you were beat - you're probably a great guy but a LOSER in a race with me. But I'm not competitive, I'm just sayin...
If you know me you do understand that I'm prone to hyperbole and perhaps a bit of exaggeration. But, the camera never lies - I was actually going fast enough that a photographer could only catch my buttocks as I tore by him. I did confirm with him later that he was trying to get the picture of me:
Looks like an empty course eh? Look closely at the right side of the picture and you can get a glimpse of my lucky jersey. Notice the finish line - the ride finishes on a slight downhill slope and it gets dangerous - just 10 yards away I have to brake to a stop as I negotiate a 90 degree right into the transition area. It can get pretty hairy and a few times I've even skidded into the transition.
We were pleased this year to welcome a new runner - I work with Patty and she runs like a rabbit on EPO. I came into the transition area braking hard to a halt, yelling Patty's name. She immediately emerged from the crowd and we slapped hands and away she went. Patty's fast too - it's kind of funny that the same photographer tried to get a pic of her and it ended up like mine where he only caught a glimpse of her as she sped fast:
Gordon had taken some kayaking classes, and he was psyched to put into practice the things he had learned. He even rented a racing kayak! Patty handed off to Gordon and you can see him right in the center of this picture looking calm but I know him well enough to know that the adrenaline was already flowing - look at his left fist clenching.Gordon then handed off to Patty for the final event, a 100 yard dash to the finish line. Patty had a little time to recover as Gordon was out on the kayak, and then she sped across the finish line closing a great race for Quick Assets!
I close with this team picture. Well done to all, and we are very much looking forward to next year! From the left - Marty, Dave, Patty and Gordon. Well done, my fast friends!
