Happy Hour at the finish of day 3.
So far I’ve won all three stages and have had good luck with not getting lost or having any flats. The wheels are starting to come off for some people as the fatigue of the adventure sets in. The pace is brutal and the wind, temps and sand make for a real beat down. Add that to sleeping in the sand , eating the same meal every day, dribbling showers, community living and it makes the adventure even more arduous. Things are going well in my race and I have built a lead, but I am not counting any chickens. Last year I blew up the last two days and gave away my lead. The difference this year is that I know the event and am racing smarter. I’m racing like a roadie every chance I get and working with a ton of new “teammates”. This race is too hard to ride alone, so I have to be patient and wait for the right opportunities to push. Tomorrow is one of those opportunities. It’s the only mountain stage with about 6000 feet of climbing. Finally, we will have a stage that doesn’t depend on peloton selection. Tomorrow I’ll visualize climbing two Mt. Baldy’s in my hometown Sun Valley, Idaho (1000m), just spinning up as conservatively as I can. But for now, its time for my massage courtesy of Specialized Spain and Roberto Heras’ team!
