Post Breck Epic Post

I guess I totally forgot all the race related info regarding the Breck Epic Stage RACE. Single Speed class leader Dax Massey went and punctured a lung on the Wheeler Stage(#5), thus pushing everyone forward one place going into Stage Six. Somehow or another, I closed down the gap to the big man on a Pivot Les (Robin Dutton) on the very last day and moved back up one place in the overall. I ended the week in seventh, right behind The Angry Singlespeeder™ in 6th. Better than anticipated by a long shot, so I'll take it.

Trans-Sylvania Epic Reunion Epic - photo cred: Chris Merriam

What have I been up to since?

Exhaustion.

I'm wiped out... a kind of wiped out I don't remember from years past. Familiar climbs at work where I can gauge my energy levels are telling me that I'm riding like a piece of shit. One week from Shenandoah Mountain 100. Great.

I needed more sleep this past week, but the desire to pump out this whole race report thing before I forgot all the details was great. I did sleep in on Wednesday. One hour extra did nothing.

Coughing. Every night. Some nights I make it till @4:00AM before I head to the couch, Wednesday I only made it to 11:30PM. Altitude, irritated lungs, sunburned lips... miserable.

I had told myself that 2013 would be my last Breck Epic for awhile. Five years in a row, riding above my pay grade where the only things thinner than the air are the 90 year old wrinkled women riding on the bike path to Frisco. I'm officially le tired.

But then on the shuttle out of Breck Saturday morning, it was with heavy heart I looked out the window. The idea of leaving all this behind and not coming back next year? Difficult. More difficult than the race itself? We'll see.

More than 1,000 miles, something close to 200,000 feet of climbing, all on a rigid single speed. Five belt buckles, five jerseys, five t-shirts, five pairs of socks, five weeks of memories, countless beers blurring many of them.

Next year will take care of itself, I'm sure. For now, it's time to figure out which bike will require the least amount of effort to prepare for the hundie next week. Honestly, it's a close contest... I'd say they all need around an hours worth of effort.

That's all till next week...

And remember, ENDURO™ ALL THE ENDUROS™ !!!!!

photo cred: Chris Merriam