Epic Camp DAY 2

Epic Camp Day 2 (Okay it is really day 4 and I need to catch up)


I am not sure how people are doing it but the lodge looks like a college library with 15 page papers due in the AM. I have about enough energy to walk to the kitchen, get some snacks that I shouldn't be eating and then walk back to my couch for a nap. This is assuming that I am not on my bike, on a run or in the pool....


So anyway I kindly gave away the Yellow Jersey to Mr. Molina on day 2. I was able to wear it for day 1 since I finished second last year to Mike Montgomery and he didn't come to the camp this year because he is still sitting on a couch recovering from last year! As I reflect on day 2 on day 4 I feel very happy with my decision to be sane this year. Although watching all the campers that are seeing yellow right now makes me very very sleepy.


At the start of day 2 we were up early as usual and headed off to the pool. It was a 2,600 warm up and then the dreaded 400 IM. I was soooo not looking forward to that because under normal circumstances I would go home and take a nap after but today we were going to ride 240K and then run. My strategy for the 400 IM was to use the LEAST amount of energy as possible. I think it took me over 10 min to do LOL! Mine was no where as fun to watch as Paul Westwood. Not only was his fly the most entertaining thing I have ever seen but he backed the performance up with an even more entertaining breast stroke! Alas we all got it done and got back to get ready for our ride.


We stayed together as a group for the first two hours with Clive powering us through. It took me about 2 hours to fully wake up. Somehow I did wake up and the fun began. Mark P and I realized that since we were both not going for points that we could be the fukwits of the camp and ride harder during sections that didn't count and see who we could get to blow a bit of their wad before a climb or what not.


Initially Albert "got bored" and started riding a bit off the front. At this point we had all separated a bit and it was Beaven, Molina, Gordo, Mark, Clive and myself being towed along by Albert. Albert does this you see. He doesn't say anything and just decides that he's hungry or something and wants to get to lunch faster.


That situation of course stirs Mark up. I knew exactly what was going to happen and was simply just waiting for it. Mark takes off and I jump on his wheel. We trade off a bit and see that Molina and Bevan are trying to get on with G right back off them. clive cramped or something and Albert....well, Albert has a brain.


Mark gives the word to try and drop them and we start smacking it with 30 second pulls. We are clearly going for the "first to lunch points" which don't exist but you get the best pick of the grub :-) we did drop them but then got foiled with a one way bridge. That sucked because Bevan and molina timed it right and rode right past us we were at a stand still. Gordo, of course, was able to jump on the back of a truck and bridge back up.....It was a hammer fest but it was good for me because it sparked my interest in this whole thing again. This is the shit I like about these camps. And now that Mark and I have teamed up a bit, we have our own game to play.


After lunch we had a bunch of climbing to do. I knew that I wouldn't be easy for me as my climbing legs are somewhere in never land. I held my own though in the bits before the hills. We smacked it again until the next aide station but I got dropped in the hills. Charlsey and I ended up riding into the aide station together. The front group that smacked the climbing went off for the rest of the ride and I decided to hang a bit longer and wait for Mark that apparently BLEW BIG TIME in the hills. He actually ended up at a gas station 100 meters away from the aide station buying coke and water LOL....I guess he just couldn't make it.


We rolled easy with some of the other guys and started to get the next 90K done. Little did any of us know that it would be the HARDEST 90K of our lives due to heat, hills and wind. When we got out of the hills we were hit with the most intense wind I have ever ridden in. It was bad going up but just went to a level I have never seen on the flat. Elliot and I were rididng together as the 3 guys we had on the wheel dropped off. It took Elliot and I about 10 years to cross this one section of flat. I have never been so desperate in my entire life!


Finishing that ride was very good for my mind. It was the hardest ride I have EVER done and got me back into the groove of loving this shit. I was going to run for 15 min off the bike but when I got into tekapo I just said "I think I will take a shower instead". I have to remember that even though the plan is to run as frequently as possible I do have to understand that I haven't seen how the foot responds to this kind of riding with the minimal running. I would be able to get my run in for the Aquathon at the end of the next day.....

I took a sleeping pill that night and retreated back to the room for some quiet time. When you are in the wind like that all day smacking it for hours on end quiet time is essential.


Everything seems good on the camp so far. Maybe tomorrow I will have the energy to catch up on the last two days as they have been pretty massive.


For more hit up www.ironmantalk.com or www.epiccamp.com

cheers,
bdc