Hardest day on my bike ever!! My goal was to finish this race, but wanted the Gold belt buckle awared to a sub 9 hour finishers. I hit the 52 mile turn at Columbine mine sub 5 hours on track for sub 9 hour finish. It was cool to be on Columbine climbing as the leaders were blasting by on their way down. Levi and Todd Wells came by like a bats out of hell. Incredible bike handeling skills. As I headed down off the 12,500 foot summit on rocky single track, I was blasting thru a corner and all of a sudden some a-hole ridding out of control t-boned me and body slammed me to the rocky ground. I remember getting up,finding my bike and trying to decend. After a couple of minutes, I threw up from hitting my head.I slowed down, I got my shit together and headed off the mountain at 40-50 mph on rocky dirt roads. After I throw up I didn't do a good job of managing my food and water.I was riding hard in the hot sun trying to make up from my crash. I bonked hard at the Twin lakes aid station and then again at Piple line. When I approached power line climb at 80 miles, I was done, wrecked, and mentally destroyed. I don't know how I made it up and over the hardest 8 miles of my life but I did. All the crazy fans helped, it was like the tour on the steep Pipe line climb. I made myself pedal and set small goals and took them one at a time. As I decended to Carter Summit I had a a 4 mile climb up a paved road that was step in spots and long. As I reached the top I was beyond wrecked. Thank god there was an aid station at the top. and my crew.I eat everything I could, drank 2 cokes and with 5 small steep climbs and less than 10 miles to go my crew put me back on my bike and with a push I was off to the finish. The food and Coke helped. I peddled on hard to the finish. I've never been so happy to see a finish line in my life. 10:50:43 of ridding the hardest high altitude mountain bike race in the world. I had pushed myself way beyond my limits and willed myself to finish. I learned that finishing this race alone is special. I made the mistake of tring to race it my first time. I payed the price!!! I placed in the top 500 out of 1600. Levi shattered Lance's record. At the awards presentaion he said "it was the most wrecked" he's ever been after a bike race ever. Amazing event!!! If you ever want to know what you've got deep inside, entry the lottery next year and hopefully you'll get in. Hopefully I'll be there next year, smarter and stronger. Thanks to everone that supported, encouraged, and trained with me over the last 7 months. Also thanks to my crew, they were awesome. I wouldn't have finshed without their support. My Leadville finishers belt buckle will laways be my proudest cycling awards. brf
