Bow 80 – pedal for your life

I have never participated on a race where I was thinking about my survival and not my result… until today.

2009 Bow80 single speed podium

The forecast said it will rain until about 9am and we will enjoy the +7C temperature. Everyone dressed accordingly.

I was around top 5 on the top of the Sulflur Springs trail, then Jeff Nielsen, Dallas Morris and Jon Nutbrown stormed by me on the downhill. Maybe next year I should be riding some trails to get better on the downhills. Commuting does not seem to be technical enough…

Tried to stay with Jeff on the gravel road but he was gone by food station  #1.

I made it to the bottom of the Jumping pond climb around 1.5 hours and made a very good decision to keep my rain jacket on.  I was sitting 8th overall on Jumping pound ridge  when the rain started to turn into snow.  It become a snow storm during my Cox Hill decent and I could no longer feel my fingers and toes.  I could barely break with my fingers those I did not feel any more. The temperature must have been way into the negative zone. I was hoping that once I get down the long descent the snow will turn rain again and it will get warmer. Naive. The snow storm only got stronger and the temperature lower on Tom Snow trail. Still about 2 hours from finish with no more checkpoints to bail out from the race.  I started shivering like never before while I was pedaling my bike as fast as my cramping legs could. No help, shivering continues. This time I was riding  in about 2inches of fresh snow, while I could barely keep my eyes open from the beating of the snowflakes in the wind.  I started to panic a bit. If I get a flat or any mechanical my frozen hands would not be able to do anything, I would be stuck. I could not even get my Clif bar out from my back packet without stopping. Finally I decided to stop and eat everything I got and give it 100% to make to the finish.

While making trough the snow and standing water I constantly sweared at the weather forecast and begged the Sun to come out. If a fairy had come and asked me whether I want to win the overall title of this race or have the Sun shining…. I would have picked the Sun without hesitation.

Finally the Sun came out as I was nearing the finish line. when I crossed it there were only spectators, no racers. It was not because I won, rather because the guys finished were all sitting in the Emergency trailer . As I entered the trailer there were Cory, Craig and  Brian shivering and covered in blankets.

Only the top 50 racers were allowed to continue after the last checkpoint as the storm seemed to strengthen. Luckily at the end of the day everyone was  accounted for and no-one was seriously hurt other then some frozen toes and fingers and some mild hypothermia.

Congrats to Cory Wallace and Alana Heise for taking the overall titles and everyone who dared to start this race.

I won the single speed category and I believe I finished 7th overall. A race to remember without a doubt.