I got a decent night’s sleep despite the fact that every big ride I do I have a hard time sleeping the night before. It was a little muddled from the cold I have now. I could tell it was coming on but the cold didn’t hinder me at all during the day. I woke up about 4:00 am and drifted off and on until about 5:30… then I decided to just wake up and get ready for the morning even though my alarm clock was set for 5:45. I fixed a good breakfast with eggs toast, yogurt and some OJ. It was a great way to start the day. I walked outside and spent about 10 seconds and knew it was cold and dark. I planned on warming up by riding to the starting line about 5 or 6 miles away from my home. As I glanced outside and felt how cold it was I knew if I tried to make it there I would just be freezing by the time I got there. I called my friend Matt Syme and told him I wasn’t going to meet him at Rex’s house.
I woke my wife at about 6:10 we got the kids up and left the house by about 6:40. We parked at the old Tony Roma’s Parking lot in Logan which is about a block and half from the starting line. I figured it would be easier parking there than fighting the traffic around the Logan Tabernacle. I warmed up a little by spinning around a bit. I saw Jeremy Dustin coming down 100 North; I turned around and caught back up to him. We talked for a bit and he was about to start out. His start time was something like 6:58. From there I watched him leave. That was the last time I saw him. He would go on to take 2nd place in his Start group. My family including my mom and dad who were my support crew all met me at the corner of Federal avenue and 100 East. We waited in line to start.
Chris Douglas approached me from behind. He greeted me and then ge gave me some advice about staying out of the wind all the way to Preston. I should have listened a little better but my nerves were so on edge. I hugged my family good-bye and gave my wife a kiss then strolled to the starting line.
The starting line was so intense, I think at this point I was so numb to the experience I didn’t realize how cold it really was. A new low was set on Saturday of 33 degrees F. I bought knee warmers the day before… what a life saver those were. I wore arm warmers, a cap and under garments I don’t think I could have dressed any better for the cold that I knew would get warmer. A lot of guys wore jackets… but I don’t like the jacket I have and it doesn’t offer much warmth just protection from the rain which was not even a threat.
We strolled out at a leisurely pace of about 20 mph. I tried to keep up to the front all the way from Logan to Preston. I was a little upset because we were averaging about 20 mph and no one wanted to push the pace and when we did no one would follow. In Trenton 4 of us broke free but opted to wait for the rest of the peloton to catch up seeing that they didn’t want to give chase. I lead the group into Preston. Chris had told me he would be at feed zone one in the number 1 zone. I asked him if I could use his support to drop some clothes. I ended up giving them to Lisa Syme instead of Chris’ support crew. I had sent my support crew off to Montpelier, ID, which was feed zone 3. I took my cap off and my gloves. I had my fingerless gloves in my back pocket and enough food to last until feed zone 2 and beyond. I also chose to take three water bottles with me 2 in cages and 1 in my back pocket just water with no ice. The other two bottles in the cages were filled with Gatorade.
I left the Feed zone… and it was like riding into a completely new race. There was no one I recognized from our 2200 start group except for Chris. I even saw a few 2300 numbers. (I later found out that the 2300’s had caught up to us in Preston. They were surprised they caught us. When I found out I wasn’t surprised at all. ) I wondered where everyone was from our group. I tried a strawberry gel packet I made for myself and ended up getting it all over myself. At that point I decided the strawberry packet wasn’t worth the effort in trying to get it out. It was good and I know it would have helped but the packaging I had it in sucked.
Chris and I made the most of our time together passing a few people on our way to the golf course. I dropped off the back just before the reservoir that marks the big climb to the top of the drop into Riverdale. I couldn’t keep up. I was going to try and push it on the descent into Riverdale, but I was so worried about my numbers flying off I didn’t pedal much. I think I could have caught the big group but I’m sure I would have gotten dropped somewhere in the middle of emigration anyway so I decided to do it at my pace. I worked with a few guys gaining some ground and the 2300’s had caught up to me. I worked with them for a bit but still fell off the back. I think at this point I was mentally unprepared to push hard; knowing that the rest of the day involved much more pedaling why fry my legs here?
At this point I knew I was soloing it the rest of the way up the canyon. I passed a few people… a few people passed me. I worked with a few people, I dropped a few people, and a few people dropped me. The 2400’s were flying up the canyon they passed me a little after the National forest sign. Nelson Palmer and Tracy gave me some encouragement and then flew on by with the rest of their peloton. At the top of the false summit I passed by Linda Garret. She looked like she was doing ok. I called her name and passed on by, she smiled and waived.
I made it to feed zone 2. I was out of Gatorade in one bottle, had some in the other and a bunch of water in my back pocket left. I had plenty of food. I refilled the one bottle with water, tried a GU, it tasted and looked like sun tan lotion, which was absolutely disgusting, I dropped the GU and then I headed the rest of the way to the top of Emigration Canyon.
Thank heavens for descents. I was cruising down the back side of Emigration Canyon. A mixed group of 2300’s and bunch of 2800’s, 3000’s and even a couple of 2400’s merged together and I joined in near Liberty. I figured I had better do my part so I punched it when it was my turn to pull. We rotated quite nicely through Ovid and on our way in to Montpelier.
The Feed Zone 3 in Montpelier was calm. I stopped I was a bit tired but wanted to eat some food… not because I was hungry but knew I needed food in me. I had a ton of food left, including a Fudge Brownie Cliff bar… which I will never get again. I ate half of the PBJ, removed the strawberry pack, kept my Sweetish fish, and removed my knee warmers. I swapped my fluids out even though some of them were not entirely empty. My dad complained to me that I wasn’t drinking enough. Which he was somewhat right, but he didn’t realize I had refilled one of my bottles in the neutral feed zone. I grabbed a banana, shot blocks, the other half of the PBJ and a stick of beef jerky. I was there a little longer than I wanted to be. However, again, I left the feed zone thinking to myself, I’m in a new race with new faces.
Montpelier to Geneva was so much fun. I started to hit it hard… it starts out quite flat and doesn’t really climb until the last few miles. I had done it before and I knew what to expect. However, for the first few miles I really had to pee. I looked for a port-a-potty but saw the line on the way out of the feed-zone. I decided to tough it out until the next port-a-potty break. It couldn’t have come soon enough. It wasn’t until the reservoir that I found it. There was a small line but I knew it was now or suffer the consequence on the climb out… I’m glad I waited in the short line. It was just what I needed to give me some motivation to get up the big climb coming up. I felt better and more relaxed. A couple of the guys made it part way up the climb and had to suffer the consequences of not using the port-a-potty sooner. I downed a few shot blocks which were my life support for the race. I don’t know what is about those things but they are easy to eat and provided the necessary energy when used properly. Eat a few of those and down them with plain water. I knew once I ate the shot blocks I could just sip the water and be ok… that is what I did. When I got to the top of Geneva Summit again I was glad it was over. The descent into Geneva was fun. Again I worried about my numbers flying off as I descended. (Mental note for next time: Secure the numbers better.)
As I descended you could see a huge line of support vehicles trying to make their way to the junction. I hoped my support crew was going to make it through before I made it over the Salt River Pass. From here on out it was all new territory for me on a bicycle. I have driven the course many times so my knowledge of the course was the key to helping me succeed. I knew where the climbs were and where the turns were. I have an uncanny self aware internal GPS system. It’s difficult for me to get lost. I want to say I have a photographic memory of terrain… but that’s not quite right, it’s more like a fuzzy resolution photograph kind of like an old flight simulator game with ok graphics.
I worked with a group that was really moving out. They had set a good pace along the Alred Flat’s and I kept up as best as I could. We passed a herd of cows and a couple of cowboys herding them in. They were slowing traffic down a bit. I ate part of my PBJ before the neutral feed zone 4 which the last big climb and the start of the King/Queen of the Mountain race. The PBJ hit the spot and I knew I had enough energy to make it up to the top of the Salt River Summit.
I probably could have skipped the neutral feed zone 4 but stopped because I knew I needed water. I stuffed an empty in my back pocket and put the new water bottle in my cage. I had a couple of slices of oranges. (A side note: I was a little confused in the neutral feed zones because there were some people saying refill only and then there were others handing out bottles… it was bit of conflicting message.)
My support crew passed me as I was leaving the neutral feed zone 4. At this point, this is where the King/Queen of the Mountain race begins. I knew I wasn’t going to break any records so I chose to take the 4 mile climb at my pace. The last big climb out I think I averaged like 6 mph. There were a lot of guys that passed me but I didn’t care. I even saw one guy emptying one of his water bottles to shave some weight off. It’s interesting to see how guys approach these things. I think I passed a few guys too but I wasn’t trying to prove anything, I just know my pace. Climbing is something that will always be a bit of a challenge for me, but I try.
I got to the top and had visions of myself getting off the bike and lifting it high in the air and screaming… “YES!” But coming back to reality I started the descent and remembered the stick of Jerky. I love jerky. Jerky is my friend. I downed that, but I could only eat half of it as it dried out my mouth. I was glad I picked up that extra water bottle because I needed it to down the Jerky. As I was descending I sat up right to give my back, shoulders and arms rest. I rested my legs from the big climb too but not pedaling. A few people passed me probably wondering what the heck I was doing bolt upright going downhill. When I passed them at the bottom I just smiled and went on by. Have I ever explained how much I love going downhill?
The road to Afton was long and winding, but the tailwind and the elevation loss compensated for the distance. I found a few guys willing to work with me trying to average a pace of 30 mph or better. I dropped a few guys and ended up strolling into Afton with a guy from Salt Lake, his support crew hadn’t quite made it to Afton. I stopped at the Feed zone 5. I ate the rest of my PBJ and then I ate banana. I picked up a cliff bar which I never ate until the finish line, and another roll of Shot Blocks. I swapped water bottles and then headed out again. There were a couple of guys leaving the feed zone. I had been warned to hook up with a group in Afton but there was nobody around me. There were small cluster groups and I worked with one group through Grover. I could see another group in the distance and I felt like I could catch them. No one from that group decided to follow at my pace. I caught the group and recognized a few 2200’s from the start. They were wearing yellow and black. I worked with this group for a while in the back and sure enough the smaller group I left behind had caught up to us and merged together with this group. There were about 10 of us. I then made my way to the front. I pulled 4 riders away from the group. One of the guys in the group we left behind was riding a granny bike. I overheard a conversation that he was a cat 3 racer that had suffered a broken derailleur in emigration and was determined to finish the ride on the granny bike. It had fenders but was geared… I didn’t check to see if he swapped the pedals but the way he was moving I think he had swapped them. I got to the front and we had lost two of the four that were with us. One guy ran off the road but saved himself from a crash thankfully. The other guy with me started to complain about the wind… how hard it was to ride in the wind. I didn’t want to tell him but we were in a tailwind… I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I worked with him for a bit and then just soloed myself the rest of the way to Alpine, until a group of riders came rumbling by. One Lady in the citizen class 1000 group went flying by yelling “on your left!” I was going just as fast as she was, cars were slowing because of congestion, there was barely enough room for two bicycles, we were near a feed zone and even when she passed by she only made it a few spots in front and then slowed down. I was a little annoyed by her attack so I caught up to her and chased her into the feed zone 6. I was going to say something but thought better of it. It was just one of those things that irritate me when riding in big groups and right before a feed zone too!
The Alpine feed zone 6 was something to behold as an accomplishment for myself. There were only 47 miles left in the race and I knew the end was near. I reached the feed zone at about 3:30 pm. I felt good and knew I could make it the rest of the way, 47 miles was a typical evening ride for me. I swapped out my food. I didn’t eat much between Afton and Alpine, but I drank a lot of fluids and had a shot block or two and some sweetish fish. I had asked my wife to be there in Alpine near 3:00. She missed me by about 30 minutes. I was glad my parents were doing support for me. My wife told me later she had some traffic to deal with and was a bit sleepy, she started late about 12:00 from Logan. I told her to take the road directly to Soda Springs and through Tin Cup. I was hoping to see her and my kids in Alpine… but I wasn’t upset that they were not there. I ate the grapes at the feed zone and left my support crew behind. My mom and dad gave me good support and off I went.
I hooked up with a few groups to work with but no one was really moving at a pace I wanted to climb the Snake River Canyon. There was even a group of ladies I was hanging with for a bit. One lady just stared at me for about 10 seconds. Then I blew pulled away from her. I could hear someone behind her saying, “What were you doing? Staring that man down?” They laughed and I chuckled. It was quite funny actually. Eventually it happened, a good group came through and I hooked on holding their wheels and hanging on. We moved out quickly but by the time we go to Hoback and the last feed zone 7, the group had completely split apart. I was going to skip the feed zone but almost ended up crashing into another guy. He made a quick stop and a turn into the feed zone. I had no choice but to lock up the brakes and follow him in. I wanted something to break up the cotton mouth, so I grabbed a red bull swigged about quarter of it and chucked the rest of it then I was off again.
As I left the feed zone, a guy looked at me and said, “Jeremy Bowen, right?” I said yes. He explained he was my neighbor. I didn’t recognize him he had a beard and said his name was Adam Couch. I felt bad I had to ask him… you would think one would recognize his own neighbor. He was with another guy who had an LRC kit on doing the fun ride. It looked like they were working together. We chatted for a bit and I worked with them and then decided to up the pace a bit. I wasn’t trying to ditch them I just wanted the ride to be over.
After that point I soloed it for the next 5 or 6 miles. Before the turn off the main high way my wife and kids passed me. I waived I was glad to see them. I turned off the main road heading due west then eventually turned northward. I was nearing the underpass before the bridge. I had a little gas and I glanced back thinking there was no one nearby, I let one go. A few seconds later I could hear a chuckle from a lady as she passed by me. I was a little embarrassed but oh well. I’m just glad she wasn’t directly on my rear when it happened. I kept up with the group but I had exhausted myself for those 5 or 6 miles and as they made their way under the underpass and to the topside of the road… I almost fell off the back. I regained the short distance I lost, and was feeling quite good. The lead guy was starting to tire right about the last 4 mile mark he slowed to 19 mph. There was a lady who said, “Follow me.” She punched it past the lead guy. I felt great and decided to punch it past her going 25mph or better. I dropped her and the small group that was following her. After a few hundred yards I slowed back down to 22 mph, and then I made a steady increase and could see two guys in front of me. They had 2300 numbers I followed them in passing a couple of other guys, as we hit the finish line. I heard names being called out. Two names I didn’t recognize and for a moment I thought, “Great they screwed up my timing chip.” Then I heard my name with my last name mispronounced. It was over! I stopped. It felt really good. It took forever to get my finishers medal. My left toe started to ache badly. I took my shoes off. I asked my parents if they brought my shoes. They had left my bag of clothes I prepared for after the race in the car. I asked where my wife and kids were. They had parked far away and hadn’t got there in time to see me finish. I called them on the cell phone and told them to meet me at the finish line. We met up; I gave them all hugs and I was happy it was over. I waited for some of the others to finish that I worked with all summer.
We all celebrated and shared a few of our experiences. It was great!!! I finished 10 hours 40 minutes. I came in at about 5:50. In all I’m happy with my time and my results. I think my bike computer said 10:27 minutes. So I really kept my stoppage time down throughout the course.
