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Carl Sanders's Blog – April 2010 Archive (4)

Lemurians Attack!

Two minutes slower than last year. Simple math: 98% effort in = 98% performance out. Felt somewhat tentative on the loose descents, unwilling to charge ahead on the flats. Held back, even though I felt fit. Could have been the couple of weeks of stomach distress or the cumulative effect of multiple back-to-back races. Something had infested my gut and my head to boot. Although, I did Climb strong, passing through the ranks of intermediate course riders. I just let too many riders, get away from… Continue

Added by Carl Sanders on April 27, 2010 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Sea Otter Blues

My first DNF. Five minutes into the race at the top of the first climb, my egg-beater pedal fell apart, leaving only a dangerously sharp spindle to stand on. Realizing the cage was still attached to my cleat, I slipped the broken assembly back onto the spindle and I dropped into the first single track. That didn't last long, when I lost the cage while pushing through a sharp corner. Another 36 miles like this would have been sketchy. No way around this one.

I rolled out of…

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Added by Carl Sanders on April 17, 2010 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Napa Valley Mud Classic

All forecasts pointed toward a cold and wet race day. Stuffed into the Summit Van, the rain came steadily down, as the team drove north. Rain or shine, the race would go on. The strongest winds and heaviest rains were expected near 11 AM with a high of 47 degrees. The race started at 10:30 AM. Suiting up, I attempted to wrap my mind around the misery ahead. This would be a special kind of suffering. Into the driving rain, bitter cold and… Continue

Added by Carl Sanders on April 13, 2010 at 8:32pm — No Comments

Boggs V Race Report

The weather could have been a determining factor. Snow levels expected down to 2,500', daytime highs in the 40s expected the entire week before. Arrived Friday afternoon. Rain tapering off. Patchy snow on the ground. Cold. Very cold. Storm clearing. Sized up the terrain and walked out part of the course.

The night even colder. Awoke before dawn. Hundreds of…

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Added by Carl Sanders on April 4, 2010 at 7:30pm — 3 Comments