Sea Otter 2016

[Michael Koppe]

  As I write this my legs ache from a special blend of residual cramps, poison oak, mosquito bites, and minor scratches and gashes. Nothing significant- no blood transfusions, but I am sure I left a trail of DNA along the Sea Otter course. What a difference a week makes! The rain and mud at Napa Valley produced gooey hills of liquefaction, but at Sea Otter I experienced the dry, hot,and shifting sands of the Kalahari. Hence the cramps.

  I felt the race began at 4:00AM Sunday morning. I had to make every minute count to be there on time. I worked late Saturday. Optimally I should arrive earlier in the week and pre-ride the course, but as you know "Life is what happens when you are busy making plans". My best time of the day was the 2 hours and 20 minutes it took me to drive from Marinwood and pick up my registration at Sea Otter. At registration the woman noticed that my USA Cycling license only allowed me to race CAT 2. She upgraded me to CAT 1 when she noted my 4th place finish in the over 55 age group at Napa Valley the week before. I could not institute my normal policy of full disclosure and tell there were only 5 people in my age group, but I just felt like at that my moment I was just upgraded to business class from coach and I wasn't going to dispute it. At smaller events in my age group, as long as you have a bike and pulse you are CAT 1. However Sea Otter is not a smaller event. It brings out the best regionally and to some extent nationally.

  I warmed up on the raceway and began to notice the heat at 7:00 in the morning. Not a good sign. I was glad that I brought my Camelback so I could hydrate along the way. I have never been great with water bottles. Despite being reasonably coordinated I have trouble drinking, breathing, and riding with one hand. As I warmed up, I checked out all the debris, scars, and tire marks alongside the off camber curve at the top of the hill along the raceway. It reminded my of certain curves along trails in races where there are skid marks, matted grass, broken branches, and lost water bottles. Can't wait.

  I as waited for the start of the race, a young man(age 40?) lined up with us and than I realized they grouped together the last 4 Cat 1 categories together in the 8:15 start which included Clydesdale, 60-64,65-69,and over 70. They should have just renamed the last group  the old, older, oldest, and overweight. Despite their age there were some racers that looked fast. Maybe I should have stuck to Cat 2.

  The race started well. The course allows separation of riders on fire roads in the beginning and the end, but intermixed are miles of single track or double track. I went at my own pace, but after an hour I still cramped due to the heat despite proper hydration and electrolytes. I managed to find a decent pace which was below my cramp threshold. I felt locking out the boost on my Trek Fuel really helped me conserve energy on the uphill sections including the single track. Unfortunately on one off camber turn in the sand, I managed to lose control and crash in the bushes. My shoe was still attached my pedal, my bike on top of me, poison oak around me, and intense cramps surfaced. I was immobilized for what seemed like an eternity. I felt like an upsize down turtle or roadkill along Lucas Valley Road. I was hoping no one would see me and fortunately I was able to perform self rescue and carry on before someone saw me.

  In the end I finished the long 28.5 mile course with about 3500 vertical feet in 2h and 29mins(21 mins behind the winner and 7th out of 8 riders). A more favorable spin would be there were only 2 riders out of 16 who were older and faster in the last group of old, older, and oldest. For me to be competitive at the next level I need to continue my training, manage cramps better, improve my technical skills, and be more race savvy. Mike

[Dave Benjamin]

Way to stay with it Mike!

-Dave B.

[Paul Montgomery]

Keeping it 100%! Great race.