Sea Otter 2017

[Michael Koppe]

  My alarm went off at 3:50 AM Sunday morning. I know it is early and a stressful way to start your morning on race day, but I had a long work day Saturday and wanted to sleep in my own bed. I actually enjoy driving early in the morning because the roads are free of traffic and one can make good time. Although one needs to be vigilant for drunk drivers left over from Saturday night.

  Although I enjoy Sea Otter, the race that I try to peak for is Downieville. Now that the days are longer and my wife will be in Tahoe for the summer, I will have a more time and flexibility to train. She doesn't understand the commitment necessary to be truly competitive at a high level and perhaps I don't either. However my racing age will be 65 next year so I plan to be more competitive next year.

  I was happy it was not hot on race day. I always seem to cramp on really warm days, but it was pretty windy which can be wearing at the end. I saw fellow ACME riders Greg and Mark warming up. It was nice to hear their words of encouragement. In Cat 1 the last three age divisions (60-64, 65-69, and over 70) start at the same time since there are so few of us. The hype has greatly subsided by than, since everybody has already left. The lack of noise is little unnerving. The announcer always makes the same comments like -how many times have you been divorced, how many grandchildren do we have etc. The rider next to me was from Mexico which I thought was cool. He didn't speak English but I could understand his Spanish and he could understand my English. During that conversation the race started and I forgot to start my Garmin for 10 minutes, so my actual race time for the 28.5 mile course was 2h32m not the 2h22m on Strava.

  The course was in really good shape and dry, despite the winter rains. There was only one really big mud bog on the whole course and, of course, I fell in it. I came around a corner pretty fast and could not avoid the pothole or crater in the center. It was softest crash that I have ever experienced since a foot of mud can really absorb the impact. The problem was extricating myself with my shoe still attached to the pedal. It was like skiing when you fall in deep snow and your skis are still attached. After major thrashing, I managed to break free and recover my bike. Adding insult to injury was the fact that the mud smelled terribly. Fellow riders commented on my soil sample. I had mud on my Camelback tube so I didn't want to put in my mouth and get Giardia. The lack of hydration may have contributed to subsequent cramps. The good news was that I didn't get poison oak on the side that was covered in mud! Fortunately the rest of the race was uneventful. 

  I tried to catch some obviously old people toward the end but I could not muster the resources. Ultimately I finished 7th(last) at 2h 32m and 8 mins behind my Mexican friend, Jose, who finished 3rd. Mike