Brian
Posts: 854
Location: Newport
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Posted: Tue Oct. 10, 2006 10:43 am
With the Pinnacle Challenge upon us, I thought it would be fun to bump this classic race report from last year, enjoy!
As the sole representative from the flatlands of Concord, I felt I should share my TPC experience. Having spent last year training for and completing a couple of marathons, I was confident that I would be able to gain a minute or two over notorious cycling demons Brian "Hill Climber" Currier, Chris "King of the Road" Naimie and "Ironman" PJ Lovely. I knew that Nathan Richer was too far off the scale to bother trying to catch on foot or wheels. I figured I would have to position a bow hunter in the woods to take care of him. Imagine my surprise when Brian and Chris started out the road leg at a blistering <6:30pace! I was able to keep on their heels for the most of the road portion, but didn't come anywhere close to the front for more than a few feet. By around the 3rd mile, Nathan Richer had blazed ahead and put 20 seconds between him and the lead chase group, ending up first by a good distance.
I was virtually alone in the woods for most of the MTB loop, initially spotting Naimie in front of me on the inaugural climb, but was never close to catching him. The only thing that kept running through my mind was "How the hell can this keep going up? When does it go down again? It can't possibly go up again! What the hell is wrong with these people?" [meaning the course architects] I could sense someone on my heels in the woods, which turned out to be PJ Lovely, who passed me going into the transition area, where he handed the baton to his teammate Erin Lovely, while I switched bikes and lost some more time.
I began the road ride alone, until Dan O'Neil blasted by me with a hearty "On your left!" I thought to myself, "What the hell was that?" I remember his first outing at Moody Park with training wheels on, he just dusted me! I had no chance in hell of catching the man 10 years my senior and decided I better focus on cadence, heart rate and the pain in my lower back. Who adjusted this damn bike? (it was me) As I was losing sight of the cyclists well in front of me, I tried to remember the directions from the pre-race meeting. Something about signs with TPC and cyclists on them, a Fire station, left turn, and a somewhat difficult climb. Wait a minute, if these guys said it was a hill, it must be a friggin' HILL! Dammit, if man was meant to go up hills he would have built a chair lift on them! How the hell did I get into this? I should have stayed playing rugby where the worst thing that happens is broken ribs, concussions and internal bleeding. Anyway, I am now halfway up the aforementioned hill, alternating 10 strokes sitting, 10 strokes standing, when Mark Gurney passes me like he is motorized. I tell myself I should train here at elevation more often. Gurney informs me there is a fun descent coming up (there was). I tell him he has done nothing to improve my mood. I cough up a section of lung and finally crest the hill. My HRM is now reading a number in the 1000's, and I begin a wobbly descent down towards Newport High.
Coming back toward the school, I gently slam my bike to the ground and sit down to change to trail shoes. After a quick drink and gear change, I start my trot towards the ski lift staircase. Ryan O'Brien is on my tail as we approach the big wooden monster. Constructed by a deranged carpenter who owned no tape measure or level, this 90+ step behemoth boasts the credentials of having no two stairs the same height or pitch. After the 2 hour meat tenderizer of the previous tasks, I felt like my grandmother attempting a hill sprint on her 90 year old legs. I tell my quads to bound like a gazelle, but they respond with the wobbly steps of a newborn colt. With the mantra of "F*** PJ" playing in my head (for designing the race and course) I one-twoed the steps and made it to the top. Again thinking, "why always up? There are plenty of fine downhills here, why up again? Dammit, I hate these guys" (course designers).
By the last mile in the woods, I began to gain my legs back and pick up the tempo. I met up with Mrs. Lovely and Mrs. Richer near the end of the course. They were having a nice chat while keeping a decent pace. I was lucky to pass them and headed towards the plummet. I finished out the trail without feeling as rough as I had on the numerous uphills. Rounding the corner at the tennis courts I spotted the finish and trotted in to a wonderful reception of fellow competitors, whose children held a finish tape for each racer to break through. Rotary Club members did a great job of timekeeping and support, along with a nice post race feed and plenty of fluids to re-hydrate. This was a great event with the potential to be as fun and competitive as the commercialized races like the Hi-Tec or Balance Bar challenge. I would suggest additional markings at the base of the plummet and transition areas, along with definitive rules for the team and individual transitions.
Best regards,
Flatland Representative
Jason Massa
[img:7c60f52a7e]http://www.team-pinnacle.org/albums/bc_personal/120x90.png[/img:7c60f52a7e]
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