Date: May 18-19, 2002
Event: 24 Hours of Adrenalin :: Laguna Seca, Monterey, CA
Category: Co-Ed
Field: 28 teams
Teammates: Sarah L., Andrew H., Dave J., Jason T.
Results: 3rd!
Total Time: 24:25:43
Total Laps: 29

It was an exciting race. The craziest part was early Sunday morning. First, one of our teammates forgot to wake the next rider. There was panic until we found that our rider out on the lap had realized a goof up at the handoff and just headed for a second lap. We all calmed down and checked the current results. We were down 20 minutes from the 3rd place team. Based on the remaining time, Andrew and I decided to alternate for 4 laps to try and make up the time. At the end of the 4 laps we had caught the 3rd place team!

They must not have been ready for that kind of attack. But, they woke up when I passed their rider and he had to chase me down to the start/finish. I handed off to Andrew who then took off like a bat out of hell. The other team’s rider went out right on his wheel. Andrew knew he had to drop this guy and could do it on the technical descents.

As they dropped out of site we starting calculating lap times. How fast was that rider? How fast was their next rider? I was fried and another one of our teammates, Jason, said he would be ready to go but he would probably be little slower than me. We worked through all the possible timing scenarios. I finally decided that it would be too close, even if Andrew put some time on the other rider, so I would need to ride.

When Andrew came into view the other rider wasn’t visible! But, we didn’t know if he was a minute back or 5 minutes. I took off and started using everything I had in me for this lap. On an earlier lap I had chased the other team’s staged rider and knew he was a fast climber. I was worried that he would make up the deficit on the long climb on the back side of the course. I knew I could make a lot of time in the technical sections so I poured it on through the first half of the course. To hell with brakes!

When I dropped down and onto the long climb home I could feel my left leg starting to cramp. I didn’t want to blow it now. I made sure to spin a higher cadence and let my leg recover. But I kept on getting that feeling that the other rider was coming up behind me. I kept pushing it hard up the hill. Nobody was passing me. In fact, the riders I passed were so cool. That would cheer me on. That was a motivation.

The top of the climb was coming into view. I took one look back and didn’t see anyone chasing. To be safe I pulled out the last energy and jammed to the top. It was smooth sailing back down into the expo and towards the start finish. As I came into view, my teammates were all waiting for me, cheering and yelling! We had taken 3rd place!

Another great race!

Cheers!

p.s. I would like thank the team as a whole for inviting me to be a member, to their own awesome performances, and to showing what teamwork is about. Also, a big thanks to our support crew Reuben, Steve, and Brendan that kept the motors running. Finally, to Eden Bicycles for their sponsorship and to Sycip Designs.