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2010 Spring Death Valley Double Century Race Report- Southern Route Page 2
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achieve their goals
to win, race, or be
fit, and to discover
for themselves our
passion for cycling.
Here is the short and sweet version. I was part of a six man lead group up until Ashford Mills (mile 45.5) . Phil Kelly one of the riders in our six man surged ahead at the base of the Jubilee climb and slowly disappeared out of sight. He maintained his advantage on me from mile 45.5 until the finish. I was third up the first climb-- Jubilee Pass, second on the Salsbury climb. I was in second place for 50+ miles after leaving from the Ashford Mills. I rode alone from Ashford Mills (mile 45.5) through the climbs and back through Ashford Mills (mile 100) . I was caught by Desert Fox about mile 120. We rode together from just before Badwater (mile 130) until the finish. Kelly went on to win at least 30 minutes ahead of me. I came in about 11:08 and happy with a PR of more than an hour. Double Century Checkpoint Locations: 17.7mi (Badwater), 45.4mi (Ashford Mill), 57.6mi (Water Only - on Salsberry Pass), 74.3 (Shoshone), 103.2 (Ashford Mill), 130.9 (Badwater), 148.6 (Furnace Creek), and 171.5 (Stove Pipe Wells). Click HERE for a player from ridewithgps.com Rolling from the start at Furnace Creek we were in one massive paceline. I stayed near the front five wheels since I didn't know the riding skill of many of the riders present. Absent from the front of the pack were the tandems that usually lead us out to Ashford Mills. I did see some riders that I have seen at previous doubles and the 508. Graham “Python” Pollock, Ton “Desert Fox” van Daelen , Adam “Rock Rabbit” Bickett. Also riding with us was Phil Kelly. He and I rode together on the Butterfield Double Century in 2008. He came in second and I came in third that year just 12 minutes behind him . I have also seen his results for the Breathless Agony-- quite impressive. In 2009, he finished the Breathless Agony with a time of 4:43!!! And a newcomer on the scene Reve Ramos who finished the Fall Death Valley Double in 2009 with an impressive 11:11 time. With this group of talented racers present I knew I had to play it smart. Five paragraphs from now you will see the totems of the 508 veterans please visit the links you will see that all there results have been better than mine at the 508. It was nice chatting with Rock Rabbit for a good while as we headed towards Ashford Mills. He was riding a fixed gear with a Power Tap-- I may have to get one of those ;). I've always wanted to know what type of wattage I put out on my fixie. I'm also curious what happens with the constant pedaling and how that affects the average wattage. I digress, we talked about 2009 Furnace Creek and the freak windstorm and his nutrition problems. We also discussed gear ratios because Rock Rabbit is contemplating the 508 on a fixed gear. I told him that it is an exclusive club (only seven of us have been crazy enough to complete it) and it's not an event to be taken lightly. Rock Rabbit DID complete the 2009 edition of the 508 on a multi-speed bike even with his long delays due to his nutrition problems. As a side note, in the 2009 edition of the 508 both fixed gear riders DNF'd. What I find interesting is Rock Rabbit is following the same pattern I did. My rookie year 2006 at the 508 I had an abysmal attempt. I then thought about whether I should come back in 2007 and redeem myself. But instead I came back on my FG. My goal was to complete the event. The joy, if there was one, was that I rode the event without the pressures of beating my time from 2006. Rock Rabbit is in the same situation I was in three years ago. Good luck with that decision I know it will be a tough one. |
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