![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40EI3QkoVtY1tuTSDiFMtdXkSHXL4BajF085zJBnLkAc2K56-S6hhyAUakS-ufAPA7VByqKn3izXdtx9FV-1a_Vcvb9Bo9XT1AQ_kRlLLcHFqR2x896k2HzLdNYGcUGbudoey21H_w8P9fIWyt_iA_6Tm1zRX0HncgLheedkf8N9VVVNb2im3G0iS/s320/coachThadTwilightZone.jpg) |
An endurance rider's twilight zone...
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This race is so far out of my wheelhouse that I felt I needed to note it here. My races are usually 50+ miles and take hours and hours. This was a single 5-mile lap that took < 30 minutes, lol. Basically, a bunch of NICA coaches raced around the next day's course. It was an all-out sprint and I inhaled 30 min of aerosolized granite dust and cow patties leading to a few weeks of uncontrollable coughing. I did OK on my 32x20 SS against the geared masses. My required minimum speed on an uphill managed to keep me in 2nd until we got to a nice long straight double-track and then, voila, I'm 4th. That's how I finished, it was fun.