Vapor Trail 125; Plans vs Reality, Pain vs Reward
Plans, even the best of them, are like expectations; life doesn’t give a &%$@ about them.
Saturday/Sunday was the tenth annual riding of the Vapor Trail 125 mountain-bike race. Going into it I had a plan and with that plan I had goals and expectations. I had trained well all summer and the bike was in excellent condition. My belly was full and I had been hydrating well. The forecast no longer predicted rain. My goal was to complete the race in 16hrs 45mins with specific time objectives along the way. All I had to do was stick to the plan and everything would work out as I expected.
Then life showed up and laughed at me and my foolishness.
At my first check-point–beginning of the Colorado Trail–I was ten minutes ahead of schedule. Sweet. By my second check-point–Aid Station #1–I was five minutes behind schedule. Curious, but I was not concerned. Riding the long, long dirt road up to Alpine Tunnel, it felt like someone had tied a huge great weight to my bike. I was slow, I had nothing in my legs. I was continually being passed by people and had nothing to draw on to respond. I arrived at my third check-point–bottom of Alpine Tunnel–more than thirty minutes behind the plan and feeling tired.
Up then down Alpine Tunnel I rode towards Tomichi Pass. It was 35degree(2deg cel) and despite heavy gloves, both hands and my left foot were numb with cold. On a training ride I can ride about 90% of the climb to Tomichi Pass. On race day, I walked about 90%. I was slow, my body was tired and my legs seemed to have abandoned hours earlier. I considered joining them.
As I suffered in my misery, I very seriously contemplated quitting the race. I knew the short route to Aid #2 and considered the logistics for getting myself home. I could get a ride from a volunteer. I could call a friend to collect me. I could die right there in the woods and not have to worry about transport.
After Tomichi Pass and reaching the turn for the 40min hike-a-bike up Granite Mountain(elevation 12,600′) it was decision time. I decided to postpone my abandonment. I could get myself to Aid#2 then see how I felt. At the summit I was 40mins behind my plan, cold, hungry, irritable.
The plan had me leaving Aid#2 at 7am; I got there at 8am. Tom cleaned and lubed my bike’s drivetrain while Shawn–owner of Absolute Bikes–brought me coffee and bananas lathered in Nuttela. When I told Shawn I had considered quitting he promptly said he would kick my ass if I tried. Not being a fan of physical violence, I had no choice but to continue on towards Monarch Pass. It was 8:25am.
Two hours later and after a ten mile dirt road climb, I reached Aid#3, dumped my bike on the ground, fell into a chair and wallowed in my pain and dissatisfaction. As Rickie later commented, I was grumpy; gotta love understatements. There, I changed my kit, ate some food, drank some Coke and sulked. Leaving the Pass I was 1hr 45mins behind my schedule. So, I left my time sheet behind, decided to forget about my goals and simply ride. Best decision I made all night/day.
The Monarch Crest Trail is one of my most favourite trails anywhere. Monarch Pass to Marshall pass usually takes about an hour fifteen to an hour thirty. I reached Aid#4/5 at Marshall in an hour twenty and had a blast doing so. I actually enjoyed being on the bike for the first time since leaving Salida at 10pm. No longer concerned with how crappy I felt and how poorly I was performing, I began to smile.
Down the fast, oftentimes hairy, Starvation Trail I turned around for the 5mile climb up Poncha Creek Road. With fresh legs it is a relatively easy climb but after 92miles, it is crushing, forcing many folks to dismount and walk. I felt okay and rode the whole thing, even if at just 2-3mph. There I caught up to Margaret and we rode back to Aid4/5 together, accompanied by Heidi who was there to cheer us on.
At Sydney’s aid station, I ate some food while chatting and laughing with friends. Although my body was protesting the prospect of another 25miles, I was having fun just hanging out, enjoying a beautiful day high up in the mountains. Leaving there at 2:30pm, I wondered if I would be able to finish before 5:10pm; my finish time at last year’s race. Although, to be honest, I really did not care; I just wanted to finish.
I flew down Silver Creek Trail and crushed the flat and downhill sections of the Rainbow Trail. On the many short, steep climbs on Rainbow, reality returned and I had to walk them all, my legs utterly wasted. After those last nine gruelling miles of single-track, I hit the pavement for 10miles soaring downhill on highway #285, homeward-bound
At 5:19pm–19hrs and 19mins after I started–I crossed the finish line to the cheers of many dear friends and fellow racers. Although I finished nine minutes slower than last year–despite wanting to better that time by 2 1/2hours–I finished with a smile on my face and proud of what I achieved. And what I achieved is really what the Vapor Trail 125 is all about.
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It’s about testing yourself, going way beyond your abilities. It’s about pushing through the pain, the misery, the fatigue, the self-depreciating thoughts and the dreams of a warm, soft bed. So while I may not be happy with my performance, I am very pleased with how I persevered, how I kept on riding and would not give up, how I truly earned that 10th Anniversary blue Vapor Trail 125 beanie.
As Fred said to me while I sat in the bike shop parking lot eating dinner, it’s easy to finish an event when everything is going well, when you are feeling strong. To continue on and finish when you feel like shit, that show’s real character. And that, is the Vapor Trail 125.
Full results here. Congratulations Jesse Jakomait for setting a new course record!)
