I get up early having had more sleep in
the last 24 hours than most of the previous week. I check myself over
and with a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach know that the race
is over for me. There has been no improvement and although my heart
desperately wants to go on my mind tells me to go home. I quit nearly
1000 miles into the race.
I pack up and walk across the road, it is cold. I wait patiently and
occasionally stick my thumb out at passing pickups and begin the long
haul home. The consolation is that I know a little bit more about
myself.
Odds And Ends
Over the next couple of weeks the race draws to a conclusion. Matt wins
after Pete pulls out. Brad and Trish make it to Mexico as does Kent.
Scott abandons with extreme numbness to his hands. Pete was riding hard
in terrible headwinds to get the record, he reached a point of
exhaustion when he could hardly turn the pedals. His comment after was
that he would just have to go back and try again.
As I write this in November I'm pretty much recovered. After the race
ended I learned a lot about nerve damage and recovery times. It was a
scary experience, more scary than the bears and the thing that bugs me
is that I don't know what was wrong with my bike set up. Doing this race
is a big commitment, I wouldn't want the same thing to happen again. I
won't be doing the GDR in 2006, I have plans to be somewhere where the
bears will be asleep under the snow.
Resources
Adventure Cycling for maps of
the GDR and other big rides in the US.
This article originally appeared in issue X of Singletrack magazine.
Disclaimer
Photos in this article are not necessarily in sync with the story!
Thanks
I'd like to thank Endura for supplying me with what I think are the
most comfortable and durable shorts and leggings available. Montane for
supplying me with two great jackets that kept the hailstones and morning
chill at bay.
And finally Polaris for the bright orange shirts that scared all the
wildlife away!