IRON CROSS V REPORTA very weird day...I started dfl in the field and was picking my way forward for the first 15 miles. Right before cp1 a deer came down the embankment and nearly crashed me. This would set the stage for a weird race day.
After cp1 my back and hips starting locking up so I eased up a bit. Here the women started catching me - 5 of them passed me including the VisitPA girl. The next section was an awesome mtn bike downhill, but the logs really sucked on a crossbike. I caught maybe 2 dozen people, mostly weenies who were scared of the rocks and drops. The trail ended onto pavement and a quick up had me catching and passing VisitPA. Being such a nice guy I pulled her to rt30 where a nearby gunshot startled us.
I continued pulling through a headwind on rt30 then eased up once we hit caledonia. After a quick chat, we started working together until we got to a fireroad climb where my back got very tight and my legs started to die. I wouldn't give up though and twice bridged to stay on her wheel - but a side stitch put an end to my efforts. As I approached the powerline/hikeabike section I started feeling very poorly - I was cooked. My friday/saturday bug was still in my system. It was now rearing its awful head and my hour and half of glory was over! My hiking training paid dividends though as the hike-a-bike went pretty well. At cp2 I forced down half a sandwich on a noncompliant stomach. 10 minutes later and about 30 places I'm back on the bike. After a quick fireroad climb I started to descend and saw 2 people ahead on the side of the road. At this point my front wheel was knocked to the right and I bodysurfed gravel to the feet of these people. The girl was an ANGEL and helped me up, brushed me off and checked my bike. I tried to walk off the burning sensation consuming my left side. I took chunks of meat out of my knee and elbow and all the skin off my tricep. I had ripped my shorts and had raspberry on my hip but I was still able to ride. On the plus side, the jolt of adrenline fixed my back!
After this I was in survival mode. I made it to cp3 where I forced down a bar and some badly needed advil. The long climb to cp4 wasn't that bad as I rode mostly with a girl from Michigan (Anne). I stopped for a cookie at cp5 and soon caught the Michigan girl and 4 other women. Somebody likes me! I was content to stay behind and chat plus I wanted to see the finish as all 5 women would surely duke it out. We navigated a rocky downhill and I flated on the very last rock - win a few, lose a few. I lost about 10 places as I fixed it, but was able to gain them all back in the final 7 miles. 2 miles from the finish a car ran through the race marshals and would have smashed me had I been 3 seconds faster - not my day, huh!
At the finish I executed a brilliant dismount/remount through the barriers and had survived my first Iron Cross! Unfortunately I wasn't able to hang out too long due to my injuries. But I did complete the course before the awards ceremony, rode with VisitPA girl, and used injury sympathy to score a extra pint glass for friend who was waiting at his home with a cupboard of medical supplies : )
For those keeping score a home thats a deer, a girl, a gunshot, a bonk, a crash, 5 girls, a flat, a car, and a finish!
HO
