The Bailey Hundo Father’s Day Gift and 1-speeders “How do they go so fast?”
The Perfect Father’s Day Gift: the Bailey Hundo: What could be better than wife Stacy committing to waking at 330 a.m., driving me and teammate Ari Melmed to the 6 a.m. start, and running around to various aid stations to give us tasty bites? It was 6:01 a.m. and riders huddled together at the start line in the 43F air temp wearing anything from tank-tops to full-metal jacket, and shivering. By 6:02 a.m. the sheriff had finished polishing the firetruck and the gun went off! The 7-mile undulating road arrived at the single track and just a few minutes later came the familiar “What up?” from behind, teammate Jeff Carter on his single speed. I contemplated going with a single speed but decided better when legs turned to lead on a 4-hour practice SS ride. It was a recurring theme: “Wow, good thing I’m not on a SS,” as the course turned flat or very steep, at which point Jeff, Andrew Carney (1st SS), or Mike Thompson (2nd SS) would suddenly appear, all the way up to the 60 mile mark. “How do these guys go so fast?”
Stoney Pass and Beyond: Nico Toutenhoofd and Jonathan Davis and 1 other rider helped form a pace line to bottom of Stoney Pass climb but then went a bit too fast. Soon after, a rider with Honey Stinger, Ryan Dorsey, stood stretching cramping calves at the side of the road. He road with me about 15 miles, pointing out the “Hundo-ish” course (96.2? 102.3?) and trading drafts. “The top of that steep crest is about half way to the top.” “Half?”. “This is where it turns Rolley-polley.” “Rolley-polley”. He was nice enough to put up with a riding partner with little more personality than a parakeet. Neither of us had watches or heart rate monitors. It was like a fun ride on a quiet Sunday morning. Well, OK the heart was pounding in the ears and the mere thought of one of those goos induced retching. Ryan pulled me all the way to the finish line (OK he actually crushed me the last 5 miles despite his having an off-day) finally getting me to break the 8 hour barrier in one of these 100-mile mountain bike races. Stacy says I can live to see another endurance bike race.
Teammate Ari Melmed received a tremendous hall pass from his wife Jackie to trade-in his 31.5 lb. mountain bike for a 23.5 lb. EMD Niner, as well as to actually do the training recommend by his Carmichael coach Daniel Matheny (11th place). It showed as he finished just over 9 hours. True to form, Jeff Carter came to the finish line as I was still loosening my helmet strap, breaking 8 hours and finishing 3rd in the single speed (see Shawn Gregory blog). Friend and fellow singles speeder Brian Stevenson finished 5 minutes later on his 1980’s full rigid. Josh Blum (sub-9 in Leadville 100) rode the whole way with friend Tony doing his first ultra mtn bike event, convincing him not to jump in that inviting air-conditioned car at mile 55. Josh is smiling in all 12 photos–he clearly enjoyed the 11h 15m ride from start to finish.
Join the Team—we need more participants! Willa’s Wheels honors the memory of our daughter Willa who died at age 4 of rhabdomyoscarcoma in June 2008. Team members pick a ride/race/run/triathlon, wear a jersey, and fundraise for the Raymond Wentz Foundation (www.raymondwentz.org) All money goes to RWF which supports people with cancer who, like Raymond, are having trouble with the basics. $250 helps pay for the gas, $500 helps pay for groceries, and $1000 helps them pay for the mortgage. We’re all affected by cancer. Give back to those struggling with cancer by making a donation or taking out a fundraising page (“Join Team”—it takes about 5 minutes) See some of the sample pages others have set up. RWF grants help people like Emily.
Emily was 3 years old in November 2009 when diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancer that forms in nerve tissue. After her 9 month stay in the hospital, the Raymond Wentz Foundation (RWF) provided money to help Emily and her family stay at Brent’s Place, a sterile living apartment that helps kids stay free from infection while fighting cancer and other diseases. Emily’s scans the end of January 2011 were cancer free and she returned to preschool at that time.
Jeff Carter takes "W" onto podium. How do those 1-speeders go so fast?
Ari Melmed at mile 55 with son Daniel
Josh Blum, Chris-Horner-like, smiled from start to finish
fun race, nice to be finished
screaming on podium. Did he really wear that?
Micki Harris hits the Desert Rat Classic in Fruita