La Ruta Day #2

This day is shorter than day #1 and does not have the mud mess, so the start gets to be at 6AM, yippee! Roll out right from the hotel sitting in town at 850m & STRAIGHT UP until we reach 1800m, within 10km. Nasty stuff. Some was smooth, some was not. There were portions I had to walk but I rode all that I could, I'd say a good portion of it. At last check my garmin was reading ~37-39ish grades & that was not the steepest, but the garmin didn't catch it all. This put us up in some country farm areas as we started to descend on country roads, some very steep roads down(!), in which the people were really cool. As you pass by small schools, children walking to school/playing, and farm workers, everyone cheered in spanish. I don't know what they were saying but it sounded nice, and it was like having your own little tour de france ride! Some kids had out hoses to squirt you when it was hot.

The second big climb hit long paved switchbacks to 1800m again, it was humid HOT, I got passed a lot here as I was tiring out and trying to take some pressure off what were becoming sore feet. At the top I took a few kodak moments and savored the valley views which were so lush green and peaceful. Hard to believe they are also some cow pastures? weird. So my mileage says the end is within an hour, I am ok that a few more girls passed me & are now barreling down the road/gravel descent, I know there won't be THAT much time between our finishes. Then my first disaster, suddenly I come to a intersection with NO COURSE MARKINGS!!!! oh no, so far the course has been marked very well so I know right away I missed something yet I refused to believe it. I go a little further, I continue to second guess my decision to turn around and waste some time. Eventually, after what I find out later is about 6 miles off course, I high tail back desperate to find the turn I somehow missed. I am frustrated as I check my time, I have 3 hours till cutoff but I am not sure where I am and what the last climb could be like. Then disaster two strikes, I feel gears slipping and within minutes I got nothin. Rear hub has died. The vision flashes before me that I am not going to finish on time today, and not make the official finishers list. My eyes start to well up. With all the preparation, how could THIS happen?? WHY did it happen?? HOW could I miss a turn that other people found, and my hub temporary miracle fix no longer works. This is not meant to be, everyone was right, this trip was a dumb idea! I am just about ready to burst into tears when I look up and see the missed turn!!! Suddenly it's all better! I figure it's about 5 miles from here to walk and I have 2 hours to make it so off I go walk/running/fred flinstoning it as fast as I could. A motorcycle support guy goes past a few times, he thinks I am just walking from being tired & I just give him the thumbs up and he takes off. About an hour later I reach a town, and figure about 2 miles to go, he comes by again. This time I realize I know him, (he is Roberto Haras' rico suave spanish support friend & helped JP with mechanicals on day 1) he asks more questions, then insists he get me to the finish line rather than walk. I refuse the offer kindly as I DO NOT want a DNF, he looked sad, as he is a formor world champion moto guy from the 80s & is here lovin' scooting around rescuing lives during the race! He grudingly says 'have it your way' and revs away. 10 minutes later he is back, he has news for me. He told the organizers what happened & where I am, they said it's a bad section to walk in alone and he can tow me in and I will not get a DNF, I will have legitimate finish. (The rules state is you ignore organizers direction for sag, you will get DNF) So ok, I get ready for a 5mph tow, but that is not what he had in mind. He slaps his hand on my back and revs it up, flying through tight city streets & corners where stops are optional for everyone and passing can occur in oncoming lanes, we weave in and out for 2 miles at 40kph!!! I hit the finish line that fast! whew, that was fun in a sick sort of way:-)

So, I know it's late, and today's set up is to get shuttled to a hotel from the finish. Dinner, shower, mechanics are here and everything will shut down very soon for the night and the last shuttles will leave. This leaves little time for figuring out what I can do, if anything, about my bike. We did not pack extra wheels/hubs. I frantically start eyeing the clearing out lot for JP. He is nowhere. I Spanglish the best I can to the mechanics and they start to tear my bike apart. I grab some grub while still rushing about, finally I find out JP had seen I didn't come in at a time he expected and all the other girls did so he got over worried & is out on the course with a ride looking for me. They have radioed to tell them I am back, but it seems to take forever until they get back. I fill him in, we get our options, and rico suave offers to be a translator and the local Giant Demo guys end up saying they can get me a loaner wheel to use it will be there in the morning. I cross my fingers as I head to the shuttle. It is pouring RAIN.

This has been a stressful day, I lost over 2 hours time & feeling emotional blah because there is nothing I can do to guarantee even my start the next day & it makes me very uneasy. I did find some comfort in that Tinker & others missed the same turn, he got off course far enough that he decided to bail on an official finish. Shuttle to a trendy city hotel suite, get a young tico-turned-american roommate, have major difficulties getting checked in, hang in the restaurant iwth racers, & prepare all our damp duffle bag items for Day #3.