Thanks for the pictures Levi!
Dark Horse 40 2011 is in the bag -So where would I start? Maybe by saying I’m severely battered!!! I woke up this morning and I can barely move; pain just popped out all over my body. This year DH 40 racecourse was harder for me maybe because of lack of riding but definitely a fun fast course. The race course have all the good stuff you could ask for a race, long fast fire road, long uphill fire road, fast and flowy single track, plenty of power climbs, rocky section, rooty section and long fast descent, oh yeah… cerveza section. A big shout out to Dark Horse peeps for always setting up the bar in putting an awesome race event. I can’t imagine what would be waiting for us next year when Dark Horse Cycles celebrates their 10th Annual DH40.
As for my race recaps,
First Lap - I started in the back with CincoDos, Jeprox, and Levi. Bigboy was in the front so when the horn buzz he was gone and us in the back got stuck when few feet from the start one racer clipped the other racer’s tire and at least 10 racers went down and block the way. On our way to the long 3 miles of fire road I was trying to stay in the back of CincoDos as he was passing riders left and right until we passed Danny and he passed Rob. Cinco up the pace a little more and Rob and I got dropped and Cinco was GONE.
When we all enter the first single track it was a bottle neck and every little rocky section someone will get off their bike and all of us in the back sometimes have no choice but to push our bikes too. As soon as the course cleared and the first short decent I got so excited that I lost my front wheel and crashed in front of Danny again lol! So when I tried to get back on my bike I saw my I had a chain suck so I had no choice and went to the side and fix it there and see at least 15 riders passed me including Roll aka Sushi (from ECG) and said “ Jon ang aga nyan ha” meaning it’s too early for me to have a mechanical. I got back into my bike and heard Levi was in my back so we rode together. And then another bottleneck and I can still see Sushi maybe he was 6 or 7 riders in front of us when the rider in front of me stop and pushed his bike on the slightly uphill rocky section where I always cleared this before but had no choice but to stop and push my bike too. And the bad news happened.
While I was pushing my bike in the rocky section I think I jerked my left shoulder and dislocated it.
I dropped my bike and just hold my left arm close to my body. I was so scared and in freaking pain that when Levi kept asking me “ jon, are you o.k. are you o.k.? What do you want me to do Jon?” I can’t response to him for at least 3-4 minutes. Jeprox came and also asked me if I’m okay. As soon as I relaxed and followed what I learned in youtube on how to return a dislocated shoulder by myself, I was able to return my shoulder and told both Levi and Jeprox to go ahead. When they left, I probably stood on the side for another 5 minutes while many riders from 50+ category and few women passed me. When I decided to get back on my back I started really slow and let the other passed me until I regained my confidence. I took my time and was very careful on all the descents and ride fast as I can on all the flats and slightly up hills.
5 or so miles after my dislocated shoulder mishap I caught up to Jeprox and TAGMAN (from ECG) On mile 12 Lia and another female rider caught up to me. I pushed myself a little harder just to catch up to Lia and my plan was to stay with her rear wheel, as she was looking strong yesterday. I sucked her wheel for at least 2 miles and that’s when we saw Bigboy on the side fixing his chain. Lia went ahead (I don’t blame her she was probably on the 3rd or 4th place that time) but I decided to stop and help our top dog. Bigboy and I had a hard time fixing his chain as he accidentally pushed the small connecting rod out the chain link. Jeprox came again and stop and I told him to go ahead. I just found out Bigboy lost a lot of time, he was 1st in our Sports Category and he had at least 2 minutes ahead of the 2nd place until his chain snapped and he had to wait for someone to lend him a chain tool. Bigboy waited there for a long time imagine I caught to him. And even when I was there to help him it took both of us at least 10 to 15 minutes to fix his chain until we decided to just remove another link. So when we fix his chain, I just said to BigB to go ahead and start catching people, so with my blessing he was GONE. ;D
After that I rode by myself for a while passed few people again including Jeprox but could not catch Lia anymore. While I was riding by myself for the last 4 miles I was ready to just pack it for the day and just quit.
When I finished my 1st lap I saw Rob and Danny.
I was surprised that they were still there and gave me a little motivation and I thought that it wasn’t so bad after all. Rob said that he will finish the race and just had to get some electrolytes and Danny followed me at our feeding station. I took my time refilling my water with ice while deciding in my head if I should continue. So when I finally decided to suck it up and finish the race I tried to convince Danny to finish the race with me and we will do it slow together. But Danny refused as he had a serious gut issues lol and I can’t see Rob so I decided to go for it and finish the race by myself.
2nd Lap – Uneventful compared to my 1st lap. This time I got energy and got a little confidence on my left shoulder as I took risk on all the fast descents for the first 7 miles and passed few riders. On mile 11 was when fatigue and the heat exhaustion started to play. I was so tired that my left triceps starting to cramped up and my legs started twitching, signaling my body that it was about to lock up but thanks for my leg compression it did not happen. But what happened was by wearing my leg compression I was dying of heat exhaustion lol! I was overheating that I had to pour my heed on my head and had to stop twice at the cerveza station and drink beer, as this was the only feeding station that has a COLD drinks. I was so Hot that I asked the lady who served me beer to spare me some Ice and she was happy to give me but I surprised her when I put the ice she handed to me in my crutch, lol! So after the beer station I finished the last 4 miles with the brutal boring rocky section on the last mile.
Congrats to Lia for a strong finished (6thplace) and to all Orange machines, Bryan on the single speed bike just insane, CincoDos on a rigid fork and two broken spokes another insane, Bigboy (you’ll get them next year) Danny- there is always next year, Levi-thanks for stopping for me and giving me assurance that someone is there just in case I could not return my shoulder back. Rob and Jeprox well done boys for refusing to quit and finishing this DH40 race and to GIANTMASTAH, Ramon congrats on your first ever race
(even 20 miles was tough). Despite all my mishaps, poor performance or some may say my excuses I must say that I had blast this year’s DH40! I can’t put it on my words on how I felt when I reached the finish line, maybe the closest I could think of is…PRICELESS!
Congrats also to our friends and who stop by to our Team Tents from NYCMTB, CLIMB, ECG and Team Menace!
Sorry it was long but thanks for reading!
Result:www.darkhorsecycles.com/race-rumblings/95-dark-horse-40-2011.html DNF NAMES are only temporarily blank but it be fill ed in soon.
Despite my excuses this year's DH40 my time 4:59 was not bad as my 2010 DH40 time was only 4:36.
Here are some few pics I took yesterday.
These people don’t look like they suffered with all those smiles. Sorry Jeprox I could not find you this time.
For the August Calendar
The girl on the green shirt was the one who passed Lia when Lia crashed on her 2nd lap.
Free Food Station
Our two Team Canopies surrounded by our friends from CLIMB, NYCMTB, PEAKS and Team Menace.
I was surprised that they were still there and gave me a little motivation and I thought that it wasn’t so bad after all. Rob said that he will finish the race and just had to get some electrolytes and Danny followed me at our feeding station. I took my time refilling my water with ice while deciding in my head if I should continue. So when I finally decided to suck it up and finish the race I tried to convince Danny to finish the race with me and we will do it slow together. But Danny refused as he had a serious gut issues lol and I can’t see Rob so I decided to go for it and finish the race by myself.