Baker's Dozen = Sloppy Good Times

Hey all. Sorry for the lack of posts. I spent last week trying to feel better, getting ready for my first event and getting ready for a long weekend of camping and biking.

Baker's Dozen 2006, scheduled to take place 4/22/06 was my first event of the season. There was early concern about the event (rain was forecast for much of the weekend), but late Wednesday night the event web site said it was all a go. Frantic shopping and packing ensued on Thursday then I took myself up to Edgefield, SC. I was the early-bird crew, on a mission to get team Sorella some good camping/viewing/transition/hollering spots. I nabbed two on the shady side of the road and settled in (after a half-assed attempt to put up Aimee's tent without instructions).

James S. from the Northwest GA SORBA chapter had also arrived early, so I spent the afternoon hanging out with him. He came with me on a pre-ride lap and was very kind when I had a bad spell at the top of the one climbing section and also tried to help me with some squealing brakes. Thanks James and all of the NWGA crew...your cheers were awesome.

Melissa showed up to keep me company around 9:30 Thursday night and we gabbed for a few hours before we realized how late it was. We woke up about 6:30 on Friday and decide we'd take our pre-ride lap early and enjoy a relaxing day. It was a slow paced ride in the early morning cool. We broke all the cobwebs for future pre-riders and shared a water bottle as Melissa had forgotten hers. No vertigo issues for me on that ride.

It rained a bit and thundered hard Friday night, but the big issue was the call for an 80% chance of rain on Saturday. Though Melissa and I woke up extra early on Saturday morning and Melissa was the champion of the good vibes/wishes we got poured on just when all the rest of the Sorella crew showed up. We all huddled under the pop-up that Alison and Travis quickly set up and waited to hear the word. The rain slowed around 9-9:30 and we heard that the race would commence at noon instead of 10, and that if it started raining enough to cause damage to the trails we'd be given a 2-hour warning (this didn't happen, as a deluge hit during my fifth lap and the trail quickly showed the damage that only a large group of riders on wet trails can do. The race was called at a few minutes after six.

So...how'd we do? Lots of Sorellas on the podium (no I wasn't one of them). Melissa had a blast during her first event, along with Juliet and Alison. This three "woman" team came in first (there were no other three women teams, but I still think these girls would have rocked the house, as they never let up). We also won the two-person category by default, but Justine and Ashlie didn't rest on their laurels or their asses either and kept pounding out laps. Aimee came in second and I Ling came in third behind a powerhouse (but super sweet) solo rider that they immediately started trying to recruit to the blue and orange.

Me? I was pretty happy. I'd woken up several times during the night with dizzy spells and the weird head funk that my vertigo often leaves me with during a bad spell. I'd had a moment early in the morning where I had to lean on a tree until I could stand on my own with the dizzies. I'd almost decided not to do it, to bow out, because water in the ears only makes things worse for me, but the awesome Don Bill kindly and firmly counciled me to just toodle around as if I was on a Dauset fun ride. So I planned to toodle.

I was slow. I was sixth out of six solo riders. But I wasn't that slow. I did 40 miles, 5 laps in 5.5 hours. I was expecting to get lapped by some of my Sorella sisters and I did, but not until Aimee at the very end of my third lap, I Ling on the 4th and Jennifer at the middle of the 5th...so I didn't feel like a complete slacker. My average speed was slower than last year, but I was steady and just kept going. The second and final deluge came just as I hit the singletrack on my last lap. I couldn't see through my orange lenses so those came off and it was me and the mud and the rain (which was incredibly salty for some reason). The course was a mass of mud, water running in channels down the trail, roots slick and crafty from rain and mud of riders gone by and there were some fun slips and slides as I finished that lap. I decided to end the day there as I'd gotten serious water in my ears and the left one was aching and very hot. They called the meeting to call the race about fifteen minutes after I got in, so I changed clothes and tried to get warm.

On my way home, alone, that night, I started running a fever and my ear was feeling red hot. I wondered if I'd added an ear infection to the mix (but some careful "doctoring" when I got home helped out and I'm starting to think maybe the harsh conditions helped get my ear balance back on track). So I'm hopeful to be close to 100% for the upcoming 12 Hour at Ft. Yargo.

Some thank yous need to go out. Jennifer thanks for the cotton balls, they made the first laps much better! Aimee, I Ling, Jennifer, Jackie, Lori B, Justine, Ashlie, Juliet and all other Sorellas, thanks for cheering me on even though I was at the back. Rob Murphy, thanks for fixing my brakes. Don, Angie and Donna thanks for all the hollering and for getting me out there despite not feeling well and for taking pics (this is one of me hunched over laughing as I'd just shoved a Fig Newton in my mouth and Donna and Angie were taking pics as a piece flew out of my mouth). Alison and Travis, the easy-up was so nice to come "home" to after each lap, and Alison will soon have pics for all of us to check out and share. Juan, thanks for being super support to me as well as to Justine (the girl you came up to support). Javaun and Tim, thanks for cheering and calling out about our smiles, even when they were really grimaces. And Melissa...thanks for being a camping buddy, a super-fast racer and a great help when I was feeling like shite. You're a real rock star and you're only just beginning to accomplish all of the great biking achievements that you've got inside you. Now post on the blog, you slacker!!!

I'm sure Renee will be posting about some of her adventures this weekend, even though most of her posts went on the TdG blog she and Karen were keeping. Look for more from all of us as we get back into the swing here at enduroeejit! Look for pics as soon as I can wrangle them out of the crew.

Mallie