Last Chapter: The Final Countdown, 21 turns and counting....

So, we left off in Bourg D'Oisans at an aid station... I was not doing so hot...but then...

The skies parted and the sun shone through (cue sentimental music) and illuminated the sweet nectar of rejuvination in a blessed volunteer hand. In that little white styrofoam cup lay the key to my success, PEPSI. Yes, that is right, I would survive because I had found PEPSI!! And for all of those who are aware of my food allergies, no-no's and everything I do to preserve my GI; all bets were off at this moment!! I was going nuts on the stuff, 3 cups of pepsi and 2 slices of "European ham" (the really salty and fatty stuff that I NEVER EAT) I was ready to rock and roll!!

Looking at my watch I knew I had 1 hr and 55 minutes to climb Alpe D'Huez and make "gold-standard" time, which amazed me! I had never suspected or done the math until now to see where I was at time-wise since my primary goal was to finish (and I still wasn't certain of that either!) Knowing that anything was possible in the final strech of any long distance event, I decided to hurry up and move my tush in the forward direction...out of the aid station and onto the road.

My legs screamed at me when I got back onto my bike, and I knew it would be the LONGEST 13 km of my life on a bike, and I started to cry. I biked the short stretch which passed by the campgrounds at the base of Alpe D'Huez with all the fantastic specators and families cheering and I cried some more. Deep down inside, I knew that I would finish permitting nothing out of my control or medical-related stuff happens (it has happened to me before, I never count it out) it was the knowledge of what awaited me; those 21 turns that would strip away every last layer, and every last ounce of why I "thought" I should do this and will leave me with "why" I did this...and that is for another blog post...

So, I entered the Alpe D'Huez climb anticipating the "hellish" start; 3 km at 12 % Surprisingly though, it was not too bad or perhaps I had lost my mind already??? Actually, I was going at a slow and steady pace and climbing modestly. It was all that I had...

Turns 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, and 16 passed...finally arriving at 15 the climb levels out to a "relatively" easy 8% for 5 more turns. The sun was glaring down and I was burning up. The Pepsi was coming back to haunt me with rancid burps and I was in complete misery, but strangely embracing it. Forcing down water, and focusing on my heart rate; I could feel my heart beating hard and my head was exploding with every beat. This is a strange phenomena that happens to me..when I am absolutely wasted, tired and spent, I cand do a hard, hard effort (frist 3 km of Alpe D'Huez), but my HR doesn't catch up until I have time to relax; so when we hit that 8% zone of the climb the semi-truck hit me head on! and I knew to expect it. The goal was to make it to turn 10 and then stop....no and, if's or but's! it was my plan and I was dead-set on it. So I kept evaluating how i felt, if I needed to slow down more, and I took my sweet time on the corners where you could spin and catch your breath.

Everywhere I looked there were "man-down" scenarios" at every turn on the climb at least 20 riders were resting and some were lying on the ground. It had gotten so hot and some riders so desperate that they sought refuge under the minute amount a shade the trees provided on the oncoming traffic side of the road. Along the climb there are breaks in the stone wall that flow with mountain water...as I was nearing turn 11 all I saw was at least 15 riders huddled in a circle and I wondered "what the heck are they doing?" Turns out all of them were splashing their heads with the cold water. I was in total awe, yet understanding of each and every one of these riders. We all started 8-9-10 hrs early with a common purpose and we were ALL suffering. It was silent empathy...

Finally, turn 10 and I could not unclip soon enough...I thought I was going to pass out. It took me a good 3 minutes to get my HR to come back down and I knew I needed to eat something. So as much as I hated it, I ate one of my "boiled" gels. Surrounding me were about 25 other riders, camped out for the moment...all of them male. I cannot put into words the commradery you feel at this point. Each and every one of those males knodded at me, and 10 of them encouraged me and told me to keep going. One of them held my bike as I got ready to conquere the remaining 10 turns. And then a push from the saddle; those guys would eventually make it to the top, but the fact that they helped me during a time that must have been just as hard for them as me will never leave my head. Chivalry is not dead!

Then as I started turn 10-9 (10-9-8) are some of the hardest in my opinion, the HR came back up faster than a rocket and so did the gel. So, some poor rider had to bike through my green "apple cinnamon" Hammer Gel. At least I knew nutrition was out of the question till the finish, so not to waste my time or energy on it. Water was still staying down, which was good.

When you get to turn 7 you can see the top of Alpe D'Huez, which always solidifies the finish for me. But, the question was "how long till the finish" In my mind I was moving backwards. I cannot really describe what was going through my head at this point other than focusing on keeping the legs pushing; it was all that was left.

Everything was a haze, and absolute haze to me until the last 3 turns. Maybe it was because I was focusing so much on not giving up, not stopping and blocking out the pain. But at turn 3, you see a HUGE red Marmotte logo (official Logo of the Marmotte) and I had to force a smile. All I could thing of is "I am doing a ride that is in honor of a fu*&ing prarie dog!" I am sure those around me must have thought I was nuts to be giggling at this point. But, the giggling stopped quickly as it used up valuable energy and oxygen. turn 2 and 1 passed and I was in the homestretch; just 1 km left to go once the tough part is over. When I crested the last big climb into the village and I saw the 1 km sign, I started to choke up..and tear up...and cry. I remember that last km so vividly; although it was probably the least beautiful and exciting part of the course. The finishing arch/balloon was pretty cool though...and thank GOD the final 25 meters were flat!

I came into the finishing chute with a new level of respect for the sport of cycling and a new level of respect for myself. This was an absolutely unbelievable and unforgetable experience. There is nothing that I can ever compare this ride to; it is not Ironman, although the difficulty level of it surpasses Ironman in my opinion.

I left the race site with a huge GOLD medal...and I am extremely happy and proud for that. But, more important to me are the memories and moments of self-discovery throughout this journey. It has been a long, long time since I have felt like this and I feel like I have rediscovered why I do/enjoy these events. I have been looking for this feeling/rememberance for a long time and I am going to hold on to it.