Safe Harbors

 

Leaving Steamboat, new arm & leg coolers (Thanks for the pic John)

 

Day 12, 10 hr’s, 90 miles

Steamboat was my pre-planned bike maintenance stop so there was no reason to get up early.  I think I set my alarm for 7:30am but woke up well before it went off, I stayed in bed and ate the rest of my midnight snacks.  About 8:30am I rolled over to the bike shop, Orange Peel and waited for them to open.  There was one other racer also waiting.  My bike went up on a repair stand as soon as the doors opened and they got right to it.  I didn’t roll out till around 11:00am so it took about 2 hours for them to pull all the requested maintenance items.  I was not happy with the amount of time it took but this was 100% my fault for asking them to do some things that in retrospect were unnecessary time killers. Just like always the Orange Peel wrench's did a bang up job, my hats off to them!  But-note to self--regardless of where you decide to pull a bike maint pit stop only ask for truly needed, short duration repairs. On the other hand I did borrow a shop bike and rode it across town to another shop to purchase some leg coolers in anticipation of some hot NM days. 

It’s sort of interesting to look at the Trackleader Leaderboard Steamboat, shows me arriving in 20^th place, I finished in 18^th. Most of the racers who were in Steamboat just before or after I would see over the next few days and most would all finish near the same time. 

Close to AW, TDR 2010, John, Mathew & Mike

 

While my bike was being finished up John Foster stopped by and said hi, he introduced me to his son (upcoming bike & X Ski racer). 

John and had I crossed paths during the 2010 TDR  down in the NM Gila Mountains and wound up racing to AW on the last day. 

Saw John again later as I left town,he was on his road bike and we chatted up a storm till the route hit gravel.

As I said I didn't leave town till around 11 so I didn’t make it very far.  I was feeling good and planned to ride till 11:30 or so but from the Colorado River crossing to Williams Fork Res. the mosquitos were as bad as I have ever dealt with. I stopped in the block house at the reservoir to escape the little buggers and grab a bit to eat and decided to simply call it a day at 9pm, 90 miles.  Ha, by far my shortest time and distance for the entire route.