Candi Murray

 







Scott Price <sdpr-@concentric.net> wrote in message

news:<39735FE8.-@concentric.net>...

      Well, where to begin without making this a book. The 138.6 mile

Zinger was incomprehensibly hard, I will give a report on my

perspective. For starters, there were 108 very brave souls (kudos to

all) as we rolled out of Boulder CO to a great crowds and awesome

support. It was really hot for Boulder and for once at the start of a

race the pace was very civil as everyone knew what was upcoming. I can't



really put this course into perspective but picture this. Starting an

eight hour race (probably a twelve hour training ride) with a twenty

mile long Cat 1 climb from 5 300 ft to 8 700 ft, then staying on the up

with Cat 3 and Cat 2 climbs that hit 9 300 ft. Already at 45 miles (1/3)



into the race the field blows apart. Then comes a hair ball four mile

dirt descent with severe drop offs, washboard, gravel, no guardrails

etc.

After this you'd expect a rest but small groups chasing each other up a

fifteen mile false flat isn't easy. No rest for the wicked as we then

hit the beast, Guanella Pass, a ten mile paved and then dirt climb up to



11 671 ft. The climb and the altitude aren't enough so it starts to

rain, dropping the temperature and turning the road into mud. We'll know



there is maybe thirty riders (out of the top riders in the country) left



in the race at the top of Guanella. THIS IS ONLY HALFWAY !!!!! 62 miles



to go. Enough about the course, I hope you get the idea.



     Here is my race and thoughts. My form for this race was in question,



my preparation had been good but the long miles and hard efforts had

left me very depleted and tired. I had tapered for a week but still

didn't feel recovered and was doubtful of a great race going in.

Basically things held together going up the first Cat 1 climb. The pace

was steady and lifted near the top, it was one of those feelings like

"boy this is getting hard, I wonder if everyone else is suffering?".

Very few riders got dropped but as it proved many were doing an all out

effort to hang in. On one of the downhill sections I looked up to see a



cycling shoe on the road and Chris Horner of Mercury turning a forty mph



U-turn. What the heck? I thought it was a creative way to DNF but he

said he was straightening a twisted sock and his shoe flew off the

pedal,

pretty funny any ways...... twenty miles into the race a break of three

had nearly an eight minute lead as they were going for a $5000 prime at

mile 40. They had the gap but they also had to finish within the time

cut to get the booty. Most would call it suicide. Sure enough the break

was blown and two of the three riders were soon riding shotgun as most

would by the end of the day. Note : Brendon Vesty of Navigators won the

prime and finished to collect the booty, what a man!!! Luckily the break



was off so things weren't ballistic on the descent before the prime

sprint. Right after the sprint in Black Hawk city we started the first

selective climb of the race. We headed up Oh My God Road a Cat 2 climb.

I didn't know the course too well and I thought we were heading for the

dangerous dirt descent of Oh My God Road, but I didn't know we had to

climb up this side first. It was a brutally steep two or three miles and



after forty miles of steady climbing and pace, the field blew apart

without a single attack from any rider. The strong riders hit the front

and rode hard to assure a front position for the first dirt descent of

the race. I was feeling okay and riding near the front as the front

group came down to about thirty riders. Behind was destruction and no

one would regain the lead group again if left behind at this point. Many



riders had mountain bikes in the caravan for bike changes when the road

got nasty. Everyone decided not to change for this descent because it

was relatively short. In four miles we dropped 1 800 ft on a wash

boarded and gravel road deemed by the race organization as this;



     "Use extreme caution! The pavement ends on a very steep curve,

braking must be done before this point. The dirt roads are very rough

with tight and variable radius turns. Entire section has very steep

(life threatening) drop-offs with no guard rails."



     We wailed down this descent with little self preservation as gaps

and groups splintered everywhere. My team mate Drew Miller of Landis /

Trek broke his stem, but I heard of only one crash on the descent. This

brings us to mile 50 of the race and we were down to about thrity riders



with the best to still come....



    Race organizer, Len Pettyjohn, had a point to prove. He figures US

racing is too soft and by turning everything into a one hour downtown

Criterium we have lost the epic and grueling type of racing that fans

and sponsors can grow to love. I agree that it is tragic that US racing

has become predominately Criterium racing. The problem lies in a few

facts. Since I have been racing we have lost great tough stage races

such as Washington Trust in Spokane, Casper Classic in Wyoming, Mammoth,



Coors Classic, Tour DuPont, West Virginia, and Bisbee (on the comeback!)



to name a few. There are too few races and too few spots on teams for

the domestic US Pro climber these days. Reasons for this decline in my

opinion are all financially rooted, not for lack of heart or toughness

by the riders. By the time the Zinger was over, how many riders with

jobs finished? How many riders in the US are full time bike racers who

can do thirty hour training weeks or eight hour training rides? More or

less only the ones on the bigger teams which is roughly 1/3 of the

field. Us working guys are fodder in a race this long but we can train

and work and be very competitive in shorter events. Hence the popularity



of Criteriums and shorter / easier races. I will call anything easy

compared to Zinger. When I compare this race to even the Willamette

stage race which is supposed to be a mountainous race, I have to laugh.

In that race thirty rider groups finish together and sprinters are in

the

top 10 on G.C. Whereas Zinger had four riders within twenty minutes of

the

leader, brutal. Point well taken from Len but I feel that domestic US

racing will not be able to have competitive epic mountain racing a la

Tour de France until prize money and rider salaries reach a level where

an entire field can race and train full time and make a living at it.

The effort I had to put in to even improperly train for the Zinger while



punching in at work and running my own coaching business was insane and

it left me wasted for the event.. I would love more than anyone to see

races like this on the calendar. The fear in the riders hearts, the

heroic efforts of the finishers, the fans lining the climbs a la Tour.

This is the stuff that can make cycling a premiere sport in the US. My

last point before I continue with the race report is that sponsors/

promoters need to come up with substantial prize lists for road races

and rider salaries. Most people do not realize how poor pay is for the

average cyclist and even beyond that how few even get paid! Organizers

and riders alike need to demand more, it is the i'll ride for free

attitude that destroys cycling in the US. I'll tell you one thing, when

riders reach their absolute physical and mental limit in a race like

Zinger and there is $100 for 15th place, that doesn't exactly motivate

someone to kill themselves. Has anyone taken a look at a Pro Golf prize



list??? Cycling should work towards a similar return to the athletes. We



cannot even fill up a field with paid riders in the US. Not only is

cycling the hardest sport in the world but the one that takes a huge

commitment for the lowest pay in general.



     The races continues from Idaho Springs at mile 50. A huge concern

for me was how to take in enough calories and fluids to finish this

race. I had a jersey full of gels and food but there was a bigger

problem. When would the race allow me to chill for thirty seconds to

eat??? The first forty miles where all climbing, then the descent (where



you could normally eat) was so rough there was no chance. Fifty-five

miles into the race we hit the first feed zone. You would think it would



be the time to eat but the race was blown into several small groups all

pursuing each other up a fifteen mile false flat. The pace for me was

hard enough that all I could do was force down one gel. Several of these



groups regained the leaders and I was one of about thirty survivors that



rolled into Georgetown at the base of Guanella Pass. At this point I

knew I was not the guy. I was weakening and quickly got dropped from

riders that even a few weeks before I would leave far behind on the

climbs. Ten mile long climbs that gain over 3 000 ft in elevation are

hard enough. Doing them after three hours of constant pressure and fast

racing are another. Add a rough road surface and even the last few miles



of dirt and mud thanks to the rain that started half way up on a pass of



11 671 ft ........



     I settled into a pathetic rhythm for a so called climber like

myself. I felt as powerful as Monty Burns of the Simpsons but still

managed to climb with riders like Clark Sheehan of 7 UP and Kirk Willett



of Mercury. As brutal as I felt I was still climbing in the top twenty

riders of the race. Then came the rain. It wasn't that cold or

torrential but climbing up that high in the mountains with rain,

lightening and thunder that was booming and echoing, can make one feel

very isolated and small. With about four miles to go on the climb I

flatted. I stopped for a wheel change from my Landis / Trek supporters

that were following me. I got a wheel but shortly realized that I

couldn't hit the 23 cog. With all the fatigue, steepness, mud and lack

of Oxygen on the climb I had to stop. I called for my mountain bike as I



figured the smaller gears, suspension and better traction would be

suitable for the next ten miles. To imagine what world I was in, when I

stopped for my bike change, I actually sat down in the car for a minute

just to recover. I also fumbled to put on my rain cape as I was losing

coordination due to the altitude. I made a small error in that my saddle



height on my mountain bike was alot lower than my road position. I had

left it lower for the rough descending and it felt brutal on the legs to



switch positions for climbing. I started dying and for the first time in



my career I held on to my follow vehicle to stop from falling over on

the climb. With the help of a Nissan pick up I summited Guanella Pass to



the cheers and support of all the fans that braved the conditions to

cheer on the lagging corpses like myself. Imagine being about ten

minutes from the leaders half way through and still been in contention

of a race....... From this point my report will shorten as I survive

only twenty miles further.



     The last part of my race was brutal. Descending Guanella pass on

loose gravel and washboard was bad enough on my mountain bike with

suspension. Many of the leaders flew down it on their road bikes. I

seriously cannot comprehend holding onto and controlling a road bike

down this descent at race speeds. My hands were numb and my feet were

burning with pain for some reason as I thought I flew down the mountain.



Out of nowhere Dirk Friel caught me on the descent on his road bike!!! I



stopped to change back to my road bike after the descent I chased up on

the long windy grind up Kenosha Pass, a Cat 2 climb back up to 10 000

ft. Half way up the pass I caught a group so at this point I was in a

group of six or seven riders and I can't even really remember who they

are. I know Friel, Sheehan, Ley, Dahlberg were there. Clark Sheehan

looked at me and slurred " most of the riders ahead are singles, so if

we roll this group we will catch them". I admired his spirit as he was

still racing and I was not. I think due to my having a bad day the

altitude really started affecting me. My lungs were tightening up, I

couldn't drink or eat or feel my legs. I was thinking clearly and I

started looking forward to the next feed zone where I would abandon. I

asked one rider if he knew where the feed zone was and he said " I might



as well be on the moon". The support cars told me that our group was

holding 11th place. I couldn't believe it. If we rolled this group and

picked up single riders we could put someone well into the top 10. We

crested Kenosha Pass and reached the feed, it is the first time I

remember being in the money and just hitting the brakes and stopping. I

had ridden 97 miles of the hardest terrain imaginable in six hours. I

was totally

wasted. I wasn't in any danger of getting dropped from this group but I

felt like I would have just died on my bike. I remember my wife, who

knew how tired I was before I left, saying "just don't kill yourself and



keep going when it isn't worth it". Wise words indeed. I stopped and

spent the rest of the ride to the finish in a car with throbbing legs,

sweats, nausea and hanging my head out the window. The riders that

continued still had two passes and forty miles to go! My group never

really got to roll as there wasn't a flat spot on the course. Clark

Sheehan road incredibly to finish 9th. The top four riders crested the

11 547 ft of the Cat 2 Hoosier Pass and descended in the rain into

Breckenridge over twenty minutes ahead of the rest. Today I read the

race report and see that Moninger had to attack five times to get away

from Swenson and Wherry on the last climb. What the hell? These guys are



the toughest, baddest most heroic people out there! There really are not



words to adequately describe what the twenty finishers accomplished but

I hope my report gives you a taste. I can't even look at my bike right

now but I'm probably crazy / stupid enough to chase the $15 000 first

prize again next year. After all, life is all about the challenges

right? This one was a real zinger.



Results



Men - 222 km



1. Scott Moninger (USA) Mercury Cycling Team           7.17.34 (30.50

km/h)

2. Carl Swenson (USA) Tokyo Joes International            1.20

3. Chris Wherry (USA) Saturn                              2.20

4. Jess Swiggers (USA) Trek-VW/Nutra Fig                  4.15

5. Pete Swenson (USA) Tokyo Joes International           20.37

6. Floyd Landis (USA) Mercury Cycling Team               21.29

7. John Lieswyn (USA) Shaklee                            27.13

8. Will Frischkorn (USA) Mercury Cycling Team            27.22

9. Clark Sheehan (USA) 7 UP/Colorado Cyclist             28.52

10. Brendon Vesty (NZl) Navigators

11. Bart Bowen (USA) Saturn

12. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (USA) Rocky Mounts            30.19

13. Jimi Killen (USA) Monsoon Racing                     30.37

14. Zachery Vestal (USA) Trek-VW/Nutra Fig               31.44

15. Jon Heidemann (USA) Vitamin Cottage/Morgul Bismark   34.25

16. Frank Mapel (USA) Trek-VW/Nutra Fig                  37.56

17. Steve Crowley (USA) Vitamin Cottage/Morgul Bismark   39.55

18. Dario Falquier (USA) Alto Velo/WebCor/Quicken.com    43.41

19. Mike Ley (USA) 7 UP/Colorado Cyclist                 48.14

20. Nathan Dahlberg (NZl) Tokyo Joes International



Scott Price

Higher Living Health and Performance Coaching

sdpr-@concentric.net

520 318-4060