Diabolical Double

Yes, this was the hardest event I have done yet (stay tuned for Top 10 Toughest Events 2008). The Diabolical Double had been previously described to me as: 125 miles and 15,000 feet of climbing. This ride will hurt you. Badly. Really. The ride was one 125 mile loop, also covering most of the Savageman course. I had done the Savageman Aquabike last year. It hurt me. Sooo I was pretty anxious leading up to this ride. The ride was to take place on Saturday morning and was the last part of Savage Camp.

Matias and I had not been able to attend the full Camp so left for Deep Creek Lake State Park on Friday evening and arrived at 12am...everyone was sleeping...so we found where we were sleeping, got situated, and were in bed by maybe 1am...up at 6am to prepare for the ride. yaaaaa

I went across the street to Kyle and Laura's cabin, where the other half of the group was staying. Walked in, recognized the faces of some of the stronger riders in our area...SHOOOOT...what had I gotten myself into...I was scared. I asked Kyle if there were cue sheets..."NO, here is this Garmin Forerunner...it has the route and will tell you where to go." Great, I thought, as I pictured myself hitching a ride from someone in the middle of Westernport, MD. I am not huge on the technology (bike computers, HRMs, GPS) that everyone uses....yes, and I called myself an Agency Technologist. Computers frusrtate me and HRMs take too much fiddling around with. I had no idea how to use this contraption.

We were on the road by 8am. The group (~15 people) hung together. Pace did not seem to bad. The legs were feeling pretty good...but hard to get too excited...it was going to be a long day...lots of time to feel awesome and lots of time to feel miserable. 1st real climb (1st of 10 categorized climbs) came at about 15 miles...a beater. I may have been the 1st to the top...after that I stayed ahead for a bit. Matias shortly caught me..."You are an animal," he said. "I am nervous...gotta pace myself." I was feeling maybe I should be taking it easier...but I did not feel I was pushing it to much at all. There was a rest stop at mile 30 and then mile 50...the group pretty much stayed together up to this point. The big hills were coming one after another...a few rollers in between. Then the hugest hill came right before lunch (mile 65). It was a killer...this ride was sick. I was still feeling good. Had been keeping up on my nutrition (eating ~150 calories/hour, drinking water, taking Endurolytes, and eating fireballs of course). At lunch I stuffed my face with gluten-free pretzels and mint candys. 130pm and we were on the road again and over half way done. I was feeling a bit fatigued...

I had taken half my clothes off and left them at the rest stop (we had passed on the drive in and would be able to get them on the drive out). I felt weird...maybe the temperatures changes (when we started it was in the low 50s and was now in the high 70s). Climbing and descending sometimes gets to me when I climb and get really hot and then descend and become really cold. blahhh. Things are a little foggy now. The course become flatter and some more downhills as we entered Westernport. I started dropping behind the group. Then I was dropped. A few more hills...but I did not have the same climbing effort as I usually have. A few others were near me. Tom Shinners, had stayed back and was rounding up the stragglers (me mainly). He pushed me up the hills. HAHA. We came into Westernport at about mile 95. I felt like POOP...not necessarily bonking...I had just had enough. We regrouped, went down into Westernport, and made a rest stop. There was an option to go back 20 miles, instead of 35 miles. I felt like maybe I could make the 35...I did not want to be a wuss. Tom said he would take me back...I accepted and went with him after crushing 2 popsickles. I was so glad with my decision...it was the most hurtful 20 miles I have experienced on my bike. We had to do 12,000 more feet of climbing in those last 20 miles. All I could say to Tom was how miserable I was and ask him how many more miles, how many more climbs? "DO NOT ASK AGAIN how much more, stick to my wheel, put it in the lowest gear, GRUNT if you are falling behind, he shouted." GUHH I was so miserable. "How much more?!" I mumbled, buhaha. With maybe 10 miles to go he made me stop and take a gel and drink half my water. My throat and esophagus hurt like heck...maybe from breathing so hard for so long. I felt a bit better. Then Tom asked me what my "ALMOST home distance" was. I said, about 5 miles WHY?! I was cranky. A few minutes later he said almost home. HOORAY! And finally we enetered back into the state park and then were back at the cabins. 9 hours, 110 miles, almost 15,000 feet of climbing...I was freakin delerious and so thankful to Tom for dragging me back.

The rest of the group returned about an hour later. Everyone was SPENT. We then went for eats and drinks at Unos. I was feeling OK except for my throat/esophagus was killing...I had either become sick from the ride or just worn out from breathing so heavily over a long time. I crashed pretty quickly that night...woke up the next morning feeling pretty similar. I decided to go for a 45 minute swim in the lake followed by a 30 minute run...throat hurt during the swim and strangely felt pretty good on the run. Matias and I hung out with the group a bit and were on the road home about 2pm. WHAT A BEATER!!!

Ready for hot yoga tonight :)

Up Next: General Smallwood International with Team LUNA Chix DC June 29, 2008

125-DiabolicalDouble

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