# Sea Otter Race Report



## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

I had so much fun at Sea Otter . There is no way I can tell you everyone I saw, everything we did. It was my first anniversary of mountain biking (the first time I rode real singletrack was during the fun ride last year!) and so not only was the race today special because it was my first real race, but it also wrapped up one of the funnest years I have ever had.

On to the race report! I didn't really train, and I didn't really have any expectations other than not coming in last. Of course you always secretly hope that you will magically be the fastest etc, but that was not to be &#8230;

People told me not to ride for a few days before the race, or just do an easy spin, so of course I ignored and pre rode the course (20 miles) on Thursday and then followed it up with a 5 ½ hour ride at demo forest on Friday. I ate a pre-ride meal of an English pot pie and a pint of Newcastle, then proceeded to get only 5 hours sleep. Figuring I had broken every race rule so far, I decided not to warm up either. Al (aosty) and his friend Hugh had just told me to hammer up the pavement to the tires on the initial ascent, so that's what I did. I stood and hammered right out of the gate. Well, tried to, I got stuck behind some slowpokes. Finally things spaced out and I rode hard as I could. I got to the tires (which signalled the beginiing of the singletrack) and I was breathing hard. Really hard. Too hard. Much to my dismay, there was more climbing after the tires, on the dusty dirt road. For some reason they had told me that it was downhill after the tires. I hadn't pre-ridden this part of the course. I was really pushing it, and having more and more trouble breathing. My chest started burning and then really hurting, and it hit me - I was having the worst asthma attack of my life, and I had forgotten to use my inhaler pre-ride. I could not catch my breath and people were totally passing me. I could taste blood in my throat - I must have popped a capillary somewhere in my bronchioles - I was in agony and felt like I was going to throw up. My chest hurt really bad on the left side near the throat and the blood taste was making me nauseated. If only the hills would end! Finally we started going down, and still I couldn't breathe. I started to panic - what the hell had I done to my lungs? Where was that blood coming from? I became convinced that I was going to have to quit the race. I was losing ground and time and even though I had an inhaler in my pack I didn't want to stop, kept hoping if I just kept riding that the asthma would ease, like it normally does. I was so demoralized, people just kept passing me and I still couldn't breathe. I thought "oh god I'm going to DNF".

We started the long grind up towards hurl hill at about 2.5 miles, and magically, my chest started to ease. My panic eased as well. I thought "If I can make hurl hill then I will be ok". I left it in middle ring and grinded up to the top. I did it! I was breathing hard, but I was breathing. On to the fireroad, where I hoped to make up some time. I grabbed my Gu flask and ate some and&#8230;.dropped it. I had to stop and run back and grab it, because my ride was so rough so far, I was afraid that I'd need that Gu later. So I stopped, and ran back and got it, and more people passed me. Oh well.

We started on the singletrack and I started feeling good. I passed some people and started feeling better. My legs felt strong and I was breathing. I actually felt great. I had a good song running in my head (girls by beastie boys) and felt like singing. I went as fast as I could without blowing my lungs out. The sand was bad and people were walking a lot of sections. I made all of them except one where this guy stopped right in front of me and I lost momentum and another which was sand trap from hell. I started getting good at telling people which side I was coming on, except sometimes I got my sides wrong. I was laughing and chatting with people as I passed them. This was fun! I could breathe! The longer the course went the stronger I felt. I middle ringed the entire course and cleaned every climb except the third b!tch, which I never make anyway and I felt A-ok about that. I started remembering a year ago, and how scary the downhill sections seemed and how impossible the uphills were. Here I was riding those same sections in a race! I passed the scary steep sketchy section that had tossed me in the bushes on Thursday. I cleaned it even with clouds of dust obscuring the line. Woo!

Winding single track, frustratingly slow people you try and pass, exciting fast parts - what a great race! Finally I started the fire road climb out and locked-out my suspension. I was motivated to climb as fast as possible because I knew there was a special treat waiting for me near the top. As I got closer, I caught a glimpse of the team hamana banner up ahead. WOOHOO! I upshifted and stood and HAMMERED. I heard hoots and hollers and saw the beautiful sight I had been waiting for - Team Hamana, and my friends, and Aosty, and Ron, the team captain, with a beer handoff for me! As I passed a grabbed the beer, took a swig then chucked it (I heard it was retrieved by Al with nary a drop wasted). All without stopping and I was SO excited I stood and hammered the rest of the way to the pavement, then big geared it all the way to the finish! I felt SO GOOD (well actually once I stopped I started having trouble breathing again and I coughed for a day but I'm feeling better).

When I checked the board post race i as 9th out of 14. I felt ok about that, given my setbacks and lack of training. I had a FUN race for my first big race and felt good about it and could hardly wait till next year!!!

So, imagine my shock today when I checked the final results. I got 8th - out of 35 !

*fallover*









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By the way I got to say hey to Sabine who was _everywhere_ that velo bella's were racing this weekend in her awesome pink hat and cheering everyone on. You rock, sabine, and the bella's tent was the most happening in the entire venue. Bella gals were playing tunes, dancing, riding cruisers and hula hooping all weekend! That is when they weren't podiuming in the races!


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## dirtcrab (Feb 4, 2004)

I'm out of breath reading that! Great job! Sounds like you had a blast.


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## JustDoIt (Feb 2, 2004)

I was hoping to see a Sea Otter report, from a woman's perspective... even thinking of prompting for one in hopes you or Sabine or... would respond. I loved reading that. So cool! Impy, you rock!


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## *rt* (Jan 15, 2004)

*awseome job impy!!*

and great race report!

i can relate to the asthma & the panic. that happens to me at the start of every race i do and then it takes a day or two before i can walk up the stairs without having to stop and catch my breath at the top. 

congrats!

rt


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## Sabine (Jan 12, 2004)

Awesome race! Congrats! That course was long.
You interested in doing more racing? If so, you should give me a holler. 

I did not race this year. I have raced at Sea Otter every year since 1997, but I was so exhausted by Sunday that I could barely stand, let alone ride my bike. I am living vicariously through these reports, so thanks.

Our team support booth was mad fun. We know how to do team support, the big boys could learn a thing or two from us I think. 

Sabine


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## Spike (Dec 30, 2003)

Impy said:


> Figuring I had broken every race rule so far,


Ha, you're a nut!  Nice writeup and congratulations!

Spike


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## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

*rt* said:


> and great race report!
> 
> i can relate to the asthma & the panic. that happens to me at the start of every race i do and then it takes a day or two before i can walk up the stairs without having to stop and catch my breath at the top.
> 
> ...


WOW really? That is super reassuring! Next time hopefully I won't panic as much, and you bet I'll be using the inhaler.


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## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

Spike said:


> Ha, you're a nut!  Nice writeup and congratulations!
> 
> Spike


that's the nicest thing I have heard all day!!! WOO!


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

*Congrats on your race.*

That was a very repectable time you turned out. But I don't buy that you would have done better if you had taken care of yourself. One of my coaches, we call him the king of chaos, needs to be ill prepared or just ill to do well. Ha ha. No really; it's kinda weird. It really sounds like ytou dealt with some demons, though, and made it out the other side. Very cool.
I pushed our High /School Team and families to commit to this race even though we really needed to peak in 2 weeks. We had a total entourage of 43 bodies and there were smiles all around. I did it because some of these kids don't race alot and, in their Sr. year, this event would be memorable. Can you imagine," mommy, did you really race a mountain bike?" 
Ride well to ride better tomorrow.


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## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

Sabine said:


> Our team support booth was mad fun. We know how to do team support, the big boys could learn a thing or two from us I think.
> 
> Sabine


I agree


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## Sabine (Jan 12, 2004)

Impy said:


> I agree
> ][/QUOTE]
> 
> This is my favorite picture of all the Sea Otter pictures....
> ...


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## dirtcrab (Feb 4, 2004)

Sabine said:


> This is my favorite picture of all the Sea Otter pictures....
> 
> Sabine, all verklempt


Are you aware that there is a pink rabbit on your head?

I thought you should know.


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## Spiff (Dec 30, 2003)

*Wow...*

congrats for the race Impy, as asthma attack like the one you described can be quite a distraction...

I'm glad you rode it off and still kicked arse in the race.

You go girl !

Gui


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## screampint (Dec 10, 2001)

Nice job! Thanks for the write up. I don't race, so it's nice to pretend by reading these posts. Maybe between you and rt I won't ever get that racing urge again, all I'll have to do is read your posts.


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