November 13, 2008 (San Jose, Costa Rica) – For the record, I would like to state that mountain bike stage racing is nothing like racing an MTB World Cup. I really can’t think of any similarities other than the fact that both take place on bikes. The pacing, eating, drinking, and especially the course and distances are completely different. There were times today, when I thought about how much I’d rather be racing a normal XC (and I had lots of time to think during the 9+ hours). XC racing hurts more, but it’s over so much faster.

After our rude 3am wake-up call, I trudged over to the restaurant for my pre-race meal and, most importantly, coffee. While eating, bleary-eyed, I found more Canadians including a large contingent from Alberta. They adopted me as an honorary Albertan (gracias!) and informed me that last year’s Open Women’s fourth place finisher Trish Grajczyk (AB) Deadgoat Racing was out with food poisoning. So the pressure was on the other Canadian women on the start line – Tamara Goeppel (YK) Lekki Bike Extreme had a great day, placing third behind winner Adriana Rojas (Crc) Bemosa–PQ. “It was too long,” she commented afterwards. Goeppel is a seasoned stage racer, having done the TransRockies, BC Bike Race and La Ruta. I rolled in nearly 10 minutes after Goeppel for fourth today – not bad for Day One at my first ever MTB stage race. Considering that everyone I spoke with commented that this was the hardest stage racing experience they had ever done, I think I’ve been inaugurated.

We lined up in the dark and rolled out of Jacó with a police controlled neutral start before being set loose on the first climb of the day that peaked at 18km with the sunrise. The views were absolutely amazing. I looked down over palm-lined beaches with crashing waves, and then inland it was hill upon hill of lush, green cloud forest. I had strict instructions from coach Keith to keep my heart rate below 85%, so I started off quite mellow and let the hot-heads go. We veered off the pavement onto fast, packed gravel roads, and considering the rain the previous night, it was amazingly dry.

After the first checkpoint at 35km, everything is a blur. The infamous rust-coloured mud stained my white jersey (I threw it in the trash after my race) and blocked my wheels, gummed up my derailleurs and resulted in some sketchy DH riding on my part. One friendly Tico taught me how to yell “rider up!” in Spanish, as I was having a hard time getting by the downhill walkers. I used every opportunity to wash the gobs of mud off my bike at the numerous creek crossings, and then carried my bike up many a steep, muddy, rutted climb. If I tried rolling my bike, the mud would cake on the tires and derailleurs, and basically cause the wheels to stop, and the bike to weigh a ton.

Probably my favourite thing about today was meeting all the fellow crazy people from all over the world who voluntarily put themselves through the pain, heat and suffering. I met so many Costa Rican riders, who are incredibly hospitable, ready to help and proud of their beautiful country. The race staff is phenomenal. When I stopped at feed zones, someone would take my bike, clean and lube the chain, while another filled my bottle with Gatorade, another would fill my Camelbak with water, and yet another would bring me bananas. The local fans lined the roadsides, clapping and cheering and offering water and cola, while carloads of people drove by, hanging out windows and encouraging us. One of the best moments was when a group of kids stood on the side of the road in a line, and offering up high five’s as I rode by. And then a group of young girls did the same, shouting “viva las mujeres!” – “long live women!”

The second half of the race got tougher and tougher with some major vertical (we did around 5,000 vertical metres today – ouch) and a 15km climb on pavement that brought us to the high point of the day at 1,200m. After the peak, it was a long gravel descent, followed by what was only supposed to be 15km to the finish, but was definitely longer. We have dubbed these extra long km’s “Costa Rican K’s.” This last section just dragged on and on, and I thought I’d never get there, but finally it was over, with the finish in Quinta del Sol. I immediately headed for the cold showers, then the post-race meal, then relaxed poolside, swapping experiences with newfound friends.

Quotes and Notes

– Canadian Pat Doyle (AB) Deadgoat Racing was hauled off on a stretcher and hospitalized because of extremely low sodium levels and heat exhaustion.

– Melissa Pace (BC) BC Bike Race was all smiles after 11 hours on the bike. “I took lots of pictures,” she said.

– Cathy Zeglinski (BC) Northlands Medical Clinic: “Well, we survived!.”

– Craig Fabische (BC) Overtime Sports got lost and broke his chain twice, but still managed to clock in at 8.5 hours.

– Next up, Day 2: 76km, 4024 vertical gain, steep climbs, 38km pavement, 11km gravel, 13.8km mud.