SM100 2010 abridged version.

I'm posting this just to get it out of my edits que.



1st the facts.
DNF before aid station 2 and I'm fine with it right now.

Why?
I didn't feel like racing.
Sorry. I know your going "WTF is up with that?"
Someone I know did the same thing last year and I thought the same thing?
Plan all year for your "A" race and than quit for that shitty reason?
Well I understand now and I hope you never do.
The past 4 months has just been a freak'n rollercoaster of stresses.
Sunday it all came down to I've been doing enough crap that I really didn't want to do, but had too. Sunday I didn't really want to be out there racing but I had a choice this time, so I quit.
Actually in my head I never started, so I don't consider it quitting.
Theres been stuff going on that I don't post about here, lets just say I've got reasons.

I got out there about 2 and got the same camp spot I've had the past 2 years.
Chris and Randy shared the site with me.
This was Randys 1st time doing it. It was fun watching him prep Saturday all nervous.
I knew it wasn't going to go well for me. While everyone else had a nervous-excited anticipation, I was just going through the motions.
I had the bright idea of changing my brake pads on Saturday in the campsite.
It was a tight fit getting the rotor back into the caliper with the new pads so I resorted to an old trick for expanding the pads...letting out some brake fluid.
THAT didn't work out so well. The brake lever got to within 1/2" before the brake would grab.
Not the best senario for the race, but what choice did I have now.

Saturday I'm up at 5:30 and the 3 of us are prepping for the start.
As we're walking up to the start I realize I really don't wanna do this. If Randy and Chris weren't with me I would have not evan started.
Randy and I line up togather at the back of the start but as soon as we're let go i lose sight of him.
I'm passing quite a few people till the steeper section of the 1st climb.
"Was it this crowded last year". There was no real passing done unless you wanted to exert a whole lot of energy and take the bad line to pass so I took my place in line, passing the occasional "really" slow rider until the top.
I'm really looking forward to the top, knowing that technical downhills would be my strong point.
What I'm greeted with is the beginning of the technical (compared to what we've been doing) singletrack with atleast 25 riders lined up waiting to get into it.
It was at this point that I really mentally quit.
That was it. I was no longer racing, I was just going to ride.
I bombed the down hill, luckily I made so much noise that when I came up on someone they didn't want me riding there butts for too long, so they let me by.

Made it over to the start of the 2nd climb. This is the infamous
....
....
...
Thats it, as far as I'm getting with this story.
 .........
Its now July 29th, 2011
I"m looking back through my blog entries and saw this.....
I"m going to go ahead and finish the race report up, as far as I can remember it a year later.
Its about a month away from the 2011 race. I'm entered and I'm psyched.

Anyways,
I get to 2nd climb.  Previous years it's been a hike a bike with a conga line of people in front and behind you. If I was able too I  couldn't have rode cause of the people hiking in front of you. 
This year was different.
Very few people.  At one point I was hiking all by myself.  Nobody in front, nobody behind.
WTF.  Had I entered an alternate reality and I was the last person left on earth?
Either I had totally slacked off, which I didn't think was the case, and I was at the extreme tail end of the racers or I was in some kind of void between the packs.
I finished the hike, by myself.
Did the decent and it energized me so I was actually thinking about trying to finish.  Than I got on the fire road to AS2 and remembered all the road sections I'd need to ride. I really hate the road sections.
I thought about if my attitude at this point was so bad, and I wasn't even tired, what what it  be like in another 30 or 40 miles?
So I came up to to the spot where a marshal was directing us to take a right to the AS2.  I knew exactly where I was at and knew the camp ground was 2 miles away.
I told the marshal I was bailing.  BUT just to put salt in the wound,  I knew the marshal.  I had been on some training rides with her 2 years ago on the course. I  just wanted to slink back to the campground un-noticed.   but I had to chit-chat with her as to why I was quitting. 

Back at the campground I consider packing it up and just leaving but really want to see my buddies finish.
I do pack everything up.  Go up to the finishing table and let them know I'd DNF'D.
Since I had quite some time to waste I drove to town, found a Hardees and enjoyed a nice burger.
I was there to see newb Randy finish in a surprising 11:30. Totally unexpected.
Now I'm just waiting for my buddy Chris to finish up.  He wanted a 12 or 12.5 hour finish.  He's been busting his ass training so I'm assuming he'll make it.
12:15 no sign of him.
12:30. Nothing.
12:45 He's still not there???
Its getting close to 13 hours and my attitude is starting to change.
If he can't get in by his goal time, don't let him beat my time from last year (13:02).
I'll be damned, 13 hours on the nose and here he comes through the campground.
SHIT!  Little bastard beat my time by 1 minute.
I ate dinner and was ready to leave but had to wait for them to bring back the drop bags from AS5 which had my lights in them.  They didn't show up till almost 9pm.
Got in my truck drove home and had my wife lick my wounds.

There, it officially done.
The SM100 2010 race report.