just another girl on a bike: Another Cold One

During 24 Hours of Moab this year, I made the statement that I was done racing for the year. I was cold and it just did not seem like fun. My wise friends within earshot did not believe me and even called me on it. And they were right. After a day or two, I was considering 25 Hours of Frog Hollow should someone invite me. Though I did not care enough to put something together. Then it happened. Josh asked if we might be willing to do a 5 person team with him, Matt, and their friend Jeff. The weather had warmed up and we agreed.
As the race approached the weather forecast turned ugly...again. When we showed up at the event site (morning of again in order to avoid a cold night of camping), it was chilly and started raining/snowing. We just sat in the car as everyone in the camp started to wake up. The wet stopped thankfully about 30 minutes before race time; the cold stuck around the entire time. My toes got cold on all of my laps. My first two laps (both during the day) had a beast of a head wind on the road up to the Jem Trail. Ahh...the Jem...absolute delight.
On my second lap, I sensed a rider behind me just before getting to Jem. I asked if he wanted to get around me. His response was "Do you descend as well as you climb?" As I entered the single track, I said not really. I don't think I slowed him down too much. It seemed as if I would gap him periodically and he would make his way back to me. He passed on the dirt road to the Virgin River Dam parking lot. I had him in my sights most of the way to the finish. He probably put 45 seconds on me or so. He was the only person to pass me throughout my five laps.
We doubled up on our night laps to allow more recovery. I think it worked well at this race as the laps were around an hour for me and less for the guys. My back to back laps were 1:03 each differing by 10 seconds or so. While not blazing fast, they were consistent. I definitely enjoyed the large chunks of rest at night and even caught some sleep.
While racing was fun (yet cold), base camp was an absolute blast and warm. There was always someone around to help take care of us and lots of people providing entertainment. Kevin and Jackie brought down their box trailer decked out with lights, heaters, stoves, and food. Someone was always trying to get me to eat something which is so needed at these events. Jackie, Becky, Joan, and Angie took turns making sure everyone had what they needed throughout the night.
The guys--Josh, Matt (x3), Chuck, Dan, Larry, Kevin, Jeff, Steve, Jay, Brian, and Kenny came in and out with entertaining stories, jokes, and laughs. I loved the good natured ribbing and whit that made the dark of night seem bright. Heather, Natalie, and Monica also raced on teams with impressive rides. It really was so much fun. I am glad I was wrong at 24 hours of moab.