Keith Weinkein made the arrangements at Bass' River Resort for our lodging. The four of us, Courtney Green included would be holed up in cabin 14 for the duration.
The race to Berryman Campground went as planned and I was feeling decent except for my knee that I bashed on my stem. I had just built up my new bike for this weekend with the help of Gino and The Hub. The Kona Raijin. A Ti frame hand made in Tennessee by Lynsky. The bike rode well with a few adjustments along the way. She still needs to be dialed in a bit. I figure if I can roll 56 miles on a bike I have never ridden before it is going to be a great ride when she is all dialed in.
Somewhere right after the BC checkpoint I must have kicked up a rock in my front chainring. I had chain suck issues and derailments for the rest of the day. Inspecting the cog later I found a bent tooth.
From this point on the race definitely went into ride mode. The weather was borderline for me and I struggled keeping my hands warm most of the day, even having to stop at times to stick them down my bibs to get the circulation flowing. I have a condition called Renaud's where the arteries that supply blood to the skin narrow, limiting circulation to the affected areas. It can be painful at times but is more of a nuisance than a disability. But when you can't feel the bars to brake or control your bike you need to stop and warm them up.
The new section of trail built by the Ozark trail crew was awesome and really help the course flow a bit more towards the end. I ended up finishing in just over 7 hours. I took almost a full hour and a half longer this year. More chill at the checkpoints, chain suck, and the cold hands got the best of me this year. I was just happy to finish and spend some time on the trail with good people. Here are a few pics.
Tilford wins again.
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