Wow. So the weather and general wear and tear are beginning to really have an impact. You’ll be able to hear from the MTBcast that we’re now down to 35 racers, and several of those are beginning to sound a little glum.
And, sorry to say, the forecast offers little sign of immediate respite. Wise River and Lima are predicted to have a 70% chance of precipitation today, with the possibility of it falling as snow on higher ground, by which they mean around 7,500 feet. Looking at the ACA maps, this includes Mount Fleecer, Crystal Park and the Medicine Lodge-Sheep Creek Divide. So it’s likely to be wet and cold. Perfect cycling conditions then.
Or not. Consider Matthew Lee. He looks to have arrived late into Lima having set off from near Polaris quite early. In fact, he took longer for a shorter distance than I did last year. Obviously, I’d like to say that was due to me being superfit, but the reality is he finished the race ten days ahead of me, so it must be the conditions that have slowed him down (and they were far from enjoyable when I was there). They can be summed up in one word, of course: MUD.
Similarly, Erik Lobeck seems to have been forced to stop two or three hours outside town, in spite of having apparently caught up with Matthew at one point yesterday. It must be gruelling.
Then again, Eric Bruntjen had a blinder, riding from Helena through to Wise River to move into the group of riders now tied in fourth place. His last call in said he was feeling rough with a chest cold – the other racers better hope he doesn’t start to feel fully fit. Read more »
