let's hear it for the boys

hi. this is a very dejected, yet satisfied nK reporting on the saga of TWAF - we've reached the culmination of nine months of blood, sweat and tears, if anyone's man enough to admit shedding them.

i just about did. i say that because the race is still going on around me (A1, JJ and DEA are still on course; PJ didn't make it either), and i'm in the VIP tent, posting this.

so, just in case anyone wonders what happened to ol' korea slim, let me tell you the story: the climb up jay was, for racers kickass and amateur, mostly a hike-a-bike. it was just too damned steep and those steeps were too damned sustained to possibly kick any kind of gear up it, so there was a bataan death march of riders pushing their metal up to the peak. and you know what? all of us finished the march in the top quarter, so we felt pretty good. the ride down? faaaaaaaaaaaast. we saw the aftermath of one pretty gnarly wreck, and hit the bottom for aid station #2, where we saw DEA's lovely wife karen who wished us well and made back for north conway.

after leaving the jay base area, we hit pavement for a while, which lead to a nasty climb up to an amazing set of singletrack (where A1 went over the bars an impressive three, count 'em, three times), and the riding felt GOOD. i felt GREAT! this was what we'd trained for, and we were nailing it! ah, sweet payoff! so, out of the singletrack and onto some logging and residential dirt roads for some hurtful quick climbs and some brisk, brisk descents. from aid station 4 (the end of the singletrack) to station 5 (the end of the dirt roads) was a quick, quick 15 miles or so, putting us at roughly 30 miles, where all was going excellent (although we suspect this is where PJ left us, but we'll get back to you on that - nK's unofficial guess is the back from hell gave him some pressure).

so, we climbed a quick, steep hill and then rode through someone's pasture, where we ducked into some SWEET singletrack. this was where things went terrible. we hit a waterbar, and i heard a huge bang, and realized that i was no longer sitting on a seat. instead, my ass was introduced to the seatpost... not in that way, but it could have at least bought me a drink.

but, that's OK! i was sure i could get through that section and manage to get to the next aid station where i could fix the problem. so, i sent everyone else off, and i did some hike-a-bike once again, trying to get to a downhill section where i could actually ride. well, i found some, and as i went over a log pyramid, i heard another weird noise, and as i did that, came to a complete stop. that'll happen when your back wheel POPS OFF and you can't get it back on!!

the bike went on my back, my day over. three busted spokes on the wheel taco'ed it like a bad mexican nightmare, and i had to hike about three miles out of the woods, on course of course, to get to the aid station. AAAAAAARGH.

this kills me, because we were riding together, i felt great, and i knew i had it in me to finish, after i was convinced i'd be bagging it early on. 34 or so miles into it, i felt like a million bucks.

all i can say is, there's always next year. check in later for the finisher's reports, and wish them the best. dammit, dammit, dammit.

i gave it my all and got bit by the worst possible bug: gremlins in the equipment. total system failure makes it hard to use your tools. at least it wasn't my body giving out. that'll be tonight, as i drink myself into an absolute and horrific stupor.

with tears staining the keyboard,
north Korea slim