Sunday I will be embarking on an epic adventure… not as epic as Colorado Trail Race, but it will be an experience to remember. The Breck Epic had its premier last year and there was nothing but positive reviews. I rode a few of the stages, but couldn’t race because of this little thing called my solar engineering job. I now work for my sponsor, Ergon, so racing is part of my job. Perfect!
If you want the official scoop – you can check the Breck Epic Website. The race is 6 stages totaling ~245mi +, around 42,000 cumulative feet of elevation gain, and all stages STARTING at 9600′. Ass kick? Yes. Crying and wheezing and grunting? I’ll never admit to it, but yes. I’m racing with my Topeak Ergon teammate and friend – Jeff Kerkove. We are racing in the coed duo category. In a duo, you have to ride the race together, and can only go the speed of the slowest rider.
The payoff of these stages will be some of the most beautiful views the eye can see.
The most important thing about stage racing is recovery, and at altitude that’s not easy. What will I be doing? Ice baths, sitting on my butt, taking in recovery drink, self massage, eating, sleeping – things that all seem very elementary but are super important.
Tomorrow is the pre-race meeting. I can’t wait to see everyone. The excitement will be contagious. The stages all start at 8:10 AM (which means lots of shoving breakfast in my piehole at early hours of the morning). The first stage is Sunday, Aug 22… also my bday. Wouldn’t it be nice to stand on the top spot of that podium on my birthday? Oh yes sir! Updates to come!
