Trail Rider Magazine

find the damn plug. Turns out that's because the primary bu on had quit working, and was s ll plugged in. I had been waving around the loose end of the backup bu on. I unplugged the old bu on, plugged in the new, and we were off again. I lost ten minutes in that test. I rode like a mad- man and didn't lose any routes. But the damage was already done, especially since we then opted to take a 17-minute penalty in the work area to get a working headlight and func oning electrical system for the next day, so I wouldn't get DQ'd or DNF. Went from third to dead last due to some easily avoidable errors. How to throw a rugby ball: The French women like to warm up by playing catch, which is a tradi on I would like to bring back home. They are also friendly enough to let the American join them. However, they throw a rugby ball, rather than a baseball, basketball, or American football, and if you try to throw it like either of those items you will find the end result nearly as disappoin ng as my finish on day one. It's thrown underhanded, with a fun li le twisty mo on to make it spiral. Don't be too mid in the extreme tests: My con- fidence had really been shaken the day before, and I overcompensated by being too mid and s ff in the first few tests of the day, but mostly the extreme. I lost as much or more me than if I'd crashed. It's very important to find the balance. Dust in Portugal: Parts of Portugal are exactly how I imagined them, and I found it very disappoin ng. Black gear in the summer me: It was like 85 degrees, and I'd u erly destroyed my lightweight Sahara gear the two days before (mostly in my Supertest get-off) so I was stuck wearing black agroid. My shoulder brace had chafed, so I wore a co on t-shirt under because I'd forgo en half my spandex at home. I forgot to give my chase rider my Pedialyte. Truly a comedy of errors for some- one as experienced as I supposedly am. It's a good thing we only did nine tests, because if we'd had to make another lap, I would have lost my third place for the day and most likely had to be scraped up off the asphalt I'd melted into somewhere. Fitness isn't perfectly generalizable: I knew this already, but my come-apart on the last lap on day two in Valpaços reinforced that. I am in incredibly good shape to ride a two-hour GNCC at 110%. At Camp Coker, I rode as hard as my skills would allow and s ll pulled off feeling like a million bucks with more in the tank. However, I am not in shape to be on a bike for seven hours under a searing Portu- guese sun. Some of this is unavoidable, as this op- portunity came about two weeks before I le , which gave me no me to adjust my training for a very dif- ferent style of racing (as I would normally do before ISDE). My back is s ll grouchy at me for carrying a fully loaded toolpack for four days with no warning. Before the next round, I will adjust the components of my fitness accordingly to be er reflect the task at hand. Walking techniques: I am proud that over the years I have taught myself to memorize a special test corner to corner (thanks to Caselli, Sipes, and Robert for the advice, and for demonstra ng that it's even possi- ble). However, I have realized I also need to think not only about lines but also poten al course degra- da on and places where I should deliberately back it down rather than riding at 100%. I think that would help me avoid a lot of costly crashing. Bo le-popping technique: I lost the race, but ev- eryone (including my compe tors) agree I won the podium with my savage pull-the-cork-out-with-my- teeth champagne-popping technique. There's a video on my Instagram if anyone's curious. I original- ly started doing that when my horribly messed-up elbow was at its worst, and I physically couldn't pull a cork (or turn a doorknob, or really do much of anything) without immense pain. But it kind of stuck and now I think it's my signature move Where I get it from: According to my dad, while I was showering, a "polite young man" asked my dad to drive him in our rental car to pick up his food order*, because the delivery driver wouldn't bring it all the way to the track. According to Nieve, this "po- lite young man" was reigning mul - me overall ISDE champion Josep Garcia, and my dad had not the slightest idea. Garcia knew who he was though (or at least that he was with me, probably thanks to the Team USA hoodie) and asked about my day, what racing was like in the USA, and what we thought of EnduroGP. Now I understand that there is probably a gene c component towards u er obliviousness. (pop quiz ques on four, what do you think Garcia was ea ng a er the race: chicken and vegetables, cheeseburger, salmon and rice, pizza) 30 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com

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