Stage 1, you know when you work hard for something, you put in a lot of effort, feel like you’re ready and the day comes to get started. You’re ready to get after it…then things don’t go so well. Well, that was how the first Stage of this one went. I was excited, felt like I had put in some solid work, had an awesome partner, great weather, all the things.

The day started well, our Brevard crew rolling 6 strong from the hotel made the flat 6-mile ride over to the start area in the morning. Most of us were starting in the B group except for Champ and Bragg who were in the A corral.

Stage 1 was a doozy. One of the longer stages at 47 miles with 7500 feet of climbing. There were 2 Significant climbs, and a bunch of smaller ones, one of those being close to 8 miles long with 3200 feet of gain, and that doesn’t really do it justice because that includes 2 little downhill reprieves. Anyhow, it was tough. I think maybe we felt a little too optimistic about how our day was going to go. We went out relatively hard, although I still felt like it wasn’t outrageous (I think my power meter was mis calibrated too), but we were moving pretty good. After the first big climb and a couple of rollers I felt some twinges of cramps, and in general just didn’t seem to have much giddy-up. Once we started up the big climb for the day, 7k and 750 m or so…I pretty much threw the anchor, and we started going backwards.

Going up the climb I had the opportunity to get to know an e-biker who seemed to think I wanted to talk as I crawled up the mountain, he sat behind me, just letting his motor keep my slow-moving pace and asked me all kinds of questions. I still can’t figure out what about my dying demeanor made him think I was looking for conversation…but so it goes. On the last pitch up before the top we got a little cheer from Champ’s mom who was heading down the lifts after cheering all of us on which was nice and gave me something to think about whilst trying not to fall off my bike with the steep terrain and slow speed I had. At this point I could see the top.

Over the top and into the flow trail, a little life came back but I was still fighting cramps and never got comfortable, the trail was swoopy and fun, and we were making time but I was hurtin. After a section of crazy fun single track there was an awkward rock move onto a bridge where I ended up overdoing it and falling into a bush while simultaneously cramping in various places. I’m pretty sure that Wes thought I had fallen in the ravine and given up for good.

Then, what I thought was mostly downhill ended up having a bunch of short little punchy climbs that just took whatever wind I had left. I was down to an empty shell when Brian and Josh caught up to us and passed us in some sort of merry state. Once we hit the flat run to the finish, Wes tried to surge some, and I couldn’t even hold his wheel.

I did manage to keep mostly smiles, I mean it may not have gone the way I’d hoped but…we were still riding bikes in the Swiss alps…I’m not gonna lie, it was a tough day mentally though. I felt prepared and sort of felt like I’d flopped, I know Wes had a lot more gas (although he’s a solid partner and stayed supportive all day). The day had me second guessing things and doubting what I was doing.

Humble pie had been served.