2014 Austin Rattler

We got to RHR Friday afternoon and went to pick up my packet and just have a look around. There were a LOT of foreign (non-Texas) kits on the riders who were there and just as many out of state license plates on the cars in the parking lot. I had no interest in pre-riding, as it was too late in the day and I felt there was really nothing for me to see. Dave Weins handed me my packet. He’s a pretty big dude, much bigger than he appears in Race Across the Sky. I listened to a few pre-riders talk about how dry and dusty the trail was. “Going to be really dusty tomorrow after all the bikes go around a few laps” was one of the comments I heard.

We headed back to the hotel in LaGrange to chill. TV was quickly disturbed by emergency weather broadcast. A fast moving storm was dropping rain and hail across Austin. “Sucks for Austin” I thought and we went to grab some grub down the street… 

The storm crossed Austin and headed SE down 71. I watched my weather app in disbelief as the storm quickly hit Bastrop and kept on his course. Then Smithville. Then LaGrange. We watched from the restaurant as small pea sized hail pinged off the cars and ground. Luckily I parked by a huge SUV that seemed to block most of the hail from my car. In 15 minutes the storm was mostly gone but some rain persisted. I was thinking “I hope it gets soaked up quickly” as we headed back to the hotel.

Saturday morning we were up early and got to RHR around 6:45am, race was at 8. The line literally stretched approx. 60 cars long on the road. Many more got in line behind us. I thought, “Shit there’s a lot of people out here.” (Later one of the Leadville folks said 512 participants.) After about 15 minutes we were handing them our $10 a person and getting waved into one of the fields toward the front. 

The field was all mud except for a few patches of grass. We found a grass patch and parked. The prius tires were covered in a 2” coat of mud. The ground was wet and all around us was muddy clay waiting to stick to whatever touched it. “shit, there goes my sub4 hour time" as I thought about how muddy the course must be and things got even more tragic when I thought about my tire selection - a Racing Ralph and a Furious Fred. 

After getting dressed and screwing off for a bit I noticed lots of folks making their way to the start. I headed over to the portacans. When I got back people were piling in and the start line had grown considerably. I stuffed 4 portables into my jersey, took a swing of water, unwrapped an extra portable and started eating as I put on my helmet. I headed over to the start line. I still hadn’t seen Nathan, Mark, or anyone else that was supposed to be there though we were all trading txt messages. I got over to the start line and there were 200 or so people already a head of me so I just got in line.

Brandon Barbour pulled up next to me and I figured I had at least one of my buddies with me. Big Zach Ross showed up shortly after and was 2 rows behind me. The road behind me quickly filled and we were literally 10 across all the way around the pond. “Man, there’s a lot of racers!” Armando and a few of the Bike Barn guys were also next to me. We chit-chatted. Wink and Mark show up and they make their way toward the front of the line. I’m tempted to piss off the 50 riders between me and them by moving up but decide I’ll just stay where I am. 

The gun goes off – literally a shot gun. Time doesn’t start until we roll across the line (we all have electronic tracking chips.) A minute has transpired before I roll through the start. Before I’m even rolling I see the front lead pack getting lead out by some kind of off road motorized vehicle at a controlled pace and they are out of sight before I’m clipped in. We get rolling and it’s a mess. Literally hundreds of riders in front of me "how do I even get through this mess – it’s like the MS150" I think to myself. I see Zach make a move on the outside and quickly pass 10 riders so I do the same thing. "It's on now!"

A few more passes like this and I’m somehow in front of him. It's like the freeway at rush hour, you make the wrong move and suddenly your line is being passed by all the other lines of cars. In this analogy, I'm on the shoulder and I'm passing everyone. “This is kind of easy” I think and then I get really aggressive with the passing. I’m passing people off the jeep road, riding through the loose rocks and grass on the side of the road. It's the only way to get around the hoards of people. Before we get to Fat Chucks climb I’ve already passed 50+ people. I get up to Wink and Mark on Fat Chucks. “Holly crap, it’s completely blocked up” riders 4-5 deep on the narrow jeep road all the way up. I go back to my new technique and start passing on the loose rocks and grass on the shoulder. I quickly pass another 20 people including Wink, Sarah, and Mark. Wink yells “Don I’ll be there in a minute, let me get through this crowd.” A rider unclips in front of me and dismounts so I pop back on the jeep road and crest Fat Chucks at 2mph with the hoard. A gap opens and I’m on the gas, the road is thinning out as people sit-up behind other people to catch their breath. It tightens up again and I see PT in front of me. I ride his back wheel for a bit and then I’m off on my own. 

We’re in Jeep road territory now and I figure with all the passing I’m up in the top100 riders now. It’s cost me a lot of time and matches but its significant progress, I’m the only one of all the fast folks in the back with me that is up here. While it’s progress, the speedsters are gone and I know there’s no way I’m bridging up to them. Time to put the big diesel motor to work. 

I bridge from group to group. I sit in, recover, go, bridge up to the next group, and repeat. There’s not a lot of single track but we hit a little. "Holly crap, these guys can’t ride single track. Holly crap, I can’t really ride single track either!" I’m riding dry hard pack tires and they do not like the slick clay and roots. The Wall climb was a nightmare as guys rode their brakes and stopped toward the top. I get through this madness and eventually make it to the jeep road that takes you to the front. Lap 1 is almost done and I’m barely over 1 hour. That was a lot of matches burnt but I’m not sitting in the top 50 or so. Everyone I pass from here on out should be a solid rider.

As I’m going out for Lap2 I pass Wink coming in to finish his first lap. I’ve got about 2min on him. So much for having a domestique today. “You’re on your own Donny!" I tell myself.

Lap 2 is pretty uneventful. I pass quite a few people in the first half as I jump from group to group. Occasionally folks try to bridge with me, typically I ride them out of my slip stream. This is a power-costly strategy and I’m starting to wonder if it’s sustainable. Man, if I had another motor to ride with, life would be great. Midway through Lap2 I hook up with a guy who has a motor. We start making really good time putting a dent in things. We ride together with him doing a lot of the work, this new strategy IS sustainable. As we get to the front to finish the lap he sits up and rolls off. I guess he's stopping in the feed zone. So much for that partner. I get a bottle handup from Michelle and I start lap3, solo. 

Lap 3 is very solo. I’m picking off a few stragglers. Midway through the lap as the trail loops back on itself I see Wink, he’s about 5min back. Shortly after I start running up in to lapped traffic. These folks typically get out of the way but sometimes they don’t. I’m tired, they’re tired, I just do my best to get around them. I’m not wasting energy to call out. I figure I’m in the top 30 now but it’s very unlikely I’ll break 4 hours. I’ll just keep my head down and keep going. ¾’s of the way through the lap I’m in deep lapped traffic. The single track is drying now and the clay is getting tacky and fast and I burn matches on the road to beat the lapped traffic to the single track. 

Toward the end of lap 3 in the single track after the Wall, I go to pass a lapped rider who is spinning a 120 cadence at 2mph and bobbing all around his saddle. I know better, and yet I call out and go to pass. As I pass, he whips over and I grab brakes, hit a root, and I go down. A few expletives later, I’m up and rolling, it was a slow speed crash and I’m okay. I’m off and rolling, hit the jeep road, grab a hand up from Michelle, and I start the final lap.

I'm a little giddy that it's already the last lap and I'm riding strong. As I’m going out, my legs are heavy. I’ve burnt a lot of matches and fatigue is starting to sit in. I see Zach coming in, and it inspires me to lay the hammer down. I’ve got 2 minutes, maybe 3 on him and I’m not letting him catch me. As I drive the pedals I hit fat chuck and pick off a few riders who are not lapped traffic. Yes! I see a group up a head that looks too strong to be lapped riders so I bridge up to them. I sit in for a few minutes and recover. Then I go. We hit some hills and one of them goes with me. We drop the group, but they’re still trying to chase. We pass a lapped rider and he says you guys are 14 and 15, maybe 15 and 16! “Holly Shit, I’m in the top15!?” 

Reality sets in, I think “this is a lapped rider, what does he know? Then again, what if I am..?” Suddenly I have a shot of adrenaline. The next hill is a good one and I hit it wide open and quickly drop the guy on my back wheel. I get to the top, and the guy not only dropped but he popped, he’s sitting straight up spinning up the climb very slowly. No time to gloat, I’m on the gas!

I pass more lap riders but see no more potential “places” for me to pick off. More importantly nobody is closing me down and I don’t see Zach either. I get to the Wall and it’s a traffic jam. I fly by everyone off to the side screaming “Lap 4 rider breaking 4 hrs.” Everyone clears the way and cheers me on. 

I hit the jeep road to the front and I just lay in to the gas. Everything I have left I pour in to the pedals. I’m screaming down the jeep road by the barn at close to 30mph. Lapped traffic looks like its standing still as I fly by. I get the front sit up to look and I see nobody sprinting so I know I’m not going to pick anyone off. I pour the gas to it again as I make the final loop around the lake, I’m going so fast I have to slide off the road into the grass because the tires won’t grip on the loose gravel road. "Don't wreck Donny but don't scrub any of this speed" I tell myself.

I make it under the finish and then let the bike coast down the course through the feed zone before I turn off and just sit there on my top tube for a minute and recover. I’m done! Sarah comes over and says I did a 4:05. 5 minutes over my goal but I’m happy, that was a good as I could have done considering the circumstances. I have no idea where I stand or if I even qualified. 

After an hour or so somebody comes up and says I got 15th. I go over and look. I’m 15th overall and 4th in my age group. That’s a hell of a finish for me. Going in to this I was looking to be in the top25 and be under 4 hours. I really wanted that front Gold corral at Leadville (had to be sub4hrs to get it.) While I didn’t meet the time, I exceeded my expectations in the placing. I also beat a LOT of really fast people so I can’t help but be happy with the race.