This is an event which I do occasionally although it is not my favorite DC. Clair and I had both signed up for it last year knowing it would sell out in a few hours which it did. Sadly now that the event is here my friend Clair is not. I will ride this event anyway as I will all of the events that Clair and I signed up for before his passing.

Riding events has been tougher lately and I have not been at my peak. Perhaps it is because of my missing riding partner. Also, an ongoing back injury which is getting better but still limits me somewhat in my performance. It has also been tough this year to get in enough saddle time to prepare for an event like this, but the event does not care, you will either prevail or you will fail!

The weather forecast was pretty good, light winds and 85 degrees for the high. I thought this could be a good event for me and I was actually pretty optimistic about my expectations for the day. I started in the second wave of 50 riders towards Badwater. This is a nice stretch of road with gentle rollers for the start. The larger groups in this section make for a pretty fast pace and we got to Badwater very quickly. South of Badwater the road gets a little rough and people spread out somewhat, also the south wind picked up some which slowed the pace to the Ashford Mills rest stop. In the past, food support has always a little sparse at this event in my opinion and that was the case again this year. After Ashford Mills the climbing really starts, first up Jubilee Pass then over Salsbury Pass at 3300 ft. There is over 9000 ft of climbing on this route all totaled. Once over Salsbury it is an easy run down to the town of Shoshone and the next rest stop. Here I was able to supplement the rest stop supplies with food from the local mini-mart. My experience as a randonneur has taught me how to survive quite well on gas station food!

Leaving Shoshone I had to repeat the previous climbs in reverse but they are not so difficult from this direction. I made my way back over the passes and returned to the Ashford Mills rest stop. I think I had fallen behind on my hydration so I overcompensated a bit here. The route was a little easier for the next stretch and I thought that I could recover somewhat if I drank more. The next 32 miles returning to Badwater were not that difficult but I could not overdo it. This was a recovery section for me and I returned to Badwater just before sunset. Badwater was technically the lunch stop at mile 132 so the best food support was here. I ate and drank what I could but did not stay long. Fulfilled, I turned on my lights and continued in the failing light. I like this section back to Furnace Creek, the pavement is good and the features are familiar so I pretty much know where I am and how far I have to go.

When I pull into the Furnace Creek checkpoint, it was way dark! They ask me if I would continue and I say yes, of course I will! I put on my better lights and reflective gear and checked the time. It was 7:00 pm and I had enough time to finish based on my progress so far but there was not a lot of time to spare. I did not linger at Furnace Creek and got going right away. Within a half mile of leaving Furnace however the wind picks up dramatically. I had not heard that the forecast had changed and that a front was supposed to pass through the area. Suddenly the winds were gusting from 30 to 40 mph from the east, a crosswind! The sand was blowing and I was having trouble keeping the bike on the road. Between gusts the bike would veer wildly and I went off the road several times. My speed had dropped to 9-10 miles per hour and my progress had slowed dramatically. I rode for an hour into this maelstrom and then stopped to check my odometer and the clock; I could not operate the instruments while I was moving. My calculations showed that the math was against me and based on the current conditions I would not finish within the time frame. I waited for a minute and checked my surroundings. It was dark and there was no traffic. I could see the tail-lights of 2 riders ahead of me but they were miles ahead. The desert is very deceiving for distances. Stopped in a desert sandstorm at night, watching wave after wave of sand blowing across the road in my headlight, I looked up. The stars were brilliant, even surreal, and in a moment of clarity I decided to turn around. I rode back to Furnace Creek, my left side now being pelted with sand as my right side had been for the last hour. I was defeated, and the ride back was very somber. When I pulled into the finish at Furnace Creek there was applause for what they thought was a victorious rider, but I waved off the reception and told the official who happened to be fellow RBA Mike Berry, that I was a DNF. They congratulated me anyway but it was not deserved.

I was glad to be done, and in retrospect it was the right decision. That however does not help much with the feelings of failure. There are not many events that I have not finished, some of which might be considered to have been much tougher, but on this day I could do no more. I will take some small consolation in the high DNF rate for the event but not very much!