This past weekend (Aug. 19th - 20th) Andy competed in an 18-hour endurance mountain bike race. Each lap on the course was 9 miles of rugged and twisting single track (the picture to the right shows the single track) with sharp climbs reaching 1320 feet of elevation gain.
This being Andy's first bike race, he was hesitant to register for the race and was nervous all week long. But, Andy rode the race with true Welch heart and determination and dominated the race. He completed 15 impressive laps (135 miles for those who don't do math), took 1st place, and put in more laps than 192 registered riders. Plus, if my math is correct he was just shy (520 feet) of climbing the same elevation (19,800 feet of 20,320 feet) as the highest point in the United States - Mt. McKinley.
The race started at 4pm and continued till morning. Even when his headlamp died he continued to press-on; surviving on peanut butter, bananas, energy blocks, and Gatorade. Overall, an impressive showing, and I wish I could've been there.
If you think I am biased (which I am) check out what others in the biking community are saying (be sure to read page 2 if you know about the Floyd Landis scandal) at http://cyclingcentralva.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=6529&hl=
Congratulations to Andy on an inspiring ride and thanks to my parents for supporting him throughout the event.
1 comment:
Way to go Andy! I'm lovin what everyone is saying on the blog. So funny, they are jealous.
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