Jacklyn's Gran Fondo race report
I don't know if I am supposed to do a race report on a Gran Fondo or not but this is a huge event for me so here I go.
My journey started last year after I had gritted my teeth and finished the Medio Fondo of 73 miles. Boy I thought I was the Queen! So I immediately signed up for the Gran Fondo for 2014. I was 195 pounds and was a terrible climber. A friend of mine, Jessie Stevens, started talking to me about EN. I had confessed my doubts about being able to complete the 120 miles. So I signed on last October 2013. Thank goodness.
Time warp forward to June 1st 2014. Weight 175 pounds. New bike and I can run too. With the help of Coach P. I had a pacing and nutrition plan. Some on course food but mostly I was going self supported. The aide stations were 35-40 miles apart and we were way, way in the back country with no sag wagon. If you needed help you were hoping another rider was coming or you could get yourself to the aide station.
Race started at 0800 sharp on a cloudy, cool, misty Oregon morning. 463 riders were on their way. It was a mix of medio riders (73 miles) and Gran riders (120 mile) with pink stickers on their helmets. Now pay attention. The difference is important for later on in my monologue. Had a lovely lead out with police and sirens. Cool huh! Hit the first hill 2.5 miles out. Wicked climb of 3.4 miles. Not a problem. Cruised up it and hardly noticed. Pace and heart rate were in limits for the first 3 climbs in 28 miles. 3000+ feet of climb DONE! Then the first aide station at the top of 5.3 mile 7-11% climb. Bathroom break! While in the bathroom, my husband, over hears several women with pink stickers saying how they signed up for the gran and are going to short cut it on the medio route. HHHMMMM?
We take off. 100 miles here we come. Awesome technical decent! Reached 38 mph. Nice and smooth. One man crashed and had to be flown out. That sucked. The miles ticked away. Nice rolling hills able to aero a lot of it. Speed holding at 16.1 mph. Nutrition on track, fluids good. Then the "Y" in the road. Gran people left, medio right. OMG! We were warned about pot holes but not about cobble stone like chip seal. NASTY! For the next 60 miles it felt like your teeth were being rattled out of your head. So we're dealing with it as best we can. My husband stops to water the weeds and I keep going, come around a corner and here's a red mini van parked in the bushes. Huge man standing on the side of the road holding a cat. He sees me and starts walking across the road on an intercept path asking if I want to stop and pet his cat. Then Mark comes around the corner behind me and the guy turns and runs into the bushes! Uh Oh. Creep alert! We new there were several unattended women behind us so we stopped up the road and waited to make sure they made it past this guy safely. Good thing we did, because he tried to grab the gal behind us. Mark and I had to sprint back. When the creepy dude saw us coming he stopped and ran. 
We were able to tell the 2nd aide station at mile 52 about him and the EMT's went back and encouraged him to leave. Still feeling strong. Speed had dropped due to road surface and rescue attempt. On to aide station #3.
Well, I had been warned about the mile 80 black hole. I started to notice a decrease in power and a creeping fatigue at about mile 72. So I ate some extra food I had stashed just in case. I new I had an 11 mile climb coming up. My husband had told me that the 11 mile climb was "easy". I wouldn't even notice it. He forgot to mention the switch backs, and logging road 1/2 way up. I found depths of grit I didn't know I had to get up that mountain. That's when the negative self talk started. I don't think i have ever felt that much pain or fatigue. That was one hell of a black hole. I kept slamming liquids and food. Ate everything I had left. I had a feeling it was a calorie issue. At about mile 92 the fog began to lift and started to pick it back up. I never regained my prior speed or power but I made it home alive. 
I crossed the finish line with a moving time of 09:24:53. Total time 10:03:43 due to rescue and flat repair for a stranded older man. My goal was 8.5 to 9 hours with 30 minutes of total stop time. Total climb 6,859 ft. Strava initially reported north of 15,000. Average speed 12.6 mph.
I placed 7th in my AG out of 7. Now the first 4 in my AG did not ride the 120 miles. They rode the 73 mile route and didn't report that they changed. They even accepted awards for 1st thru 3rd too! They were the ones my husband over heard at the first aide station. Nice sportsman like behavior.
Need to tweek nutrition more. Needed more calories than I was taking in. Fluid was ok. GI good. No cramping. So all in all a good day. Pacing fell apart about mile 80. I was able to get most of it back by mile 92. My friend Jessie fell apart about there too. The surface did us in!
Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement and occasional butt kicking. Without your help I wouldn't have been able to check this off my bucket list. Now to pick it up for short course. More to learn and experience thank goodness. Work, Works!!!! See you on the road.
Comments
Congrats! Really digging alternatives like Gran Fondos, Brevets, and other ultra stuff whether it be swim, bike, run, hike, climb, whatever. Great job!
Thanks everyone! It went from being a race to an adventure. That's for sure. I didn't even write about the wild life encounters. My husband was attacked by an owl. Bounced off his helmet. See it's important to wear your protective gear. You just never know!
We got screamed at by an absolutely beautiful fox that we scared as it ran across the road. That was one angry fox!
@ Coach P.- Cool. I'll take your professional estimation of time. That means I made my goal.
I don't know if we will ever do something like that again. We took quite a beating. I don't know how people road that stuff at 20+ mph with out killing their bikes and themselves! Tons of flat tires. I'm really feeling it today. Especially my lower back and shoulders. My attitude is way down too. Not much motivation to do anything except breath. I did go get my hair cut though.
Have a wonderful day. Thanks again!
Next you're gonna say that there was a herd of Walkers out around mile post 72 that you had to unclip from your bike and knock them in the head to save the entire Gran Fondo from being eaten by zombies.....
dang, I gotta do this Oregon Gran Fondo thing.
@ Chris- LOL!!! Nope. No zombies. But hey do what you gotta do. Come on out and lets ride!!! It's some amazing country. Old growth timber, rivers and streams. Really beautiful area but you have to slow down enough to see it. That's not a problem for me. HAHAHAHA.