Marco, you broke my heart yesterday, just as you did so many years ago. But more than that, you broke my soul. You left it torn & tattered in the mud on top of Simmons Gap. Then you did it again. Godspeed, Il Pirata. RIP.Needless to say, the Pantani ride, a celebration of the life & death of yet another one of cycling's human spectacles, did not disappoint. I was prepared for the worst, only to find out I was not quite prepared enough. Dave T. and company put on a fine, no bullshit event. Here's your map, a few words of wisdom, and a balls to the wall shotgun start. This is technically a road race, there are no trails involved.
Well the Foghorn/DP contingent got spit out the back right off the bat. We hung together and did what I thought was a pretty nice pace around the main loop. We caught a few guys, a few guys caught us, it was all pretty chummy. There is a place out there called Mission Home, and the story is, this was the place that took in the severely disabled inbreds of the local population back in the day. I guess back then you were either an asset or a liability.
Once you pass Mission Home and take the turn off on Simmons Gap Road, Wyatt Mtn Road and Brokenback Mtn Road: Welcome to Appalachia! It was amazing what qualifies for a road out there. These roads were so steep, loose, rocky, narrow and generally shitty that it was incredible. Did I mention steep? The view of the road ahead was so demoralizing, so mentally devastating, it was nearly impossible to keep the pedals turning over. Finally I was able to fix myself on Tom Haines wheel and get myself back over the top of that damn thing. Frank was there, right on time, to snap our photo. My freakin' knees felt like they were going to explode. The descent down the other side was fast, loose, & sketchy. After a rather windy 10 miles on the pavement back, 4:02. Only seven minutes of stopped time. Survived. Not too shabby.
What happens on Brokenback Mtn stays on Brokenback Mtn.
