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The Night Doesn't Care
Ultracycling races are often a tale of two events: One contested in daylight, and another event altogether raced in the dark. The struggles are numerous, including the inevitable mounting fatigue, and general sleepiness. The lack of light plays tricks on the mind, which in turn rules the body.
Or does it? Mind over matter is in no short supply at the 508. Rock Rabbit, the 2011 race champion, started suffering stomach issues in the Panamint Valley, flaring up intensely just past Badwater and sidelining the talented rider. "I can't keep anything down," noted Rock Rabbit. "Not even a single slice of bread."
But adding to the legend of the tough constitution of the racers, Rock Rabbit crawled out of his evening hole and was back on the road, methodically making up ground as the sun brightened his mood. Chris "Ram" Ragsdale, another past race champion, paid for pushing the pace early. On the climb of Towne Pass, facing the fading daylight, Ram joked that he had been spending too much time preparing for next year's RAAM and not enough time training. Still, he soldiered on, gaining lost time late in the race.
The Night doesn't care about your riding resume. Cricket, a podium finisher at last year's Race Across America, rode steadily through the first 350 miles of the race. Sometimes, even the strongest riders prove they're mortal. Knee pain proved to be Cricket's Achilles heel, ending his hopes of a 2012 FC508 finish.
Other 508 veterans were also targets of the cruel environment. Red-Eyed Vireo cited fatigue as his reason for dropping, which must have been significant since he's a 6x finisher.
The fate of the Death Valley Cup hopefuls was uncertain as darkness shrouded the race, but as daylight arrived again, Wile E Coyote checked in at FC at 18:50, Wiener Dog was in at Shoshone in 24:25, and Mountain Gorilla clocked in at Baker in 27:27.
As if to verify...or offer intense argument to previous commentary posted here, the elder statesmen and women of the sport are proving that some of the best ultracycling performances can be turned in after age 50. Bonedog, at 54 years young, was shooting to be the oldest winner in race history. But Crow had other plans. Battling the demons of the night, Crow dialed back his pace and in his fifth attempt at the 508 unlocked the key to winning. 29 hours and 33 minutes after he started, Crow was crowed the newest champion of the race.
Gerd "Leatherback Turtle" Rosenblatt reflects on his record as the oldest 2x team finisher, but cheers on the male half of Rottweiler, who would eclipse the 70+ record with a finish.
One of the most fascinating battles of the 2012 race occurred in the men's 2x category. In Amboy, the Flying Voles, Earth Cucoo, and Bushmasters were separated by just 13 minutes. But the latter pair would prevail, and went as far as calling the FC508 "a national treasure" in the wake of their impressive victory.
The Night might not care about the fate of the riders, but the entire race staff, crews, and friends near and afar hang onto every available report, hoping that the toughest 48 hours in sport don't chew up and spit out their favorite riders. |
