Global warming is not my thing; the Keith Bontrager diary

I took me a while to get to this, for all the reasons that you'd imagine.

I'd recovered well and felt good the next morning. I was like a water balloon, full of fluids, salt and minerals. We started at a modest pace because there was a 1000 metre climb in the first 20 km or so. That all went well.

Then I popped again. I'd been drinking and eating to the plan. Things were fine until I got past the second control station, about 55 km in or so, on a hot exposed climb. I lost power, got nauseous, puked, couldn't eat or get my mineral supplements down. I sucked on a salt tab like a lozenge and sipped water. In that state I rode as I could to the finish but ended up cramping badly for two hours. My team-mate Richard was helping me with my bike on the steep hiking sections late in the race. I was a mess.

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I collapsed on a cot after finishing and my legs were locking up repeatedly. I couldn't get back up without cramping. It was comical I suppose, in a dark sort of way, ghosts chewing on my quads. But I've had this happen before and the damage it does to my legs is not something that goes away overnight. It's like the day after the first day back lifting weights - only many times worse. That was that.

Global warming is not my thing.

It was tough being around the race after that. I just wanted to get away and move on to the next thing. I do hope to salvage something decent to end this season with.

There is a lot of racing left to do and it should be OK even if it is hot. All of the races are 24 hour races or one day events. I am going to have to pass on the Kona Global Series 24 hour race in Winter Park, which is unfortunate. It's a good event and I wanted to get there. There is a new 24 hour race in Landahl Missouri that I am going to race in with some fast masters racers, then the 3 Peaks cyclo-cross followed by a new event in Arizona called the Tour of the White Mountains and then the 24 Hours of Moab will end it.

Read the entire Keith Bontrager diary here.