I landed in Birmingham and immediately began to sweat! I’d
packed my bike in 50-degree weather and flew in pants. The heat floored me! In
the first 24 hours I drank 2 gallons of water (with lots of elete drops in it!)
and wasn’t close to over-hydrated! Once I was over the heat I looked around and
fell in love with all the greenery. I drove straight to Cahaba Cycles and built
my bike in their shop. That ended up being the best choice, they helped me with
some minor bike issues and ended up being so good to me all weekend long!
Once I made it to Oak Mountain I drove around a bit looking
for the course but enjoyed all the views. In the parking lot of the trailhead
were the race director and his volunteers and they pointed me in the right
direction, what luck! By time I hit the trail for the pre-ride it was getting
dark but I was determined to see at least one section of the trail that I’d
heard about. It’s called Blood Rock and is the most technical section of the
race. I barely had enough time, but hammered out Jekyll and Hyde and Blood
Rock, the last few minutes I rode in complete darkness (don’t tell my mom!) but
made it back safe!
Blood Rock |