Sounds like Payson McElveen stacked it pretty good near the end of the race…in the hospital with a concussion, separated shoulder, road rash, etc.
Ted King quit his race to help him out…class move.
5 Likes
And Ted’s wife had an awesome finish too. I rode with her a bit last year and she was VERY pregnant. I saw her stop to pack it in and was very happy for her. Seeing her finish top 10 this year got a cheer from me. Women’s bodies are amazing.
3 Likes
I was signed up for the 110 but was injured from a race 2 weeks ago so I switched to the 60. The weather was amazing! There were a few steep climbs that reminded me of my MTB days. Really fun course and the spring flowers were blooming. Just a nice day on the bike. A bit of a wind on the way in and I noticed the better competition at a race this size that attracts people other states. I’m usually a mid pack finisher but was in the bottom third. Rode pretty well, maybe a little slow from having to take a week and a half off and lingering injury. I’ll be back next year for the 110.
3 Likes
The only negative on the course was the finish. There was no way to sprint in with the sharp, loose turn off the highway. I’m not sure how they fix that either unless they move the finish farther into the property. Doesn’t matter for 98% of the participants or course. I think the lead group took it pretty easy and didn’t seem to worried about placement (perhaps due to Payson’s crash a few minutes before) but a good sprint finish would have been fun to watch.
2 Likes
This was my first century, of any sort. Road, gravel, anything. My 3rd year at the race overall (2 100km efforts and 1 100 miler). I actually found Trainer Road after a Spinistry Race in January where I fell well short of finishing where I thought I should. I then went on to take a top 10 in another Spinistry gravel race in San Saba in February (albeit small, 50 riders or so) and decided to bump up from the 100km and go for my first century. I love this part of Texas and brought the whole family down. I know Fabien and love all that he does for this community in Hico. I finished with what felt like lots of power in the tank and am now in the process of having a power meter added to my Crux because I felt I left a lot out there. The 3 descents on the back side of the “3Bs” convinced me to dump the stock 38s in favor of some S-works pathfinder 42s going forward. I had a blast, the family loved it (we stayed in Glen Rose but hung out in Hico both days) and I definitely plan to keep this event on the calendar so long as it still exists.
Side note: At mile 95, just before the final aid station I was soloing up the paved road towards the tents and I heard some chatter behind me. I look over my shoulder to see Ian, Ted, Roberge, Dylan, and the rest of the top 15 or so bearing down on me. I pulled right and let them move by then grabbed a wheel and held on for the next half mile or so until I stopped at the aid station and they continued on after their teams had quick grab bottles on the side of the road ready for them. That was one of the coolest experiences of my cycling career so far.
4 Likes