I'd Like a Gila Wrap

Gila was definitely a roller coaster for me. I managed to make the main break in the crit the day after the inner-loop. Some more not so well planned Cref tactics had our break caught at 6 laps to go. They did luck out with their sprinter nipping the win from an already celebrating Gord Fraser. Ouch, that got to hurt.

I felt pretty bad at the start the next day and it only got worse. I found myself getting dropped by the guy who won the crit on the gila monster. It was pretty much an embarassment. Baker crashed hard on the next decent after climbing like a bad-ass and almost taking the big prize at the top of the gila monster. I stopped to get the story and then start figuring out how we were going to get home on the 20 mile death crawl to the finish. To make matter worse the group I was with took off when I got flicked from a hand hold spot on the "aussie express" tow-ya-to-the-finish-mate car. one second they were there, I don't a spot and then they were gone.

Baker ended up being ok, but not after having four emergency vomit stops on the way home. Perckocet and MacDonalds don't mix very well alone, we also decided to drive one of the most twisty roads in Nem Mexico to add to the fun. He's had a very rough few days.

Bagel Boy Donald won the last day at the race with a superb lead out from wing man Garcia. Now that Oak Glen is gone I think the Gila Monster is probably the hardest non-UCI day of stage racing in the country. There's no easy way to the finish. A big hats off to that team for a very impressive win.