Red River Shootout
Ardmore, OK
2009

Saturday night, I followed my wife to bed at about 11. I tried, but sleep was a distant dream. After tossing and turning all night, I got up about 4. The night before, I had gathered up everything I would need, and got my truck packed and ready to go, so all I had to do was get dressed, load the bike and go. I carpooled up with Vern Alary, and we arrived about 8:45, just in time to see the cat 3s take off. We hooked up with Brian Brennfoerder, Alex Hernandez, Kevin Witherstine, and found out that John Blaskovich and Danny Gappinger were on the way up. I caught sight of a Pig jersey riding up the road and saw it was Jane Zeigler.

We all mixed and mingled, hanging out with the other Pigs and other people from Dallas that were racing that day.

There was an air of nervous energy that we expressed in the usual Big Pig way…picking on each other and generally acting (as my wife would say) like preschoolers on their first excursion without adult supervision. Eventually, we all got changed and started to warm up for the race.

I started my warm-up ride around the park, and decided to try hooking up with Jane so I could cheer her on in the cat one race, but things did not go exactly as I planned. As I was rolling around near the road crossing, I heard a call for a rider down. Medics were needed, so I shot down the trail to help. The injured rider had already been assisted off the trail by a racer from Team Mad Duck. I got the Mad Duck rider back on his bike and gave him a push off. I tried stabilize the head and neck, and make the injured racer as comfortable as possible while we waited for the paramedics. He had obviously landed on his head and face. His ear was bleeding badly and he had several cuts and scrapes on his face. He ended up with a broken shoulder (which really helped my nervousness about racing a trail I had never ridden before). I looked at my watch to see that it was time for my class to start, so I took off back up the trail. On my way back up, I got to cheer Jane on as she passed me in first place, a mile from the finish of her first lap.

Finally, the race was about to begin! After such an auspicious beginning, I just couldn’t wait to see what was in store. I won’t lie…I was definitely nervous about racing this trail. I’m just now getting back on the bike after a long layoff, and I’ve really not raced much. Not only that, I didn’t get any sleep the night before. This wasn’t a hellish race, by any means, but it was still 16 miles…a fairly easy length of two laps of 8 miles of rolling hills. Not bad, right? Right.

We took our places, and we were all joking around trying to get relaxed. The adrenaline was pumping, and I was ready. Yeah, sure I was. I’m still trying to get back in shape, and have nowhere near the riding hours I wanted to have prior to this race. (Great…the Wizards had started before the race began…this was not looking good). The race started, and I was all alone within a mile. The other racers were a distant memory. I would occasionally catch a glimpse of them through the woods. I settled in for a quiet peaceful ride.

The trail was great, and could only be described as a learning experience for me. Around every corner, I ran into something I had never seen before. It was a lot of rolling hills, and not too terribly technical, but random rocks everywhere kept me on edge. I was still in a state of constant surprise, so my heart rate was pegged the entire first lap.

After what felt like about two hours of riding, I reached a lengthy expanse of uphill trail. I knew it was only 6 miles or so in to the lap, but it definitely felt farther. It was a long, rocky climb with two distinct lines, and I knew I was going to have to hike and bike. By the way, the whole rocks at the top of almost every climb is just not right. Who the hell thought that was funny?

I refused to quit, though. “Commit to the ride” kept drumming in my head. My feet just kept pushing the pedals. At least, Mother Nature was looking out for me. Occasionally, the sky would start to spit on me. It was a light mist, just enough to cool me off. It would only rain for a brief time, and then would stop. Refreshing…really.

I survived the first lap, and was beaten. I was still alone, not a competitor in sight, but hey, I completed a lap. It felt great. I truly didn’t think I had the gas in me to go the second lap. At that point, spectators began cheering me on. I was hearing my name being called out, and could hear suggestions to dig. Others where hollering “Go Big Pig”. How could I not go on?

I entered the second lap with the cheers resounding in the back of my head. Surprisingly, now that the trail had revealed all of its secrets to me during the first lap, the second went by a lot easier. There were fewer pedal strikes, the rock gardens were not impossible. I could see the lines, hills that seemed to last forever on the first lap I floated up and over. After clearing some of those, my confidence was better, so my heart rate started to drop, and I had more gas.

The flow of the trail started to reveal itself to me, and I was able to carry more speed through the corners and down hills. My competitors were still long gone, but I was getting closer…to them, I doubt it…but closer to the end of the race. On my second lap, the trail seemed much shorter. I was shocked at how fast some of the key points on the trail where appearing.

The only concern in my mind, at that point, was the fear that the stronger cat 2 guys would lap me. I kept looking back to see if I was going to be holding anyone up. After I hit the road for the second time (approx the final mile marker), I began hearing voices, and knew the possibility of being lapped was a real one. Stubborn ass that I am, I refused to be lapped. I got my ass up off that saddle, and battled those imaginary demons across that finish line. When I hit the field I was completely spent, and I knew by now no one was behind me. As I crossed the finish line in 7th place, dfl (big surprise), I was greeted by a bunch of Pigs some of which had already cleaned up and changed into street clothes! I was glad to be done, but I was also am very happy that I did that second lap. Before I knew it, there where Pigs “assisting” me off the bike, and, as always, pointing out where to for me to find the beer.

All in all it was a great day with perfect weather cool misty and light winds. All the Pigs in attendance did a great job. Jane Ziegler had battled for a first place and won her Cat 1 class with a time1:42:19. Kevin Witherstine placed second in his Cat 2 class with a time of 1:23:51. In the single speed class we had three members of Big Pig Racing Danny Gappinger finished 7th with a time of 1:23:07 Brian Brennfoerder 11th 1:29:16 and John Blaskovich finished 13th 1:36:07. In the Clyde open class there three more Pigs and they finished 5th 6th and 7th. Alex Hernandez and Vern Alary finished 5th and 6th respectively with times of 1:49:13 and 1:57:50. I was seen dragging up the rear with a time of 2:02:10. Beer was drank we all had a blast and I am sure there that if everything works out there will be an even larger contingent of Pigs showing up to race in Ardmore OK, I know I will be back next year.