The Park City Point 2 Point

The Park City Point 2 Point is a 78 mile mountain bike race with ~14,000 vertical climbing and 90% single track.  My race didn't turn out as I would have liked, but I figure at least I can get a story out of it.  I want to experiment with different types of writing, so I decided to present this story in the style of a list of facebook updates/tweets/text messages.

• It is 6 in the morning and it raining with tons of lightening and thunder and race is supposed to start in an hour.
• We're at the race start.  There is going to be a meeting around 7 to decide what to do.
• The rain is slowing down, maybe the race will still happen.
• They had a vote and it was voted we would start the race around 8 instead of postponing until another day.  They are going to skip the first 12 mile loop because it is a clay mud bog.
• It is 8:15 and they are starting the race
• After a mile on the road, 350 of us are trying to get onto some single track at the same time. Major traffic jam. 
• Finally onto the single track.  Everyone is riding wheel to wheel.  If someone slips in the mud, you have to react really fast and go around or else a big pile up happens.
• One hour down, only 8-9 to go. Things are going pretty well, I am covered in mud, but the temperature is nice and cool and it is a fun trail.
• Hmmm, my rear shifter is giving me fits.  It is jammed with mud. I can shift into easier gears, but when I try to shift into harder gears, it takes it a minute or two to down shift.
• #@!$%$, cannot shift into harder gears at all now.  I am stuck in the granny gear.  At least I can shift into a harder gear in the front.
• I wish I had a cadence sensor so I could see how fast I am spinning on the flats and downhills. 
• I have been with the same group of people for a while now.  We are at a nice steady pace and it is much less stressful than a short 1-2 hour XC race.
• Dang, just crashed when the guy in front of me stalled on a rock and I tried to go around.  Fortunately, no bike or body injuries.
• Wow, it is sure beautiful out here.  There is a lake in the distance and a mist hanging over all the mountains.
• Man this spinning is killing me, I cannot get any frickin' speed.  It is like those dreams when you are trying to run fast and you don't go anywhere.
• I reached the first pit stop.  I am eating a lot of food.  I tried to get the dirt out of my rear deraiuller so I can shift.  I have 4 hours and 45 minutes to get to the next pit stop.  Hopefully I will be able shift better now.
• Heading up the team big bear climb, sometimes I can shift if I click the shifter and then do a hard pedal kick.  Sometimes not.
• #@$@#%@#$%$@%#$#@%, I was trying to get my chain to shift and my front wheel got on the wrong side of a log and I crashed.  My derailleur is stuck in the spokes.
• Finally go my derauller out, but now my chain keeps falling between the spokes and the rear gears.  I don't know if I bent my rear derailleur or what.
• OK, I figured out if I shift my shifter so it is one below where I really want it will more or less stay on the right gear.
• I am looking at the time and how far I have left and it is going to be a close one.  Time to rip my guts out and go as fast as I can. I am pretty hashed, but if I can just make the cut off to the second pit stop, I can do a death march to the end.
• Man this climb is taking forever, hopefully I can make up time on the downhill.
• Holy $@$%#@$#, this downhill is rocky twisty and slippery, the clock is ticking too fast.
• Finally a bit of faster trail, I think I can still make it. I am burying myself trying to keep a decent pace.
• Hmmm, I turned onto a dirt road, and now I a haven't seen a course marker for a while.  The course has been pretty well marked, so I am probably just being paranoid.
• #%$#@%@#$%^@%, I am in some neighborhood.  This cannot be right.  It has started to hail.
• I'm trying to figure out where I am with the GPS on my phone, but the screen is wet on my hands are muddy and the touch screen is not working.
• #@$!@#$!#@$,!#@$!@#$!#@$!@#$,!#@$^%$&&*#%^%$^#%$^#$%... $%@$#%#$^%#@$%$@#...
• $@#%@#$%@#$%@#$%#@$%...
• @#$%$%....
• @#^%#^%#$%#$^#$%^%$...
• $#@%$. Finally got the GPS working.  I am way off course. #@$!#@. I only have an hour and a half to make  the cut off.  It is going to take me a half hour with a big climb to get back to the course.  And then if I go all out about two hours to ride the next pit stop.  There is no way in @#$% I can make the cut off.
• #!@$@#$. There is no way for me to finish the race. I have decided to ride to the next pit via the road which is only a few miles.  I am so cold and hungry.  This bites.
• I found Connie at the pit stop.  She has brought me lots of food and water and a jacket.  I am done.
• I am consulting with Connie about maybe riding the last 21 mile section of the course.  I wouldn't feel good crossing the finish line knowing I had skipped about 15 miles of the course. But on the other hand maybe I could skip the finish line but at least be able to say I finished a greater percentage of the ride.
• I finally decided I will do the last section even though it will count as a DNF.  I will just go around the finishing line at the end.
• I'm going up a big climb. My legs feel okay.  Not great, but not horrible.  The food and water and rest has revived them a little.
• I have made it about half way up the first climb of the last section.  The rain is starting to pour down.  There is lightening too.
• I just counted the time between the lightening and the thunder.  !#@$, it is only a mile away.  Should I keep going?
• I am sitting here trying to decide what to do.  Even if it wasn't pouring rain, this was going to be a death march.  Now it is going to be a hypothermic death march and a very real physical danger from lightening.  Is it worth it for a DNF?
• I am sliding back down the trail now.  I decided a DNF is not worth it.  I am physically and emotionally exhausted.  I will have to try again some other time.