AnD oN ThIs daY I ShrEd!!! The definitive CFiTT write up Part 3

At the SR 200 gas station we refueled and chatted and discussed all things bikepacking. We started talking about the finish since it seemed we were riding together. I encouraged him a couple of times to go ahead, but he didn't feel it was honorable since he could not have made it this far without having had followed me. Long story short, we agreed to finish together.

After Leaving that Gas Station we started making our way across Pruitt. Animals, were coming across our path and we almost got sideswiped by a couple of fast moving boars. We kept the pace steady, made the memorial then headed off to Haltapa. I keep peeking at the sky, singing songs off my MP3, keeping my goals short and to the next checkpoint and counting off the miles in 10 mile blocks.

Eventually, after a missed turn, we were on the Haltapa Hell track and it was just as hellish as I remembered it. If you got off the main invisible track even slightly you would be jarred by the uneven terrain. In some parts the mud was like quick sand and it would suck you down into it without warning.

After what seemed to take forever, we popped out back on the road and made our way towards the Canals. I had to put new batteries in my light to keep it bright since I had bought the cheapey batteries cause of my extremely tight budget. It didn't take long before we made the Canal, and started the grassy ride across. We came across a couple of kids at three in the morning having a Bonn fire. Kind of nice.

The weather was perfect, and there was no way I was going to ride during the day considering how delicious these temperatures felt. We got into Pott's and made our way across there. I don't quite remember but Bryan asked to stop and I pedaled ahead to have a seat on a bench, I was feeling SO sleepy. Probably a side effect of eating all that high sugar high carb food and now coming off the insulin spike.

I sat there half dozed then remounted and continued towards the Withlacoochee trail. Once we got on there the exhaustion was a serious factor and when we made the caboose I just laid down on the bench, and slept for 15 to 20 minutes. I was pretty wiped out.

I thought the first forty miles were painful but that last 18 seemed like forever. As we pedaled that damn bike trail, I kept dozing off at the wheel and some time past floral city I had to stop to take another nap.

After that Nap I had managed to adjust my focus and felt refreshed and I started feeling the ambitions of getting to the finish line. Every pedal stroke and every sitting on the seat was a lesson in extreme pain as my chapping was awful. My shorts were sticking to my sores and the pain was nearly unbearable. I would fast pedal for a bit, then carefully stand up on the seat stays and coast for a bit, it was all I could do.

After what seemed like an eternity the sun started rising and we made the turn into the Croom forest.

A couple of what seemed like big climbs, we came across the opening into the 12 mile bailout blue trail that would take us towards the finish.

The trail was in HORRENDOUS shape due to the motorcross scramble they had held earlier that week. Man, this started to feel like insult to injury, then a missed turn later and we ended up back on the road.

I had to fire off the Trackback feature on the Etrex unit and it basically told me to bushwack to get back on track. After dropping several F bombs, we got back on the trail and thank god it was smooth and rideable and in beautiful shape and I started dropping the hammer.

I was feeling new, and refreshed, and like a sprinter from a stage at the Tour De France, I could smell the finish line and started hammering it. The trail was feeling fun and full of flow and I was feeling the rush and the joy of almost being done with the my longest ride ever and my longest fixie ride ever as well.

Eventually I told Bryan we had to climb up to Tucker Hill, but that the single track climb was much better than the road climb to it. Also told him, that we had to make sure we rolled into the parking lot side by side.

Sure enough we pop out, and roll into the parking lot, 25 hours and 37 minutes to the second after we started, 177 miles later.

At the time, we thought we had tied for second place.

But, after I showered, and I watched as Bryan got picked up, I laid a sheet from my sleep kit on the ground in the shade and started resting. I got a call from Rob Roberts who told me my unit was still saying I was in the woods. So I adjusted it, and kept napping till my ride showed.

The end was anti climactic compared to the effort. But I still felt a great sense of accomplishment, it was at that time that Rob Roberts told me, that he never saw Brett's spot Unit make it to Tucker Hill. I texted Brett and he confirmed his withdrawal. Wow, we had won, I had did it. I had delivered on my smack talk. Early Saturday Morning, I had said, the winner may not end up being the fastest, it may just end up being the one who doesn't quit, and that is exactly what happened.

Amazing. For the first time I win a race and its the Longest race and effort I have ever done in my life.

Check back for my final thoughts and thank yous... One more part left....


Laters,

The NaKeD InDiaN