Gila Monster!

It was a good day for Ciclistas, although I had a few mechanicals to overcome.  Half way up the first Cat 4 climb, I hit a bump that jarred my odo pick-up into the spokes.  So I had to stop for a few seconds to re-adjust, and it's amazing how fast the peloton rides away from you (I'm not about to try and reach down while riding and risk chopping my fingers in the spokes!).  It took a few more miles for me to chase back on, catching them before the big descent to San Lorenzo.  After re-gaining good position, it happened again!  This time the chase wasn't as long, as the pace had eased a bit - but that was still extra energy I didn't need to spend.  Finally, descending from the Continental Divide, while sitting back and streching, I hit another rut and my saddle tilted back a few degrees - nothing disastrous, just more inconvenience I could do without.

After 54 miles is where the race is decided - over the next 18 miles you have a huge Cat 2 ascent, a descent, then the final Cat 4 climb to the line.  We got to the base in good position (front 1/3 of the peloton), Vince attacked with the lead group, and I adopted my usual "dial-it-back-and-reel-'em-in" pace.  I passed EB and the other DWC boys, and felt really good.  It flattens a bit near the top, and I had the power to keep cranking with a couple other guys.  I left them on the last incline to the top, but I could hear EB's distinctive cough behind me.  We traded pulls on the descent, pulling away from a couple more riders.  EB slowly distanced me on the last climb by 30s, but I crossed the line in 30th with another personal best, 3h48m, only 14m off the winning time.  Vince put in a strong ride, finishing 19th, 9m down.

Overall, a good showing - Vince ended GC in 21st, and I jumped 10 spots to 36th.  I think we did Ciclistas, Montezuma County, and Scotland proud!