Here I am......about to make my quest into Jurassic park!

It is best that I start this email by stating some important facts about the Anegada Desert Duel:

The race started around 10AM.
The winner Brian from Antigua crossed the finish line in just over an hour.

12PM (that is, 2 hours after the race started) I was classified as MISSING by Andy and a search and rescue party including Jim, Victoria and others set-out to find me. Those are the hard cold facts as far as I am concern.

Be sure to read this email sitting down. In my previous emails I have tried to be as candid as possible but in relating my experience in the Anegada Desert Duel I will not even make an attempt to be candid.

Last Friday I told Mark (FEDEX) Armstrong that I had absolutely no intentions of doing the Anegada Desert Duel. Mark said he was doing for the fun. That said, I then decided I would do it for the fun.

By Friday evening I had commitments from both Keisha and Rick that I could secure the use of a MTB from either of them.

Saturday morning I collected Keisha’s MTB. After spending about 3 hours in the office I had a late lunch and went home to prepare Keisha’s MTB for the Anegada Desert Duel. I know I am not cut out for manual labour for example mixing concrete or pulling nuts and bolds. I am happy that I have a job that requires use of the little part of my brain that works occasionally if any at all. Now that it seems that I am more in tune with cycling than anything else, I am also happy that I did what I did to be able to earn and eat using that little part of my brain that today fails more often than it works.

If I had to pull nuts and bolds and eat, I would be a dead duck. In preparing the MTB, I had to change the seat and the pedals. The seat I changed very easily. One pedal I got off with relatively little effort. But the second pedal took me from 4PM to 6PM before I called in Pat as reinforcement in my quest to get the d…… pedal off. Prior to calling Pat, I called Mark and told him I would stop by his house to see if together we could get the pedal off. You have to understand that I was in a truly pedal crisis.

Once I had the pedal changed I was more or less ready for Anegada. I packed my bag overnight……….In order of priority cycling gears, swim trunks, towel etc.

At the crack of dawn Sunday morning I was up………………….Coffee, oats, etc. and of course a good use of the bathroom as I am not taking any chance considering the fact that we had to take a ferry. I really don’t know much about you but race mornings I generally have an overly excessive active bladder and severe loose bowels………….maybe due to carbo loading and excessive hydrating……………….Talking about carbo loading and hydrating……….Frankly I think in my case it just does not make a G………….D………………difference what I eat as so far this year I am yet to perform credible for all the D………….miles I have cycled and the pain in the A……..s that I have endured. JEEZ cycling is just one unforgiving sport….......Since carbo loading and hydrating is all a part of the diet and nutrition psycho baloney gab of cycling……….Have you heard about 5 a day? A wannabee should aim to eat 5 a day from the fruit and vegetable group. Unfortunately I think even if I go 10 a day it would not make a difference for me. So much on that………….

On Sunday morning I called up Mark and Akeel and made arrangements to pick them up at specific time. Akeel 6.30AM and Mark at 7.15AM. I also called Rick and secured a MTB for young Akeel. I gave Pat a wake up and she in turn gave Jackie a wake up call.

Mark, Akeel and I arrived at the Trellis ferry dock at 7.00AM. Most people and the ferry were relatively on time. We met a few new people and chatted while we waited.

Around 7.30AM we all boarded the Speedy’s ferry and by around 7.55AM we were on our way to Anegada. While riding on the ferry I thought to myself that cyclists are truly a special breed of people as only a bunch of cyclists would jump on a ferry with their bikes to race (compete is a better word) in another place like Anegada which I later liken to Jurassic Park or a Forbidden Place.

Most people would not have realised this but I could not help but observe that on the ferry ride which lasted about 45 minutes, Al had a bowl with food and he ate for the entire 45 mins. Each time I though he was finished I saw him dig deeper into the bowl for something else. I was too embarrassed to ask him what he was eating. After awhile I even felt embarrass for Al……………..If he had a pot of food it would not be so bad but the guy is amazing as he managed to pack enough food in bowl that took him 45 mins. to eat.

Al………….I am really curious, what were you eating?

I am now ashamed to say that all I ever had to eat prior to any race is a bowl of Quaker Oats……………….Jeez no wonder I am starving during the races when you going like Flash!

Anyways, almost like a ritual as soon Al finished eating he got some kind of oil or ointment and started to massage down him legs. I could help but note to myself…………..that that is how you identify a pro cyclist.

By 9.15 we were at the hotel where the Anegada Desert Duel would start.

As soon as we got to the hotel we went about changing into full cycling gear. I quickly located the bathroom/restroom/changing room, unfortunately as soon I dropped my pants and underwear Neil was passing by saw me changing and shouted “MARK THAT IS THE WOMEN’S BATHROOM!!!” I think the lady who was using the bathroom had obviously realised that a male intruder was in the bathroom so she just stayed put for a while longer. I apologised profusely without seeing her face while making a hasty retreat to the exit to find the male bathroom.

As soon as we were changed we set out to warm-up. I rode for less than I would 2 mins in the sand before coming to the conclusion that for the Anegada Desert Duel I am going to have very long day. 2 mins in my warm-up is what the pro called hard sand I stopped, got off my bike and could not for the life of me re-mount the d…….bike.

My friends, I can now ride my rollers for 45mins with just 1 or 2 not many cyclists on island can ride rollers. Rollers are almost like riding on ice. Well let me tell you something, 2 mins in my warm up, I could not re-mount my bike in sand………..You can now start forming in your mind why it took well over 2 hours to finish the Anegada Desert Duel!

In second warm up attempt I went out with the big boys………Chris, Al, Mark (FEDEX), Neil and of course young Akeel. About 200 meters of paved/concrete road and another 200 meter in the sand……………..Of the big boys went much much further in the sand. After numerous near tumbling over I concluded that since I was just warming-up it is pointless falling so early. Hence at around the 200 meter mark I abandoned my warm up exercise………………….I am now truly in the Anegada Desert Duel for the fun of it and to conquer what lies ahead.

9.45AM we all lined up for the race…………David said his 2-bits thanking Edith and Rawlinson and Hunter et al…….Then it was Jim’s time to provide the information on the race course.

Jim 1st asked who would be doing the short course/fun novice………………11 cyclists in the line indicated that they would and I was not one of them. The short course was about 11 miles with about 1 mile in the sand and small section on corals rocks and the rest on paved/concrete road surface. Including amongst the cyclists doing the short course was Pat and Jackie………………………..

Pat and Jackie did the long course for the Anegada Desert Duel last year………………….I was not there but from what they told I am not sure how David even managed to get them on the ferry this year………………They swore blind last year and well into this year that they would not set foot back on Anegada to race…………….From what they told me, last year they got lost and when the returned to the finish everybody had eaten and people were packing up their stuff. For my good friends Anegada was to hell and back……………..Pat and Jackie are integral to my cycling experience and I value their judgment highly but even so I was not going to do the short course as I am out to tumble and conquer……………..A decision I would later regret during the course of the race as I doubted myself going through the sand and coral rocks.

Once Jim I had a clear indication of the those doing the short course and those doing the long course he then went about giving the routes for the different courses……..The short course was relatively simple………………Out the hotel left to the round about, left at the roundabout about 1 to 2 miles of sand to the flag post, turn around head back past the roundabout up the paved/concrete road to the junction where there is fork/Y and if my memory serves me correct take the left and then turn around and head back to the hotel. That was relatively straightforward. However, young Akeel and a few others may have gotten it wrong by the fork/Y.

Jim then proceeded to provide the route for the long……………………..When Jim reached the point where he said “you make a turn into some coral rocks and there are few sinkholes and lots of bushes be careful………………….My mind went completely blanked and I resolved to getting lost.

To be continued……………………….

© Copyright 2003 BVI Cycling Federation

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