Good job AJ! The event was fantastic. Although there weren't too many riders, I couldn't believe how competitive the group was. I think that the length of the race was perfect. It was a good mix of physical endurance and mental strength.
While others thought that it was more difficult that the Jupiter run, I thought that it was less challenging given the lack of inlets and piers that the Jupiter event has.
The nicest part was the open areas of beach even during spring break. It provided for some fast lines and interesting tactics. We need to do a few more of these things pronto.
I don't know if you noticed, but at the awards it was nice to see all of the riders that just wanted to finish. It is a personal accomplishment for most and offers a unique challenge for anyone.
My hat really goes off to Sean. This was one of the tightest races that I've ever been in. I remember ripping down the coast thinking that he had messed up by being in too close when coming to the inlet. I passed him for the first time just at this point, but then he passed me again just before the pier. I didn't think that he would make it around and then he just slipped by and the chase was on again. For the next 15 - 20 minutes we were really flying and I believe that we passed each other 1 -2 more times. It seemed that he as a bit faster in the really windy stuff while I pulled in on him in the moderate areas.
When we were racing for first, at times we were with in 15 feet of each other. I'd try to go over the top and miss and then try again underneath. I finally made the pass over the top and he got a bit too close to the beach and had to point for a while. I made a pretty good gain and was thinking that the race was over. I could just see the last pier, but Sean was still in shooting distance. I decided to push it pretty hard for a while in hopes of Sean looking back toward Billy instead of up toward me. The unfortunate part was the Sean is a total competitor and never looked back. I got caught by 1 wave very near the shore at it washed me up to the beach. I tried to get going too quickly and was breathing pretty hard. I got washed 3 times and then tried to stand up on the beach. By this point, Sean had already passed me and I was just trying to get out in front of Billy. I decided to give it a go, but my legs failed me! I couldn't even stand up, let alone think about riding. I remember thinking "how the heck have I been riding"? I really didn't think that I'd be able to even finish at this point, but the finish was only about another 6-7 miles. I gave it another shot just as Billy went flying by. Washed up again. After 3-4 times of trying to launch in the strong current and onshore wind, I finally made it out. By this point, Billy and Sean had a good lead. For a few minutes, I thought that I might be able to reel in Billy a bit, but fell another 4 times and decided that I had better stick with 3rd before it turned into a 4th or a 5th.
In all it was a killer ride and racing with Sean, Billy, Gebi (who I helped to dunk in the water just 5 seconds before the start), and Andy was awesome. If you haven't done one of these before, do the next one. You can make it what ever you want to. Go for the win or just accomplish a personal challenge. It's a great ride with a great group of people.
Sean, you are one tough SOB and this was a great win! You deserved it. See you next time.
Thanks AJ and everyone else that made this happen.
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