2013 Around the Bend 400K Ride report

Around the Bend 400K (March 2, 2013)

Tom Baker put together a sweet 400K with minimal traffic stops & very little climbing...perfect recipe for a fast 400! I planned out my food & water consumption, customized my cue sheets & arranged a carpool with my brevet buddy Steve Atkins. I have 8-10 different jerseys to choose from, and I'm guessing Steve has more than I do...yet we both independently chose to wear our (matching) Whitney Classic jerseys. Ironic considering the flat elevation profile of this event.

At the Start, I noticed Jack & Kathy Twitchell had come in from California. Their tandem was noticeably absent, and when Kathy saw my confused look, she pointed out her broken arm. She and Jack had got their wheel caught in a road crack & crashed on a 300K a few weeks prior. Kathy suffered a broken arm, gashed temple & some other minor cuts and Jack was a bit banged-up...so they took a small break before riding the last 50+ miles to the finish! I should have burned thier example into my mind...but I had no suspicions that this route might challenge me.

Everything went as planned for the first 80-miles (through Gila Bend). The temperatures were milder than last year and  the wind was not as strong...so conditions felt ripe for a personal record!

Ride was going better than planned. Headed north on old Hwy 80 (between Gila Bend & Buckeye), 6-rider group using double pace-line to protect against cross wind. Wonderful to ride most of the day with Roger Peskett, Mike Enfield, Catherine Shenk, Dick Wiss & Steve Atkins (clockwise from left rear). Glenn (from Seattle) also joined us sporadically.

Control at Mile-117...Lots of good stuff! Feeling great & making record time.

Tom Baker & Kathy Twitchell were waiting for us at the Maricopa, Gila Bend, Palo Verde & Riggs Rd controls. I felt surprisingly good through the first 140-miles...better than I can ever remember. On our approach to Phoenix International Raceway, I started feeling weak, overheated & noticed my HR going up without any increase in my effort. I shortened my pull at the front of the peloton and tried to recover in the back. Five or six miles later, we pulled into a welcome Circle K to refresh our water bottles & take advantage of some porta-potties.

Catherine Shenk & Steve Atkins at Circle K (mile-146)

Steve & Dick Wiss at Circle K

My trusty steed at Circle K...moments before I visited the Porta-potty...and blood!

The pain I was experiencing made more sense when I noticed blood in my urine. Nothing to do except get on the bike and hope for the best. I quietly told Steve about the blood, but didn't mention it to the others. I really started to suffer around mile-165...pain & the psychological defeat of wondering what was causing the blood flow (should I go to the hospital?, is it dehydration?, should I ride through it?, etc). By the time we reached the stop @ mile-180, I decided to play it safe & have my wife pick me up & take me to Urgent Care (mile-180 was about 7-miles from my house). I figured I had enough time to get checked out & then return to the course & finish before the time eliminations. This was also going to be a way to stop slowing down my friends.

Ruthann (wife) & Stassja (daughter) performed ambulance duty and took me to the closest urgent care facility

 As I was waiting to be admitted, my mind thought back on Kathy, who recently finished her brevet with a broken arm. Feelings of regret were welling up, and I was frantically trying to make myself feel better by justifying my decision on Facebook.

Waiting for test results...which confirmed what I already knew...my urine was full of blood.

The doctor insisted that I wasn't dehydrated, and prescribed an antibiotic to fight off the likely culprit...a urinary tract infection. He told me the of waves strength sapping pain were caused by the regular 'Frank blood' that was steadily leaking out (sorry...gross). He warned that continued exercise could cause the infection to go 'septic', and spread through other parts of my body. His recommendation was "don't do anything until the blood stops flowing". I decided to call it a day and not finish the final 70-miles.


Looks like I'll be riding the Solana Beach 400K after all (March 16th)...need to get a successful 400K in the books ASAP! I've had my share of failures..and nothing feels better than a little redemption.