What an amazing experience

It is done, i had to dismount 3 times but i was able to complete the Vuelta. Of the 3 times i had to dismount i think that i could have been able to make 2. The only one i wouldnt have been able to make in my current shape and gearing was La Pared due to the fact that there was a small upslope before the turn into it.

Day 1 started off inauspicious from the tour's perspective due to the weather (winds and rain) but from my perspective i was feeling good. Riding in group b was a breeze for quite a while, i did have to spin pretty fast but i was able to easily keep to the front for the first 70-75 miles (i even got frustrated with some of the slowing that was happening).

One of my other big concerns was riding in the peleton, my first issue was as i was riding a smaller frame track as i did during training i would sit up in the seat to stretch and spin coast. However i was quickly called out by the captains to stay on the handlebars. I learned my lesson once i realized what they were saying and it was directed at me. From that point forward i would try to only track sit when i was outside the peleton.

At mile 70-75 the captains picked up the pace hard and there was a point on a slight downhill where i could not spin enough to keep up (my guess is they were going 25-27 for a stretch). That dropped me to the back of group b. I got to the rest stop before Camino Nuevo did a quick refresh then decided to try and hit Camino Nuevo from the back of the pack. If you remember climbs and descents would be the hardest area for me to work with/around the peleton. On a single speed i need maximum velocity while hitting the hill to get as much momentum and torque as possible and then finish the hill by either powering through it, stand climbing, or s-climbing (where you make s curves to ameliorate the gradient). To tackle Camino Nuevo i decided to try and s-climb) the steepest slope. The early gradient was easy but the steepest slope required the s-climb. I finished 2 s's but then the error of hitting it from behind hit me, the following cars stayed tight behind the peleton and my 3rd s almost made me hit one of the cars. Thats when i determined it was too dangerous and got off and walked the bike. It was disappointing and walking the bike wound up being fairly taxing as you had to spend a significant amount of time in the sun with no moving air (someone's bike computer showed 105 degress in the concrete area of the rest stop prior to Camino Nuevo).

To make matters worse i arrived at the Lunch stop 5 minutes before group b was leaving. I was tired and a little dejected but i decided to go against my plan, which was to drop from group b to group c after Camino Nuevo, and i quickly refilled my Camelbak and scarfed down some lunch and hopped right back on the bike. For the first 20 minutes all seemed ok i felt strong, was riding towards the front of the group again and was happy to stay with group b. However after 20 minutes the folly of my ways hit me, i got severe gas pains. Wolfing down the lunch so quick wound up being a bad move, i should have either ate lighter and relied on my gels or waited for group c. I got dropped to the back quickly and needed a rest stop badly. I was with a group of 10 in the back when we lost group b. We had no idea where we were going and wound up going a few miles in the wrong direction and doubling back a few times before someone could tell us where to go. When we got to the rest stop group b was nowhere to be found. About half of us stayed and waited for group c and the rest tried to catch up to group b.

So about 110 miles with group b day one not bad, had i been a little stronger and a little smarter i could have finished with group b and perhaps done Camino Nuevo. At the end of the day about 10-15 miles out of Ponce i caught a pinch flat while riding towards the front of group c. As it was on the rear of my bike i was unable to fix it, there was no SAG after the last rest stop so it looked like i was stranded. As i was walking along the side of the highway a gentleman with a bike rack pulled me in.

Day 2 i decided to ride with group b because i knew i did not want to ride day 3 with group b (more on that later). Day 2 was the most fun, it was alot of rollers and really showed the weakness of single speed on a ride like this. This was the roller ride. Lots of light rolling hills. While i would power through the early parts of the uphill rollers past the other riders the downhill had them blowing by me as i was not geared high enough to do anything other than uselessly spin. Nonetheless i was able to keep the group in my sights pretty much the whole ride. As with most of the ride there were some beautiful sights. One stop had a great beach where one cyclist took off her shoes and socks and jumped into the water, and a large fish (i thought it was a dolphin but was quickly corrected) jumped out of the water several times. It was such a beautiful setting i could not begin to describe it. There was also a bar where i was able to order a malta for some good extra carbs.

Towards the end of the ride i passed a fellow rider who had flatted. When i asked if everything was ok she said yes but i remembered what happened to may at the end of day 1 so i stopped. It winds up her tire lever was broken so she could use mine. Shortly afterwards the Tienda Bike SAG car came by and actually did the repair. If that SAG car didnt come by should would have been stranded so it was good that i stopped. She then proceeded to pull me to the finish of day 2.

For day 3 i decided to start with group c because the groups started in reverse. Because they started in reverse if you were having a bad day and fell out of group b you would be dropped into...group a...ouch. The reverse stagger is done to try and ensure all groups arrive at the last rest stop at around the same time so we could all head out from the last rest stop at the same time as one big group. I had thought we were leaving at 6 but it winds up the group was leaving from the Mayaguez Holiday Inn at 6. Where i was in Mayaguez they were leaving at 5:30. I got out of the hotel at 5:35, there were some family member saying they already left so i sped down to the area where we stopped yesterday (i didnt know the route something else i did wrong), but i was unable to catch them. I then went back to the bakery they had left from. There were about 7 other riders there who were also late. One of them knew that the next stop was the Mayaguez Holiday Inn but none of them knew how to get there. Luckily i knew how to get there but the only way i knew was on Route 2 which i thought would be very dangerous (little did i know thats where they were actually riding on that morning) so i lead the group of 7 to the Holiday Inn and we wound up catching group c right before they got to the Holiday Inn.

Day 3 wound up being the hardest day for many many reasons. The first being the issue of riding single speed in a peleton, with group b it wasnt as much an issue except for Camino Nuevo as there was decent spacing on most of the ascents and descents. For group c that was not the case. As we we headed up some smaller hills i would call "coming left" and would try and go to the outside of the peleton as i sped up the incline and then waved them to pass me as my cadence dropped. At the lighthouse rest stop in Rincon a ride captain told me to leave in the back of the group because we turned into a big hill. So i held back until everyone was heading up the hill but the same issue occurred, right behind the last rider the SAG cars came. I realized i wouldnt be able to climb with the SAG cars as what happened on Camino Nuevo so i quickly built up whatever momentum and speed i could and hit the hill. I passed to the right of the SAG cars and immediately hit the peleton, i called coming left and powered up the hill. The hill was tough but it was actually something i could have easily taken. Unfortunately there were alot of people uncliping on the hill and while some in the back initially made a hole for me as i neared the top i think one of the riders on the left panicked as i was coming fast behind him and he fell in front of me right near the crest. I felt bad because i think my powering up fast was what caused him to fall (not necessarily the hill).

For the remaining climbs that day the group actually had me at the front of the peleton. I felt bad that they had to treat me differently but at the same time it allowed me to make many climbs that i think i would have been unable to do in the group. I even got encouragement on the climbs from the tour director as he was on the bullhorn saying "Go Paco, Go Paco". Even with all of that i couldnt make it up La Pared, i think too much was taken out of my prior and it has a small bump before the steep incline took alot out of me. I didnt even start s-climbing i just knew i had nothing and gave up pretty quickly. It was the only time during the tour that i actually gave up because i didnt have it. As the 3rd day wore on it began to wear me down the climb up Guajataca was tough just when you see the flag and think you are done going uphill against the tradewinds and the rain that started during the climb you turn the corner and see it just gets steeper. It was one of several climbs that i was able to successfully tackle on the 3rd day. However i dont think it was the climbs that took the most out of me it was the tradewinds. As the day wore on i was dropped out of the pack from time to time and had to fight them.

At one point about 15 of us found ourselves just out of reach of the group. Thats when a gentlemen who's name i forgot but i will call Colorado (cause that is where he was from) with the RAAM for Jules bib shorts asked if i wanted to draft him, i said no lets you and i pull these guys back to the group so we can all draft. So we did a 2 line pull. About 30 yards out i was out of gas but the group we were pulling was able to make it to the pack. I started to think that i wouldnt be able to make it to the pack and would have to fight the tradewinds all the way to the next rest stop. Thats when i noticed Colorado slowly begin to fall back from the back. He came back for me and let me draft him back into the pack. What a selfless and awesome move. It was sorely needed because after another uphill we hit a downhill that i went into a crouch for. When i got out of the crouch i was seeing stars, and for a long time. I was dizzy. Very, very dizzy. When we finally made it to the second to last rest stop i was in trouble. I couldnt talk and it took all i had to get to grab some fruit and get to some shade, after some brief rest i wobbled over to the Gatorade, downed what i could, filled my pack with water and took off.

Somehow the ride to Dorado rejuvenated me and i pulled into the last rest stop strong. As we were getting ready to leave i decided to stay in the back of the pack. I had heard that people fought to get to the front going into San Juan and i did not want any part of that. Then as we were leaving the tour director called out my name and asked me to come forward. He announced that i was the first person to ever complete La Vuelta PR on single speed and he announced my gearing. At which point i was asked to hold my bike up and some people snapped photos. I then went back to the back of the pack. The tour director then called the captains up front and a few others and he also called me back up front. We were to ride as a group ahead of the pack and in front of the Director's car. It was a great honor. At one point as we neared San Juan one of the female riders came back to me (i was in the back/middle of the lead pack) and said "Fixie" (everyone had taken to calling me Fixie by the second day) come. I said uh oh what more hills as she cleared a hole for us on the left. She said no. As i was brought to the very front of the group the professional photographers took a picture of me and me and the tour director. They asked me if i was tired and i said yeah a little but i was still strong enough to do a higher than 20 mph clip. For the pictures i kept flashing the peace sign but they kept saying hold out 1 finger. I thought they meant that to mean single speed or the first so i did that but then they said no gimme the middle finger (they wanted attitude). Little did they know even though i was New Yorker through and though, and had been a bike messenger for a spell in the early 90's, that was very much against my nature. Nonetheless i gave them the middle finger and some tongue. However i later realized that i should have used the time to do some real showboating like the traffic skimming crouch slants, or the cycling with no hands, or some track jumps. I wasted the opportunity to give them some cool stuff that they probably would have enjoyed. Oh well.

Finally i would be remiss if i didnt say that there were a TON of people that i met that were amazing, awesome and helped me a ton in this endeavor. They made the ride that much more amazing.

Perhaps i will try it again and train to make it up every single hill on that gear ratio or even higher...but there are many more adventures to take on. This is one i will never forget.