Team Hammerhead Bicycles: Mas O Menos 2006

Viva Terlingua!

As it always is, Terlingua was a great race. We arrived at the Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) site at about 9pm Thursday evening and started to set up camp. The weather was a comfortable 72 degrees, and in checking the weather forecasts before leaving Austin it was suppose to be in the 70's all week. We were all looking forward to a great weekend and a great race. Then at 2:30 A.M. the winds were whipping through the CASI site, the camper was rocking back and forth, our campsite was blowing away and the temperature had dropped to the mid-30's. It was a sign of things to come.

Friday morning was bitterly cold and unbelievably windy. We holed up in the camper most of the morning and went out for a short pre-ride in the afternoon. The rest of the team arrived later in the afternoon and hit the trails as well. We all were hoping the front would pass through and Saturday would warm up in time for the race. No such luck.

The morning of the race was cold and windy and generally miserable, but once the race got started I think everyone warmed up pretty quickly. More than the cold, the wind was a real challenge. Out in the flats, the wind was so strong that at times it felt like you were standing still. On the backside of Tres Cuevas it was so strong that if you didn't peddle downhill, the wind nearly stopped you. The course was a real challenge, but everyone on Team Hammerhead performed really well. Dustin, Sergio, Dave and Charles all competed in the 100K marathon. I was going to go for the 100K, but just didn't have the legs for a second lap and stopped after the first 50K. Maybe next year!