CATCH UP DAY...!

We woke up for day 2 in the bomb shelter to a loud Swiss snore and a sleep talker from Brazil. We then threw Peter’s kit in the dryer to shake out the little bit of moisture left from Brooks’ hand washing. Note to clothing sponsor, the only athlete here having 1 kit (from 8 years ago) for a multi-day race.

(Brooks and Dean) started to get worried at breakfast, it seemed EVERYONE was feeling great, and our guy was the only sore one in the bunch. We keep Peter positive and blasted the heat in the wan (Czech for Van) to start warming his muscles. The start of today left from the top of the climb from Volcano (from the day before at around 4000 ft and descended 25 miles before hitting some rolling roads, a flat road by the ocean, and then a climb out, before some more rollers, a stretch through town, a beautiful 57 miles of rollers, two final climbs, and a pretty technical yet fun looking descent. I figured another run-on today wouldn’t hurt…Clemson did beat up on the Gamecocks today.

So back to the race, Tony O’Keefe descended like a bat out of hell and put 4 minutes on the rest of the competitors. Peter came down with a group containing the rest of the contenders. Due to his soreness in his lats from cramping in the swim he pulled over we took his jacket off (again note clothing sponsor), gave him the first of 10,000 bottles on the day, applied a fresh pair of Rudy Project glasses and Peter sprinted off to mark the rest of the big boys. It was going to be a good day!

Over the next several miles everybody started to sort out there positions. Peter ended up marking (sighting) O’Keefe with Alexendre Ribeiro and Josef Ajram who are excellent cyclists and strong climbers. He looked strong all day and even smiled (three times I think). The nutrition plan we set this morning worked great. Peter got a little tired of the gels though and it became apparent when he told Dean, “I don’t vont any of doz vucking gels! saw-wee.” Yes, he actually apologized after hammering for 100 miles! Ribeiro turned on the jets with about 55 miles to go, Peter accelerated when he did is well and as the say “the race was on.” Clearly, Ribeiro wanted to put distance between his time and Peter going into the run tomorrow. They both rode hard to the end and Ribeiro came out a little on top today with the second fastest second day time in the history of the race. Peter posted the 4^th fastest ever. Peter has been raving about his new 2009 Beyond Fabrications frameset and 62mm deep Beyond Fabrications carbon wheel set. He likes the way the ceramic bearings roll and how stable the rims were in the varying wind conditions over the last 261.4 miles.

Race Results after Day -2 Total and (171 mile stage 2 bike )

1. Ribeiro - 15hr34m56s (7hr20m41s bike)

2. O'Keefe - 15hr44m56s (7hr36m28s)

3. Kotland - 16hr05m28s (7hr27m27s)

Note: Total time is faster then his 1997 split after day 2 by 13m26s

4. Ajram - 16hr06m53s (7hr31m50s)

5. Kregar - 16hr21m08s (7hr43m33s)

Total Race Results: http://ultramanlive.com/2008-ultraman-world-championships/2008-results-page/

Without witnessing today for yourselves, you will have to trust us when we say this day was unbelievable. The front runners set the pace early and the objective was to put as much time between them and Peter before the run. The pace was brutal, with 171 miles of racing and 8000+ feet of climbing. The toughness of the 4 guys upfront (whom represent Canada, Czech/USA, Brazil, and Spain) was unbelievable. These guys are good, no great! No question from our crew that these racers represent some of the best athletes in the world. It is truly remarkable to see these guys hammer, particularly after 8 plus hours of intense racing the day before. Now everyone gets to sleep and run 52.4 miles!!

There is certainly a gap that needs to be made up but Peter is recovering well and has a positive attitude. This was apparent when as we just drove to our favorite watering hole (coffee) Lava Java and he yelled at all of the bad drivers. Peter has downed his meal and the crew is about to eat our first solid meal since breakfast at 5am. We all have important jobs to do tomorrow. There are some great runners in this race and some large deficits that need to be made up. We cannot give away the motivational talk that has been discussed this evening because we know some other competitors are reading this. Hey Gary Wang! But we have a plan and will execute it well and let the chips fall as they may. Its only a Sunday Stroll.

We want to make the statement that we are sorry if this blog offends anyone, but several of Peter’s friends wanted the play by play of the week. We provide the thoughts that we have discussed or laughed about here, either initiated by the crew or the man him self. It is all in good fun and it provides us with great comic relief and has been a great tool to keep the mood light and in keeping Peter in a good place mentally during this grueling 3-day race.