I apologize in advance if this causes a bad mental image for anyone. Please read with caution.
Last night I dreamed I was descending on the Keene hill at Ironman USA. I was in total control. My speed was around 50mph and everything was perfect. Then it happened! I had a front tire blowout on my clincher rim. I couldn’t control my bike, it felt like I was on ice. I crashed violently and ended up in the rocky ditch. What a nightmare! I hope this never comes true.
I fear that every time I hit that descent
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Nice!
I thought it was gong to be the
-training problems
-bad bum syndrome
-crazy lodging costs
-collapsing on the run
really we could pick from so many but that is a nice one you brought up.
Andrew
I’m lost as to why you even posted that…I mean, seriously, are you that bored today?
Bob
**bad bum syndrome **
I’m really bored today. You must elaborate on this one.
That would certainly cost you a few pounds of flesh.
Stop it…
I think it was in 2001 going down the Keene hill I hear…on your left…I thought WTF and checked my speed…52 mph…dude goes by and we hit the sweeping right hander…he didn’t make the turn…he left the road and bounced a few times as I went by. Spectacular! I asked Riely a few days after the race if the dude was okay he said that he was. I checked my brakes since then. No more 50+ on that decent.
“I’m lsot as to why you even posted that…I mean, seriously, are you that bored today?”
-Bob
What is lsot? LOL! This could be a response to any post. I like it. Can I use it as my tag-line?
I believe that is where I had the death wobble. I thought I was going to lose control, but got out of the aerobars and slowed the bike down. Very scary!
This is good news. Now your next dream should see you handling it just fine.
Watch the gold watch carefully,
you are feeling sleepy. sleeeeepy. oh soooo sleeeepy.
You are descending keene. Your tire goes flat. you’ve been here before. But the laws of physics hold true here, here in real life. Your wheels don’t seize up, they still roll! oh they roll, just slower and bumpier!, but they roll roll they ROLL!!!
You will slow down. bumpity bump bump. You will not panic, and you will hold a straight line. Apply the brake first to the wheel that isn’t flat. It’s okay to pray, but keep your eyes open, and don’t fold your hands together. God will forgive errors in protocol. You are slowing and holding it steady. Now you can look around before you move toward the edge of the road. Everyone who sees it thinks you are cool…and you are!! you so are!!
You stop, you are safe. If anyone is watching shrug like it happens every other day. Change your damn tire, and keep going.
Now wake up and stop fearing things that won’t happen as badly as you think they might.
Paul
Use Tufo Clinchers and you will have nothing to be scared of. 
Paul, thank you. I feel much better.
Descending into Keene during a downpour in IMLP 2002 is probably the most scared I have ever been on a bike. I could feel the bike shimmy a bit on the last sweeping right curve and thought I was going down. Took a long time to settle my nerves on 9N afterwards.
Another time during a training weekend I got buzzed by an 18-wheeler on the Keene descent, that wasn’t fun either. At least you won’t have to worry about that on race day. ; )
That is the scariest part of the bike, I find myself feathering the brakes and hope that i don’t have a blow out.
…brief addendum,
“Thank whomever you prayed to…and do everything you promised if he’d/she’d just get you out of this…”
Paul
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if you are getting buzzed by 18 wheelers decending out of Keene you need to be going FASTER!
“I’m lsot as to why you even posted that…I mean, seriously, are you that bored today?”
-Bob
What is lsot? LOL! This could be a response to any post. I like it. Can I use it as my tag-line?
What’s even funnier is that he went back and fixed it!
Some nut job (probably one of you guys) got up and started sprinting to catch a draft off my SUV (sorry) as I was leaving Lake Placid at the peak of that hill in ‘06. 50+ mph isn’t enough for ya’? jeepers… I was feathering the whole way down in my practice run and still hit 45 mph…
Take this for what it is worth. Perhaps not much.
In real life I actually did have a pretty good scare on the Keene decent. I was really going fast. My speed was in the 55mph range. I had a 55x11 gear, 165mm cranks and a slight tailwind. Anyway, this minivan passes me. They pass slowly, because I am going at car-speed. Then when they get in front of me, out of nowhere, they slam on the brakes! My life passes before my eyes and I immediately think of Davis Phinney when he crashed into the back of a car. I slam on my brakes (thanking God that I chose aluminum rims) and it is rapidly apparent that my brakes won’t stop me as fast as the van is stopping.
I then had to chose between the lesser of two evils, the rocky ditch or the on coming lane. I chose the on coming lane. I don’t know why. Thank God there were no cars heading in the opposite direction. I was still applying my brakes (in a death grip) and I finally stopped about 300 feet after the minivan had stopped. I couldn’t ride anymore. My rims were scalding hot and my nerves were shot.
The minivan people got out (completely unaware of me) and started taking pictures of the fall foliage. I just shook my head and realized that riding outside is dangerous and riding in the LP area with all the tourists can be especially crazy. This is one the reasons why I won’t train there very often. You really put yourself on the line. From the side of the road, I called my wife and she picked me up. I couldn’t continue. I’m sure my tires would have rolled. While I was waiting I thought about Benny Vansteelant and how I should be using my computrainer more.
Perhaps that experience was the genesis of my nightmare - or it could have been all the beer last night. : -)
meh… any time the speedo goes over 40 I think “stop looking at your speed and pay attention to the road”. Once I get up over the 50+ mark… I just think “well, at least it’ll be over quickly” which, strangely, puts me at ease.
Scariest decent was 59.1 mph decent (didn’t know it was that fast until I downloaded the file later) on the back side of Middlebury Gap during the Green Mountain Stage Race. There’s a sweeping right at the bottom of the hill that I just BARELY made. If I’d so much as touched my brakes I’d be nothing but a “red mist and a memory”… as we used to say in the 'Corps.
Good times.