A race report from Ron last year- enjoy!



Still quite fatigued and sleepy, this report will be some what short
and to the point.
The race was incredible, and every rider rode with true grit and
heart. First let me congratulate and thank each of the members.
Greg who dredged on through his night lap even after his contact blew
out in the wind and fog from hell. He had no depth perception at all,
yet still managed to complete his lap without crashing.
John, who was suffering with bronchitus dug deep and still pulled out
a strong sub 50 minute lap late in the race.
Joe, who reluctantly put in a great Le Mans start and put us ahead of
the traffic jams on the first lap. Joe rode strong and consistant the
whole race.
Rich, who won the fastest night lap competition, and was amazing to
watch. From our camp site we could see the riders go up a section to
climb out of the Laguna Seca Raceway valley. We watched in amazement
as Rich flew through this section dispatching riders like they were
Yugos in a Formula One race. Also to note, Rich really dug down deep
in the last hours and brought the race for first down to a head to
head match on the last lap. And all of this after stepping off a plane
from a week long business trip at 11:30 Friday night.
Special thanks to Larry who served as our team
volunteer/representative to the promoter and helped make sure we were
awake and on time to our transitions. Although not riding, Larry was a
critical contributor to the team and every bit as valuable as any of
the riders.
There was one other guy, a veteran 24 Hour racer. A guy who knows a
little something about pain and suffering. A guy who experienced both
the highs and lows of seeing us move into first place, drop back to
second after dramatic night laps, then loose the coin toss that
decided who would represent the team in a mono e mono show down on the
final lap. As that unlucky rider, barely staving of leg cramps at
camp, I went to the line held together with band aids and bubble gum,
and the legs still twinging from cramp when stepping off of Angela's
massage table.
We took off as two warriors entering the arena in an epic battle for
glory. I can only imagine the suspense that filled Laguna Seca as we
battled out on the trail. Alas, the cramps started up as we entered
the final single track. I did everything I could to flush them out,
but was ultimately forced to ride the last 4 mile climb standing to
keep the legs stretched out. Every pedal stroke was one of extreme
agony as I pushed through cramp. I still kept hope that I might catch
my competitor and pushed on as hard as I could. It was not to be. I
arrived back at the venue with just enough time to see my nemesis
cross the finish with his hands in the air. As I crossed the Bosch
bridge I could hear the announcer congratulate the victor and say "but
where is Team EMC/Documentum?". At that second I exited the covered
bridge and to start the circuit lap around the Paddock/Lagune. Even
though we had been beat, I chose to still show that we were serious
adversaries and stomped the pedals as hard as I could to finish my lap
strong.
We may have finished second in the race, but we EMC/Documentum
recieved a huge amount of recognition by the promoters, and everyone
at the venue will remember us for sure.
Sleep well team, you disserve it!
Ron