I understand Lance at Luz Ardiden 2003 now

Nice day for a 70+ mile ride with my son, with a final climb up Tunitas
Creek, a good test of your climbing strength (or lack thereof). The
first 3 miles or so are pretty much flat, the middle three steep and the
last three a gradual uphill full-throttle grind. I had planned on
pushing Kevin (my son) a bit since we'd held back on an earlier climb,
but not all-out. About half a mile from the start of the climb I got
stung by something... could have been a bee (no obvious stinger though
and maybe two spots, and a bee's only got one stinger) or more likely a
yellow jacket. Yellow jackets and I don't get along. Whatever they sting
tends to swell up hugely within a day or so. I was mad. Stopped quickly
to see if there was anything to remove, and then stomped up the hill.
Kevin asked if maybe we should call in the cavalry (get a ride home)
since he's seen what happens to me with yellow jackets before, but I
told him no, what's the point, the swelling won't be bad until tomorrow
*if* it was a yellow jacket, and we can get over the hill before they
could pick us up anyway.

We made it up the hill in record time (for Kevin) even including the 30
second stop. Pure adrenalin. I could have easily gone up a couple
minutes faster than I did. There seemed no limit to the amount of
pressure I could apply to the pedals. I was wondering how long it would
last... long enough was the answer. I was still pulling strongly, with
Kevin barely hanging onto my wheel, on the upper part of the climb.

I was stomping those pedals in anger. As I'm sure Lance was on Luz
Ardiden. Lance, of course, had his adrenalin further inflamed when his
bike skipped out of gear and he slipped on the pedals, nearly removing
him from causing further damage to the gene pool. But for me, the one
incident was more than enough.

The closest to this I recall from racing would have been a flat tire,
but it never felt like this. Maybe the time in the Jr World's trials
when I fell asleep at the wheel, hanging around the wrong part of the
pack when things split and 16 guys went off the front and it was too
long before I noticed and I ended up chasing for 8 miles, dropping
everyone on my wheel, catching the lead guys just in time for the nasty
part of a climb where I couldn't hang on. Yeah, I was crazy mad about
that one, mad at myself, and that did provide quite an adrenalin rush.
But this was even more.

Or maybe it was a radioactive spider.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

On 8/21/2011 6:17 PM, Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
Nice day for a 70+ mile ride with my son, with a final climb up Tunitas
Creek, a good test of your climbing strength (or lack thereof). The
first 3 miles or so are pretty much flat, the middle three steep and the
last three a gradual uphill full-throttle grind. I had planned on
pushing Kevin (my son) a bit since we'd held back on an earlier climb,
but not all-out. About half a mile from the start of the climb I got
stung by something... could have been a bee (no obvious stinger though
and maybe two spots, and a bee's only got one stinger) or more likely a
yellow jacket. Yellow jackets and I don't get along. Whatever they sting
tends to swell up hugely within a day or so. I was mad. Stopped quickly
to see if there was anything to remove, and then stomped up the hill.
Kevin asked if maybe we should call in the cavalry (get a ride home)
since he's seen what happens to me with yellow jackets before, but I
told him no, what's the point, the swelling won't be bad until tomorrow
*if* it was a yellow jacket, and we can get over the hill before they
could pick us up anyway.

We made it up the hill in record time (for Kevin) even including the 30
second stop. Pure adrenalin. I could have easily gone up a couple
minutes faster than I did. There seemed no limit to the amount of
pressure I could apply to the pedals. I was wondering how long it would
last... long enough was the answer. I was still pulling strongly, with
Kevin barely hanging onto my wheel, on the upper part of the climb.

I was stomping those pedals in anger. As I'm sure Lance was on Luz
Ardiden. Lance, of course, had his adrenalin further inflamed when his
bike skipped out of gear and he slipped on the pedals, nearly removing
him from causing further damage to the gene pool. But for me, the one
incident was more than enough.

The closest to this I recall from racing would have been a flat tire,
but it never felt like this. Maybe the time in the Jr World's trials
when I fell asleep at the wheel, hanging around the wrong part of the
pack when things split and 16 guys went off the front and it was too
long before I noticed and I ended up chasing for 8 miles, dropping
everyone on my wheel, catching the lead guys just in time for the nasty
part of a climb where I couldn't hang on. Yeah, I was crazy mad about
that one, mad at myself, and that did provide quite an adrenalin rush.
But this was even more.

Or maybe it was a radioactive spider.


Wasps have also been known to have this effect.

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
We made it up the hill in record time (for Kevin) even including the 30
second stop. Pure adrenalin.
Or maybe it was a radioactive spider.

Jimmy July wrote:
Wasps have also been known to have this effect.

But only after being confined to inner tubes.

On Aug 22, 4:35*pm, Jimmy July wrote:
On 8/21/2011 6:17 PM, Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:









Nice day for a 70+ mile ride with my son, with a final climb up Tunitas
Creek, a good test of your climbing strength (or lack thereof). The
first 3 miles or so are pretty much flat, the middle three steep and the
last three a gradual uphill full-throttle grind. I had planned on
pushing Kevin (my son) a bit since we'd held back on an earlier climb,
but not all-out. About half a mile from the start of the climb I got
stung by something... could have been a bee (no obvious stinger though
and maybe two spots, and a bee's only got one stinger) or more likely a
yellow jacket. Yellow jackets and I don't get along. Whatever they sting
tends to swell up hugely within a day or so. I was mad. Stopped quickly
to see if there was anything to remove, and then stomped up the hill.
Kevin asked if maybe we should call in the cavalry (get a ride home)
since he's seen what happens to me with yellow jackets before, but I
told him no, what's the point, the swelling won't be bad until tomorrow
*if* it was a yellow jacket, and we can get over the hill before they
could pick us up anyway.

We made it up the hill in record time (for Kevin) even including the 30
second stop. Pure adrenalin. I could have easily gone up a couple
minutes faster than I did. There seemed no limit to the amount of
pressure I could apply to the pedals. I was wondering how long it would
last... long enough was the answer. I was still pulling strongly, with
Kevin barely hanging onto my wheel, on the upper part of the climb.

I was stomping those pedals in anger. As I'm sure Lance was on Luz
Ardiden. Lance, of course, had his adrenalin further inflamed when his
bike skipped out of gear and he slipped on the pedals, nearly removing
him from causing further damage to the gene pool. But for me, the one
incident was more than enough.

The closest to this I recall from racing would have been a flat tire,
but it never felt like this. Maybe the time in the Jr World's trials
when I fell asleep at the wheel, hanging around the wrong part of the
pack when things split and 16 guys went off the front and it was too
long before I noticed and I ended up chasing for 8 miles, dropping
everyone on my wheel, catching the lead guys just in time for the nasty
part of a climb where I couldn't hang on. Yeah, I was crazy mad about
that one, mad at myself, and that did provide quite an adrenalin rush.
But this was even more.

Or maybe it was a radioactive spider.

Wasps have also been known to have this effect.

Yep, just ask Museeuw.