The road race portion of the Green Mountain Stage Race was epic. That's the only way to describe it. The race began in the rain, a steady downpour. I got to the race a little too late to sign in. I was sure this would mean a huge penalty to my GC placement (really, I wasn't too concerned about GC, but still, it's not fun thinking about how I might be penalized). The course had a little of everything a road race should have: climbs, descents, dirt, riding through town, cruising the countryside. The last 4 km of the course was brutal--a steady 18% grade with harsh wind and rain. I could hear the announcer probably half an hour prior to finishing. That helped to keep going, but still. The last 100 meters felt like a couple 
of miles of pain, it didn't seem worth continuing. (This is what it looked like, though this is of the pro's race.) The crowd, however, that lined those last meters, made it possible. The officials were right there to roll people off of the course. We were all going that slowly at the top that it made sense to have this assistance. The feeling of accomplishment afterwards was the best. Eric was smiling, he had a very successful race & enjoyed it, too. To see that we had both survived was pretty cool. (I was worried that morning.) The pic shown is of a pre-drive of the course, this is part of the 4 km steep section.
of miles of pain, it didn't seem worth continuing. (This is what it looked like, though this is of the pro's race.) The crowd, however, that lined those last meters, made it possible. The officials were right there to roll people off of the course. We were all going that slowly at the top that it made sense to have this assistance. The feeling of accomplishment afterwards was the best. Eric was smiling, he had a very successful race & enjoyed it, too. To see that we had both survived was pretty cool. (I was worried that morning.) The pic shown is of a pre-drive of the course, this is part of the 4 km steep section.
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