BaseCamper LeRoi Smith shared his experience at Rebecca's Private Idaho 2023.
The first stage went pretty well. The singletrack was super fun. I cleaned the first really steep climb but I was very deep into the pain cave and red zone. I opted to walk most of the rest of the steepest pitches. I got some good dismount/mount practice in for the upcoming cyclocross season. 😉 Looking at my numbers, my perceived exertion was very high; but max HR was 19 bpm lower than my usual 188-ish, 20-min power was also notably low. All of that is not surprising given I am 10 days out from a bout with Covid. This was the first race for my Lauf Seigla and it treated my very well. Super happy with that selection.
My HR/lung issues continued into Sunday, unfortunately. At anything over HR zone 3.0, my breathing felt like I was in zone 5.2 in the middle of a 'cross race. I had to accept that I could only play the hand I had on the day. I settled in for a long day. I did do a great job on clothing and nutrition, two things I could control. Tim Cusick, Namrita Brooke, thanks for the tips on those subjects. I had good company with a guy I meant at the Be Good dinner and several Base Campers. The scenery was amazing. I did really enjoy El Diablito. I am glad I did the QSR. I am glad I did Base Camp. As we are driving home, Kristen and I are making plans for next year, including an extra day to do some mountain biking. Now it is on to retooling for cyclocross season.
