SILVA & SILVA ATTORNEYS AT LAW
PATRICK SILVA DUIs
MEAGAN SILVA Living Trusts and Injury Cases www.willsandtrustlawyers.com
909-798-1500
www.beatmydui.com
JULY 2018
BACK ON THE HORSE MY FIRST RACE SINCE MARCH
U ntil recently, I hadn’t been in a mountain biking competition since March 10’s True Grit Epic. If you’ll recall my previous story about that particular race, you’ll remember that I had a pretty nasty chest cold in the midst of one of the most challenging courses I’d ever ridden, not to mention a couple of mechanical crises that only made it more difficult. After I barely survived the True Grit Epic and dragged my sapped body home, I took a couple weeks off the bike. Over the next few months, I spent a ton of time gradually getting my body ready to compete. It was quite the grind, but I’m pleased to say that early last month I was able to conquer a course up in Big Bear, California, in the big Kenda Cup race. The course was a winding trek at around 8,000 feet that spanned 45 miles. Though you might not feel the air thin out as you ascend, the elevation definitely puts a strain on your heart rate, increasing it by a minimum of about 10 BPM. At 82 degrees up in the mountains, with us racers protected by little shade or cover, we could really feel the sun beating down on us through that thin air. The race began with a continuous climb for about three miles, and you could see the riders begin to separate by ability right off the bat. Sadly, I was in the back group, but then again, I’m racing against guys as young as 19 and as old as 60. I’m 54, and I’d say I had a pretty good day; I’m mostly competing against myself in these races, anyway. After we got to the first junction, it was fast, winding, undulating fire roads for several miles. These little paths weren’t closed to the public, so every once in a while, you’d
be hauling butt around a corner and find yourself face-to-face with a car or 4x4 coming the other way.
When we got to the last leg of the race, we rode the Skyline Trail, a single-track wide enough for a bicycle with just barely enough room to really pick up the speed as you zig-zag up and down the switchbacks. In the end, I finished seventh out of 10. It wasn’t too impressive, seeing as how the top rider beat me by nearly an hour, a feat that completely baffles me. But hey, I’m not complaining — I’m just grateful to be back on the trails, pushing my body to its absolute limits. I wouldn’t have it any other way. –Patrick Silva
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