RACHEL GUTISH
Though new , transfers are similar in style . Up and down through mountains , with plenty of road miles . Stunning views and generous times mean that I occasionally I pause to just take it all in . Mentally , I start to get foggy and a headache has set in . I have several dumb crashes .
I lift the fog / headache with two ibuprofen , a bottle of Pedialyte , a half- bottle of black coffee , and a can of tuna , courtesy of Meg . Tuna is hard to eat in a helmet and without a fork , but I swear by having a little protein during the day . The best technique is to grab a chunk and flip your head back like a seal to avoid getting tuna in your helmet . Just avoid eye contact with others . I let that happen once , and Bauer the Husky mechanic doubled over laughing before saying it was worth the trip just to watch me eat tuna .
visions of loose bolts and barbed wire danced through my head . Halfway through , I see Megan Argubright , chase rider for the WWT , out on the road . She ’ s wearing my toolpack and shoots me a thumbs-up . I get it back after swimming pool cross test , and I a wave of relief washes over me .
Besides swimming pool , we had two new enduro tests . Vineyard could have been great if it wasn ’ t so silty . In fact , they canceled it the second time through so it could be re-routed for the following day . The other test , logging road , was great ! It was high up on a mountain , deep in a pine and broadleaf forest . The dirt almost had moisture , and the test was long ( over 17min for me ).
Besides carrying tuna , chase riders are great if you ’ re forgetful ( who , me ?) I left my toolpack behind at a check today . Once I realized it ,
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 102
MEG ARGUBRIGHT WITH BRANDY RICHARDS