Day 47...The Foray at the Fort

Yesterday was race day, as most of you already know.  The race took place in Sierra Vista, Arizona...which is about 3 1/2 hours southeast of Phoenix.  Fort Huachuca, an army intelligence base, is located in Sierra Vista, and like most small, military towns...if it weren't for the base, the town might not exist. 

My friend Paul (who is also a firefighter, and will be competing with me in the WPFG) and I loaded up my Honda Element, and made the drive south, stopping to visit another firefighter along the way, who has been off for a couple months due to back surgery.  We arrived in Sierra Vista around 3:30 pm, got our hotel room, changed, and headed out to pre-ride the course.

The race course is actually on part of the army base, so we had to clear security at the main gate before we were allowed access.  As a civilian, entry onto a military base requires the following:  first, a good reason...check; second, current vehicle registration and auto insurance...check; and third, professionalism...1/2 check.  Let me take a moment to 'introduce' you to my friend Paul. 

Paul is one of the Engineers on my Ladder Company at the fire department.  He has worked for me for roughly four years, and can be quite a challenge!  It's not that he isn't competent at his job...he's just a complete smart-ass!  This has it's positives and negatives.  On one hand, he makes coming to work fun, but on the other hand, sometimes his idea of fun requires me to put on my supervisor hat.  Nobody likes it when I put that hat on!

As we approach the base, I reach into my glove box and remove my registration and insurance documents, attaching them to my driver's license with a paperclip.  I also attached Paul's driver's license, as I knew this would be required.  At the main gate I was instructed to pull up next to a security guard who would "get me checked in".  We were  then addressed by a rather large security guard, whose name tag read WILLIAMS.  As he approached my car he kindly asked "Here for the race?"  "Yes sir, we are" I replied, as I handed him the neatly arranged documents.  As he took them from my hand, he cocked his head to the side slightly, and raised both eyebrows, letting me know that he was impressed by the orderly arrangement of documents.  He removed both ID's saying to me, "Hello Mr. Metzger".  He then leaned down so that he could see Paul, as he glanced quickly back and forth between Paul and Paul's ID, and said "Are you Mr. Neal?"  It was at this moment that Paul came out to play!

Paul replied "No", which caused Mr. Williams to raise only one eyebrow as he moved his head closer to my open window, peering in to get a better look at Paul.  Looking back on this now, I think he was actually letting Paul get a better look at him, and his obvious displeasure!  Paul then stated "Mr. Neal is my father...I'm Paul".  Before Mr. Williams could form the words that I know he was thinking, I spoke up, saying "May I introduce you to my smart-ass friend Paul Neal."  Mr. Williams looked at me and smiled as he shook his head, obviously feeling my own pain.  Thankfully, he granted us access to the base, and gave us directions to the race course.  Paul proceeded to get an earful from me as we drove to the riding area.

We parked the car, unloaded the bikes, and set out to get a feel for the five-mile course...of which we would complete two times on race day.  Not 100-yards into the ride, my bike began acting up.  The chain was jumping around, shifting to different gears all by itself.  In addition to the 'ghost shifting' it felt as though the pedals were free-spinning intermittently as I pedaled along.  This is not what you want happening to your bike the day before a race, when you are hours from your favorite bike shop!  I managed to complete the ride, but I was not happy about it.  I couldn't climb, as the increased demand on the drive train, caused it to slip and free-wheel, preventing me from pedaling up the steep and rocky hills.  When we returned to the car, I broke out the repair stand and tools, and attempted to fix the problem...the key word being attempted. 

We loaded up and headed back to the hotel where I could tear into my bike under better lighting conditions.  As we drove we noticed a bike store that still had their lights on, so we quickly pulled in and asked if they could take a quick look at my bike.  The store, Sun and Spoke Cyclery, was actually the sponsor of the weekend's race.  They graciously agreed as I told them I was in town to race the next day, but was having problems.  After a few minutes the problem was diagnosed, but not fixed.  The issue was a result of a bad hub in my rear wheel, and the parts would need to be ordered.  That's what I get for running a very expensive, very proprietary wheelset!  Fortunately, I had brought a backup rear wheel with me.  Those of you who know me well, know that I like to be prepared!  We decided to grab some dinner before heading back to the hotel, where I would need to do some work to prepare the backup wheel for the race the following morning.

Check back tomorrow to read the rest of the story!