30 seconds until it's my turn. I'm perched in the world famous starting booth at the top of the Kamikaze. Thoughts were flowing through my mind at a zillion miles per hour. I'm thinking of those who laughed at me because I was from Nebraska.I'm thinking of those who laughed at me because this was only my third ever downhill race and I'm racing expert. I'm thinking of the guy who left before me on his super exotic downhill racer. I'm thinking that I wish I hadn't cracked my rear wheel the day before. I'm praying that the torturous course and my 200 pound body won't destroy the cross country wheel I borrowed from the Park Tools guy. "GO!!!" Now I'm thinking nothing but pedal, breathe, and catch the bastard on the super exotic downhill racer! The first major descent comes about 25 yards out of the booth. It's off-cambered and horrifically fast. I have no idea how fast I'm going but I want to go faster! I coast towards the bottom so as not to slam the inside crank into the ground. Here comes the quick chicanne, left then right. Now it's time to haul ass! It's wide open and so fast. My chest protector is being slid up under my neck. "Pedal!". I'm coming to the first hard left hander and I can see the dust of the other guy.
"Pedal!" I start to encounter the big braking bumps but don't brake just yet. I'm 25 feet from the guy who is starting to negotiate the turn. I'm screaming "Go dammit!" as loud as I can. The people on the sides are yelling at him "Go!". Too late! We're both going into the turn. There's only room for one. I'm carrying good speed and duck underneath. I'm next to him and he stars to drift down into me. "Move!" I scream and with a well planted shoulder he is out of the way. "Pedal!" A long stretch leads to the next turn, a sharp right-hander in deep pumice. If I can get by this I'm homefree! I slow a bit then slam the bike into the berm and careen around the corner. I can feel the wheels slide but am in contol. I almost start to cry. The wheel is holding, I feel good, and I'm past the most technical part. "Pedal!" Now I'm on the fastest part of the course. Everything is a blur. You try to look far down the couse but you can't look far enough. I keep repeating "Pedal, pedal, pedal!" Then I realize that I have spun out! I can't pedal any faster. Tuck,coast,pedal. Tuck,coast,pedal. Silly me thinking that a 56-11 would be enough gearing but I couldn't fit a larger chainring to the C'dale. Tuck,coast,pedal. I'm appraoching the highspeed chicanne that connects the two fastest sections. You're brain wants to brake but you tune it out. Entering the chicane I start to drift to the right the flick the bike over and am now drifting left. I see the spectators whizzing by. Their cheers inspire me to pedal harder. I'm coming up to the most famous, high speed right-hander in the free world. I now why the crowd has gatherd here. They want carnage! I can see the second rider now. I'm gonna pass 2 guys! I'm entering the brakingbumps but don't brake yet. I unclip the right leg and then start to brake, not a lot, but enough to have at least a small amount of control. I slam the bike into the big berm knowing that if either wheel breaks out, it's all over. The crowd is yeeling. I can feel the bike struggling to maintain traction. Both wheels a drifting and the suspension is being maxed out from the G-forces that are compressing the bike.I'm just past the apex and am clipping back in. I take a half of a pedal revolution and the "Crunch!". My inside pedal slams into a immovable object(later I discover it is the tip of a submerged boulder which I also witnessed take out
