2021 COAST TO COAST

 2021 COAST TO COAST

Words probably can’t truly describe the 2021 Coast to Coast, but I’ll try...

Miles 0-55 | NP 228 | AVG P 207 | 3.3 w/kg | HR 151

I made sure to get to the front early and help set the tone a little for the day. There was a huge lead group (I’d guess well over 50 riders) for the first 55 miles. The leaders of the group stayed pretty consistent with a dozen or so guys taking turns on the front keeping us rolling at a good speed. The rain had picked up and it was getting harder and harder to see. I would ride a few miles with my glasses on trying to clean them and then decide to go no glasses. You just couldn’t win as we were getting covered in mud from head to toe in the pouring rain.

Miles 55-105 | NP 230 | AVG P 218 | 3.4 w/kg | HR 158

Checkpoint 1 was the quickest of the day and I didn’t have to unclip at all. My wife and daughter have crewed for all 3 years now and have it down to NASCAR speeds. My wife had to help with Adam Hockley (finished 11th), so my daughter had my stuff for the first time and was super nervous… but came through like a champ and got the job done perfectly. Mom taught her well! The group was down to 5 out of checkpoint 2 and we had to keep the gas on, so we stayed out of site. A few miles out we were down to 4 but not too long after that Ben Kalis (4th overall) caught back up to us after a 30-min solo chase. The roads were getting pretty bad and at some points all I could do was follow the wheel in front of me and hope they picked a good line. Scott Meyers (2nd overall) was probably taking the strongest and longest pulls at the front and it was wearing the group down. A few miles out from checkpoint 2 Jason Lowetz (1st place) dropped his chain and lost contact. The group splintered up a little and we all rolled into checkpoint 2 a few seconds apart from each other as Scott continued to drill us.

Miles 105-172 | NP 199 | AVG P 180 | 2.8 w/kg | HR 147

I was planning to not get off my bike at all during the day but my drive chain and shifting was starting to really act up, so a rinsed things off with water as quickly as I could and grabbed my fresh bottles and food. Maybe a 20 second stop. Coming out of checkpoint 2 it was down to 3. Jason, Scott and myself. Scott had a slight lead. Jason and I slowly worked our way back to him over the course of a few miles. Things were starting to get hiller and the pulls on the front less intense. At around 118-miles we were climbing a decent hill. Jason was leading and Scott and I were side by side and I could see a slight gap opening up on Scott, so I jumped on it and started pressing. Jason latched on and then took the lead. We kept pressing for around 5 minutes and Scott was out of site for the time being. Jason kept the tempo up and I soon was on my own and had to get some solid food in me or I wasn’t going to make it to checkpoint 3. As Jason took off, I settled into a pace that I felt I could keep up without blowing up. Now that I was on my own, I started to have the urge to pee. I was already completely soaked, and I didn’t want to stop so I just coasted on a downhill as I peed my pants. That helped to bring some life back into me and I felt way better.

At 153-miles we made a sharp left and up a steep hill. I made it most of the way up and then had to walk the rest as I started to lose traction. Got back on my bike and then shortly after decided to stop and take off my shoes because they were filled with sand... and it was starting to get super annoying. Scott caught up to me here and I had to chase to reel him back in. We stayed together until the third checkpoint and agreed to make it quick and continue on together.

Miles 172-208 | NP 160 | AVG P 146 | 2.3 w/kg | HR 137

Out of checkpoint 3 was no cakewalk. The climbs on the trails were long and the descents sketchy with no brakes. Scott and I stayed together for a few miles but when we hit the open roads again, I was starting to fade again and needed some more solid food. He opened up a gap and that was it for me. I was struggling pretty good and just had to keep turning the cranks and hope I didn’t get caught by anyone else. I looked back several times over the final 30+ miles just praying I didn’t see anyone because if someone caught me there was really nothing I could do. Finally crossed the finish line in 11:46… 16 min behind Jason and 9 minutes behind Scott to finish in 3rd place.

Miles 0-208 | NP 209 | AVG P 188 | 2.95 w/kg | HR 148

Overall, it was good to be able to bounce back after Sancho and have some fight in me. These ultra-races in Michigan have drastically changed in the last year and are basically on from the start now. No easing into things anymore. I’ve been hesitant to add aerobars, and this was my first race using them. I’m glad I finally did because the top 5 all were running aerobars and if I hadn’t, I don’t think I would have finished where I did. Not only are they faster, but for me it’s a very comfortable position to be in. Lately I’ve been struggling with nutrition, so I went back to my old ways of using Skratch in my bottles and relying on gels (Huma and Spring Energy) and food (bananas, pb crackers, fig bars, etc.) for calories and that seemed to do the trick as I had no major issues and could keep up the drinking all day. I do probably need to go back to having a bag on my top tube for easy access to solid foods, as both times I needed to eat I lost contact with who I was with. Post-race I ignored getting fluids back in me and I paid dearly for that the next day. I thought I had food poising and was in the bathroom most of the night and the following day. My wife was probably right and that I was an idiot for not drinking enough water after the race. Still learning at the rip age of 40:) Definitely inspired by Jason’s and Scott’s performance as they are a few years older than me, and it gives me some hope that if I keep chipping away at things maybe one day, I can improve on my 3rd place C2C that I’ve gotten every year so far and keep up with the leaders in other races too

NICHOLAS STANKO