2009 Michaux Maximus - Chili's DNF

I sure hope Donna fared better than me -- she looked like she was doing awesome (I didn't talk to her yet to see how she did).

I flatted, pumped it up thinking Stan's would do its trick. It didn't because it was a bent valve stem issue. So I had to put a tube in a tubeless and it took me 39 minutes because I couldn't get the tire back on the rim. Donna wanted to wait and I said NO -- it may take me too long and it did. I'm such a girl at changing flats. I'm REALLY, really, glad she didn't wait. After that 39 minutes, I was cold and turned off and said fuck it and DNF'd at the 10 mile marker. But the worse was just starting -- Rick wasn't there when I quit and it was steady raining. He went to one of the crossings and was watching for me for about an hour and finally said he thought maybe he'd go back to the parking lot. Doh! So for two hours and 15 minutes, I was attempting to stay warm. I rode up and down Bendersville road 3 times. I swear I now know what hypothermia feels like. My feet were not feeling anything -- neither were my hands. They wouldn't bend when I tried to get out of wet clothes. Rick had to help. I was shivering all over. I can't recall feeling that cold -- not even at 15 below in Whitegrass.

Today sucked for Chili. Disappointment is an understatement. Of course Rick has to remind me how I shouldn't race. I'm starting to believe him after days like today.

Oh, check this out:
Hypothermia in milder weather. Hypothermia can happen not just in cold winter weather, when there are low temperatures or low wind chill factors, but under milder conditions as well. A rain shower that soaks you to the skin on a cool day can lead to hypothermia if you don't move inside to warm up and dry off. If you stay outside, evaporation of the water from your skin further cools your body, lowering your internal temperature. A wind blowing over the wet parts of your body greatly increases evaporation and cooling.