Big Bear Shootout 1
Heros
by Mark Scheetz

There was no reason to blast from the start with so many miles of open fire road ahead. Fighting for trail position can be fun, but today it was nice to start out at a comfortable pace. So there I was, dead last in a crowded field of pros, semi-pros, and a small field of 5 expert single speeds.

The first hill at Big Bear starts out steep. My main competitors for State Series points, Ed Dinger and Coley King, seemed to be sharing my easy going strategy. The three of us rode at a very moderate pace and didn’t pick it up until the road began to flatten out nearer the top. It was here in fact that Coley and I put a fair amount of distance on Ed. I knew from past races that the distance was meaningless; Ed always starts slow only to demolish us in the end.

Somewhere along Grand View Loop Ed finally caught up to us and commented, “The three musketeers ride again”. And that’s what we did for several miles. We steadily rode side by side or in line with a little light conversation sprinkled in. Honestly, our race began to feel more like a casual weekend ride.

After passing our team’s feed station the course climbs a little then flattens out for a few miles. Here Ed and Coley put a little distance on me. They seemed to be geared slightly higher and could take advantage of my spinout. I wasn’t too worried, up to this point my HR had only peaked to 165. I had an entire book of matches to burn, of course they would too.

As we proceeded along our second lap they did pick up the pace a bit. I had to answer the charge so they wouldn’t put too much distance on me. My plan was to pour everything I had into the last climb and see if I could catch and possibly pass them. As unlikely as that might be, the opportunity would not materialize today.

Just a quarter mile before our feed station a rider was on the trail signaling us to slow down. Around the corner was a sight you never want to see. A rider down and it wasn’t looking good. Coley was already stopped and helping with the rescue effort. I stopped also to see if there was anything I could do to assist. There were 4 holding one of those “space blankets” overhead to keep the direct sun off the injured rider, several spraying water out of their camelbacks to keep him cool, another guy supporting his head and others just trying to get a read on his pulse and breathing. The temperature was about 90 so all I could do was fan him with my jersey and, of course, pray.

I was amazed to see Coley take immediate charge of the situation. It was evident that others who stopped had medical backgrounds and had the situation controlled as best as it could be. As it turns out, Coley is a doctor. The downed rider, Jim Garwood of Team Platinum, had face planted hard into the trail. He was unconscious with a weak pulse and labored breathing. We later learned that he suffered multiple face fractures and a concussion. It took about 40 minutes for the rescue crew to get to the site and airlift him out. If it wasn’t for the heroic efforts of several racers and their medical backgrounds, Jim may not have made it.

Not much can be said about the rest of my race. I eventually rode down to Mill Creek Road near the team feed station and talked to one of the course marshals. It turns out the emergency vehicles were taking the long route to get there. That pissed me off but there was nothing more I could do. To their credit they were trying to take a route that didn’t travel head on with the racers. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what they did.

I noodled the rest of the course just talking to one of my competitors, Dave Roth. We both agreed that we should take CPR and be more prepared to handle serious injuries.

It was nice to see the single speed class come through at the end and honor Coley with 2nd place. That was his position when he stopped. I didn't ask for it but they agreed to give me 3rd. I owe a special thanks to my fellow competitor, John Cline (captain of team Ape Racing), who gave up his 2nd place finish for Coley and me. I consider it honor and a privilege to compete in such a class. They truly represent the best of what this sport has to offer.