Knob Scorcher and Twilight All Rolled Into One

Knob Scorcher: 4-20-2002
Place: Tsali Trail System, Bryson City, NC
Twilight: 4-28-2002
Place: Heritage Park, Farmington, GA

I am not going to say anything about Knob Scorcher other than what an abysmal race I had. My VCD is rearing its ugly head once again with a vengenence that I haven't seen in about a year. I could not breath the entire time. I managed to finish a disappointing 8th in Senior Sport Women. I decided to go to the Nalley Historic Roswell Criterium the next day to try to better my results and for a confidence booster. The VCD did not appear once during the race, only after the final sprint.

Twilight....Heritage park one of the best race courses around...lots of singletrack with some doubletrack in between to allow passing. There are few climbs but nothing major except for "The Wall," which is about 250-300 feet and VERY steep. On our Saturday afternoon preride, we saw that the trail was in great condition and would be really fast! There was only one little wet part other than the creek. I felt pretty good, and temperatures were in the lower 70's.

Spring is usually the time of year that I look forward to some good races and good results before the heat settles in, and my VCD takes off during the summer. Little did I know that it was going to be about 85 degrees and so HUMID at the Twilight mountain bike race. I got a great start. I was in 5th going into the singletrack and stayed that way to the start of the "expert" loop. I almost caught the girl in front of me at that point and was getting ready to pass her when we came to "the wall," the hardest and steepest hill on the course. Two seconds after I started to climb, my lungs seized up. I went into a terrible breathing attack. It was like Tsali all over again, but I was in a better mindset than I was at Tsali. I tried to refocus on my breathing and do some breathing rhythms that sometimes work to get me out of an attack. I didn't let myself get upset and kept trying to breath. I got off the bike and had a few people pass me. I was still TRYING to breath but couldn't. I had to stop. I got back on and recovered down the next hill a little bit, but as soon as I started to climb the next hill, the attack came right back. There was a short flat section next, but I couldn't come out of the attack. The slowest lady passed me, and I lost all hope. I decided that it wasn't worth it; I didn't want another Tsali. I walked out, just gave up. I can't say I've ever done that before. It isn't like me. I don't know what was going on in my mind. I just quit. Maybe I need a little break from mountain bike racing. I've been doing it for 6 years; maybe it's time to take a break. I'm already on top of the breathing attack situation. Unfortunately, treatment options for VCD are VERY limited. You can't take a pill or have a simple surgery to correct it. Time to get back on the phone with my doctor at Emory University and try some of the more controversial treatments he's suggested. Nothing so far as worked.

VCD or Vocal Cord Dysfunction is an incurable, only sometimes treatable problem with the larynx. VCD occurs when the laryngeal folds remain closed when they are supposed to open. In the case of Exercise Induced VCD, the laryngeal folds close when breathing in. It is much like kinking a hose, so that water cannot get through. Air flow is cut off, so that the person cannot breath. VCD is considered rare, with only a few thousand people in the US having been diagnosed with it. People can live for years without knowing it. Some, like me, only discovered that they had it when they got into a sport or exercise routine regularly. VCD mimics asthma and is often misdiagnosed. VCD is a known condition and is not "all in someone's head."  I went through 5 years of treatment for asthma before the head of the Otolarynchology Department at Emory University diagnosed me with Exercise Induced Vocal Cord Dysfunction in April of 2000. I'm one of the unlucky ones so far in that my VCD has eluded successful treatment thus far. Perhaps that will change in the future, and I will finally be able to move up to Expert.

Allison Carter gets last minute instructions from her coach, Josh Seldman. Allison had a good race, and Josh won the Senior Expert Men's division.

Karen Masson waits on the starting line for the race to begin.

Karen Masson about a mile from the finish. Karen finished 3rd in Senior Expert Women.

Todd of Team CAT rides through the singletrack. Todd won the Junior Expert Men's division by a wide margin.

Mark Fisk (Gary Fisher) relaxing after his race at Twilight.

Benji (Peachtree Bikes) and Linda Coil celebrate just moments after Benji's Fat Tire Criterium win Saturday night under the lights at Twlight.

Gord Frasier (Mercury) winning the Pro Men's Crit. at Twilight.