I still don't think I am rested a full week after the 12 hour. Not being rested might have something to do with riding 3 hours a day via commuting to work, working long hours, and generally not having a day off since the race. I guess this is the beginning of the off season..

8am start times roll around really early, despite only having a fifteen minute drive to the race 8am still comes very early. Burns and I decided to continue our 2008 winning strategy which was for me to start (burns isn't much of a morning person) and to continue doing two laps on, two laps off. The start was a little different this year, All solo riders sport and expert went off first before two man teams. this meant I had about 40 or more people to pass on my first lap. 

The first lap went well. I was able to pass every rider and come into the lap area first, this meant that I would have the entire second lap to myself. Have the entire course to your self equals faster lap times. My second lap would be my fastest lap, 43:59 which would also turn out to be the fastest lap of the race! After my first set of laps Burns went out for two, while Burns was racing i was eating and resting. Then I was back out for two more while Burns rested and ate. Everything was going well until my 5th and 6th lap (9th and 10th for the team) my stomach went sour. A pit stop to the out house was necessary between laps. After a slight detour off course for the pit stop I was back on track and pulled off a decent lap time. I passed the torch onto Burns for our 11th and 12th laps. Had I been able to do the correct math to add up approximate lap times for Burns then I would have been at the lap area at5:15, instead I was zoned out, hungry and tired and somehow added up 5:30 for the ETA of Burns. As I was gearing up at 5:25 Burns came rolling into our camp site asking what was wrong and if I was heading out! Just like that I was out for our 13th lap, had I looked at my watch and time I might have picked up the pace, instead I rolled into the lap area at 6:15, this left Burns exactly 45 minutes to complete the lap (rules state you must head out for a lap before 7pm, after 7pm you are not allowed to head out for a lap). Burns was only a few minutes off the pace and rolled in around 7:04 or so. No worries at this point in the race we were already a lap up, but getting in that 15th lap would have been cool. 

Overall the race was a blast! Pat from Casco Bay Sports   is by far the best promoter out there! I will attend any race he puts on, Pat's races are by far the best run races, well organized, fun, top notch promoter for sure.