Okay the story...wow where to start...this was truly an "EPIC" race that is worthy of at least the top 3 rides I've ever done...I know some of you will say well your not THAT experienced and traveld yet...okay, okay...but I've been around a little. Flume Trail Lake Tahoe, Mt. Snow Vermont, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware..and on the way home Utah and Colorado for good measures.
Now the start of the race was a mass start with 300+ riders...3 different courses.
1 - beginner 8 miler
2 - intermediate 20 miler
3 - expert long course 26 miler
I choose the long course cause everyone was writting about the 6 miles difference is SO INCREDIBLE you can't afford to miss it, well all my races have been over 20 since I arrived out here so what the heck...
We started in the parking lot by the lake and headed up the asphalt road approx. 1/4 mile, turn on to the main rd for approx another 1/4...then it was a turn into the fire road for the long butt kicking climb up this killer mountain (they call them hills out here)...well I did okay for at least half, then I had to succumb to the ole "hike-a-bike" for a bit...SSing it again this race...well at the top your greeted with our first descent...
Check out MTBR.com under forum, Lemurian and you will read the stories and expletives of the downhill, described anywhere from "dangerous, scary, awesome, fast, fun, amazing, brutal, have never seen anything like it, etc" I think everything you could say about DH was mentioned...it was steep, rocky, ruts, slippery loose granite, definently brake busting/burning...you could smell hot brakes...but most of all...I FRIGGIN LOVED IT!!!...
Then we all got to experience the sweetest single track you could ever imagine...pedal half dz. strokes, pump, coast....pedal, pump...coast, it was that flowing for 5-6 miles....fantastic...the I-9's were so cool through here as I approached other riders I just came up behind and coasted, the "rachet" sound bugged em and they let me by...great, thanks...the pace through here was awesome...
Had some fun, cool and refreshing water crossings...we had shade in the pines, open BIG sky and snow covered mountains in some areas that baked ya in the hot sun...it was absolutely breath taking...and YES I SMELLED THE ROSES...you have to LIVE IT while you race...I'm not a Pro, life is way to short not to see the views and soak it in...
Then....another....murderous...friggin...hillclimb...worse then the first one...look at the elevation chart below you'll see, we were just under 1,000' and climb to almost 3,000'...there were a couple spots I would have loved to see someone climb...saw lots of riders hiking...including myself...
But, what goes up (at least that high) must come down, yeeehawww...so down we came...they even had "X" runs and "XX" runs...those really made your eyes pop when you went over the ledge/drop...my favorite was at a water crossing that you literally dropped into...I yelled at a rider ..." rider-up" he backed out of the way and just as he said "i'd like to see this" I was dropping into it..my butt hit the backside of my rear tire, I probably couldn't stretch that far again if I wanted to...didn't "dab" though (love the 29er)...
There was a guy on the 2nd long climb that I couldn't stay with that I caught up to on the DH and we were flyin, I know he was trying to keep in front and I was just waiting for the end...well the end came at a parking lot for the RV's and I spotted one with just a short incline of approx 50' you came up into the RV camping area..dashed downhill through the parking lot to a 200-300 foot section of single track and poped out into the lower parking lot at the finish...well right at the little incline to the RV parking the guy pulled up with a cramp, darn if I din't cease the moment (hey ANY glory after this ride was worth it)...I didn't know where he was but on the SS I pedaled like a hammster DH to the finish...
Here is a local newspaper article, very cool:
This is actually a race I would consider Flyin back to next year...way more so than even Sea Otter Classic....
Now this coming weekend is the Coolest24...I'll be giving it a try on my SS too...this race is to benefit cancer survivors and victims...100% goes to non-profit... As just a few of you know, I lost my big sister last year in May to cancer so this race will mean alot to me (crying right now)...they are going to have a memory lane where they will post pictures of those lost..I have mailed my favorite picture of Cindy to them and can't wait to see it on the trail, in the meantime here it is, (see above)...I am going to get pictures of this strecth so I'll be posting that too...
C-ya all real soon
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