I really wanted to do the 35 mile ride last year but things didn't work out. So I set my sights on the 2011 version as my inaugural mountain bike race. Now keep in mind, by no means do I consider myself a 'racer', it's just not my style. I enjoy the sights, smells & experience of being out on the trail no matter how long or short the ride. I almost always average 5 mph on rides over 20 miles when factoring in photo stops, lunch breaks, BS sessions and a general leisurely pace. This day would be different for sure. Since the entry fee was the same for all distances (10, 15, 35 & 60), I decided to enter the 60 mile course. I've done a couple of other 60 milers so that wasn't too much of a concern, however, I needed to be at Aid Station #4 (the 40 mile mark) in 5 hours (7:30a start time -> 12:30p). Quick math will tell you that's an 8 mph average. I better keep that in mind over the beginning miles I thought. A few things I'd have working in my favor: We camped out to help adjust to the elevation of the ride, we had done a few longer 40-50 mile rides at altitude over the summer, the ride was supported so my pack would be lighter and I wouldn't be hauling my camera out every 15 minutes. I also heard that the course was, in general terms, uphill on forest roads & downhill on singletrack. I can do this!!
Seron and I decided to carpool up to Show Low for the campout. We both grew anxious as race day approached, the weather forecast was beginning to look iffy at best with a 30% chance of showers. If that happened the whole dynamic of the race would be thrown for a loop since the dirt up there is clay based, i.e. super sticky mud!!
I went out for a short ride Wed. afternoon, nothing too crazy just some saddle time, but on Friday my legs were sore?!?! Then it started, that slight achey feeling & repeated trips to the restroom....noooooo!! The good news was that I didn't lose my appetite, but was becoming concerned about dehydration. Thankfully by the time we were ready to head north my guts started to settle down a bit.
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| Loaded & ready to go |
I was optomistic, but cautious about what I ate. We checked in and received our swag bag, number plate 75 it will be for my first race. The pre-race dinner of chicken & pasta was good, it got me thinking about the race & not my stomach!
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| Tough finding a smooth spot in a volcanic minefield! |
Saturday morning we awoke to a cool cloudless sky!! Hooray!! Looks like we should be able to get the race in before any weather moves in sans the normal afternoon thunder showers in high country. I ate a small breakfast then headed over to the start line. People were piling up as there were about 200 entrants in the 60 mile event. Saw a few friends, Chris, Walt & Deanna at the start then we were off.
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| 60 miler starting area |
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| Seron and I getting set to go |
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| Let the conga line begin |
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| Nice piece of trail leading into Aid #1 |
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| Aid #2/4 which would become a welcome sight as the day wore on. |
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| At Aid #2 |
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| Long stretch of forest road. |
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| The one true sufferfest of the ride, a nasty steep HAB section near mile 30. |
The racers began to thin out & jockey for position over the first few miles. For me, it was a good start pace, nothing too frenetic & the trail allowed for safe passes to be made. I stayed with a group of riders until the first descent climb. I could tell I didn't have the sustained stamina for a tough climb on this day and when I spun out on a slightly chunky section I decided to let a good bunch of riders go by. I took this opportunity to shed my arm/leg warmers, catch my breath and focus on the task at hand: Get to Aid #4 by 12:30p.
I had initially planned to stop at all the aid stations, 5 total, but station #1 came up so quickly I rolled right on through. The 60 mile course was set up so most of the climbing was done on forest road at a comfortable grade all the way to Aid #3 about 27 miles in. I knew I would make good time getting to that spot, it was the HAB section the followed that I was a bit concerned about. It would definitely slow me down, but I had no idea just how taxing it would be on this day. The good news: once at the top it was almost all downhill into Aid #4 and the high elevation spot of the day.
I made it to Aid #3 ahead of schedule, then slogged up the HAB. I was really feeling the elevation during the hike having to stop more than I would have liked to recover. I now had an hour and twenty minutes to reach Aid #4 some 12.5 miles away. I wasn't too worried about not making it until the time kept slipping away...20 minutes to go...10 minutes...how much longer?? My pocket map showed the station near mile 38.5, but I was now over 39 miles!! Where is the station!?!? I came across a couple of race volunteers and asked them how much farther? "It's about a mile" Uh oh. I had 7 minutes left!! A fellow racer in front of me heard that and asked me: "Can we make it?" I said back to him "if we put the hammer down, let's go!" Off we went, tick-tock, tick-tock. 5....4....3....2 minutes left and still no station, ugh. I thought to myself, I can't believe I may miss the cutoff time by a minute or two, I can't let that happen! I passed the other rider on a short uphill tech section then finally spotted the short road connector. My GPS read 12:29p, I could now see the station and yelled out through the trees "I'm coming, don't cut me off!!" As I rounded the corner & rolled up to the snack table the time was 12:31p, but I snuck in under the wire - WHEW!
I topped off my fluids, grabbed some snacks and began my pursuit of Aid #5. I had to be there by 2pm. It was about 10 miles with a couple of short climbs. I now had an hour and twenty minutes to get there. Like the last section, Aid #5 seemed to drag on as my time wittled down. Another group of race volunteers informed me that I was 1/2 mile away with 6 minutes to go! Again, pushing hard to make the cutoff I rolled into station #5 under the wire by a whopping 2 minutes!! I was going to finish after all. I chilled at station #5 for a good 20 minutes with some other racers, but in my mind the 'race' was over. I planned on taking it easy over the last 10 miles. The last few riders departed from the aid station and we were off, I was now firmly in control of being the last finisher, right where I belong!!
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| View from Aid #5. |
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| Aid station #5. |
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| Cool looking Alligator Juniper |
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| Some 50+ miles in and even my bike looks tired. |
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| Seron rode strong on this day, crossing the line some 2 hours ahead of me. Great job!! |
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| Thanks to Seron for capturing my roll across the finish line, 8 hrs 29 mins. |
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| I did see this guy about 4 miles from the finish! Trail sweeper. |
I ended up finishing 141st and couldn't be more stoked! I really had my doubts about making the time cutoffs since I don't normally ride a) all that fast and b) that long without stopping. Some lessons to be learned for sure. I think next year I'll try and do some 'race-pace' type rides leading up to it. A big congrats to Chuck, Seron, Walt, Deanna and Chris who all finished the 60 miler in some impressive times. Cheers!
One final note: the rains finally did arrive, but not until 3am on Sunday thankfully. We did have to pack up camp in a steady rain, but that was better than trying to ride in the wetness. It was difficult enough driving out of the campsite, only about 3/4 of a mile, but our truck was sliding all over the place. Until next year, ride strong!
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| Mother Nature giving my bike a wash. |
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| 60 mile Tour of the White Mountains 2011 course. Courtesy of Topofusion |
