Breck Epic 2017

What is the Breck Epic?
240miles, 40, 000' gain....oh what the heck just go here. https://breckepic.com/ or here https://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-events/the-best-mountain-bike-stage-races-in-2015/
+ skittles, whiskey, pbr hand-ups....
check out their facebook pages for videos, pics, and all the cool stuff really

Why the Breck Epic in 2017?
See above RE: skittles, whiskey, PBR hand-ups....
And i've checked a lot of boxes. This is one of the last (Vapor Trail 125 is the last on the list), so signed up for 2017 just about 11 months ago.
Mike Franco, who has also completed the Epic twice, states he has such a love hate relationship with the race that it somehow made it sound like something i should also develop this said relationship with, or call BS on him.

Goals:
1. finish
2.  ride bikes, really far, really high
3. not go to work, not check work emails, not answer work text messages
4. Drink as much Breck Distillery whiskey as possible

Category - AG 30-39, Cat 1
This was the first year the Breck Epic had utilized the USAC resources, and with them, came the requirements for categories. This is unheard of in mountain biking so needless to say i didnt really know what category i was. I race Expert class for most front range mountain bike events, but Xterra doesnt recognize these categories for which i do more of so i was guessing a bit. I figured based on my overall fitness and ability to compete at most sports i should go Cat 1 (just below Pro), but with the realization that i would not be on the podium and likely a middle of the pack at best guy. Cat 2 was appealing, as that was the Sport group, for which i could also have been talked into that category based on the fact that i havent actually done any mountain bike races this year, and only a few last year, and could likely compete in the top 10 of that category. If i chose, Cat 2, and started to sandbag the field, i could surely drop out to Cat 1, but take the penalty for switching classes after the fact.
After consulting with the always wise el bandito, i went with Cat 1.

Lead in to August
We've had a super busy summer, most of which has not been spent racing or riding really. But, nonetheless, when you live in Golden with 100+ miles of singletrack out your door you find time to get some riding in +/- beers at one of the breweries either before, during, or after the ride.

Gear
Yeti ASR full suspension vs Spot Honey Badger single speed w/ Gates carbon drive - Went with the Yeti after much deliberation regarding my current state of fitness and psychological health.
SS'ers  have most screws loose, if anyone was wondering.
Have the Spot handy incase of a catastrophic mechanical but sure as hell hope I dont need to use it on the Guyot or Wheeler days.
Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt computer - great maps, display, lightweight, hooked to bluetooth so i can monitor the strava crew's texts throughout the race
Drivetrain: 1x11 Sram XO 34T chainring x11-42 in the trunk
Tires: Ardent 2.4 rear; Conti 2.4 Mountain King Front - going big up front due to the boney, rocky, high alpine riding that is the breck epic
2 Bottles
Rainjacket
Feedback Sports Work stand - funny story about this particular stand....my clamp randomly broke on Friday so i was about to be stand-less but swung on over to the HQ here in Golden and they just swapped me for a new one, no questions. Great group of people over at Feedback Sports and some fantastic tools/stands. So, we're in business, in Breck, with my flashy new work stand. Basically i feel like i already won the race....
Bell -ding ding
Multi-tool, powerlink, boot, tube, 3 zip ties, electrical tape
2 pairs of shoes, helmet, every pair of optic nerve glasses i own
spare derailleur, hanger, chainring, chain, wheelset, tire, full tool kit

Support:
Every successful 6 day race needs a good support crew. Or i guess any race that welcomes outside support for that matter. WB and Lincoln-Slayer will be joining me for most of the days. This will be crucial to help me get into and out of the Elevated Legs, make my peanut butter sandwich for breakfast, and remind me to put sunscreen on before the race each day.
Sara and Brian Krzyzaniak will also actually be traveling through so will pop in for one of the evenings to help me recover with a few beers and Margarita's.

Day Before:
Quickly gather as much bike related clothing, gear, LS and his toys and head up with meet WB who raced the Frisco Run the Rockies Trail Half Marathon Saturday morning.
Shockingly she won as first overall female. Fantastic start to this vacation.
Roll into Breck, grabbed my swag at race registration (which is top notch swag for any bike race FYI - jersey, shirt, socks, GU stuffs, aid station drop bags), #126 race plate. out

Stage 1: Pennsylvania Gulch - 34mi, 5400' gain
830am start  - a natural start time allows for nature to occur, naturally.....
Sunny, All day.
60's-70 temps. perfect!
Wake up at 730a, pound some coffee, a piece of toast with PB that WB and LS reminded me to eat, and i was out the door
Mass start on Day 1 leads to a lot of congestion heading up Boreas Pass Rd towards Sankoff's house but everyone got things figured out pretty quickly with such a climb. Almost detoured to sankoff's but figured he didnt have any beer so kept on course.
A LOT of spandex at the start. Thank you to everyone who wore baggies so we can keep calling this a MTB race.
Tucked in and down Aspen Alley knowing WB and LS were going to be at the start to Blue River trail cheering me on. They were, and LS was super excited!
Tucked in with a group of guys and gals my ability and hammered through most of the second big climb back up to the top of Boreas, its really a brutal climb back up to the top of Boreas Pass. Some short hike a bike sections, creek crossings, steep blown out service roads, etc.
At about Mile 5 i started noticing A LOT of rattling from the front end of my bike. I couldnt tell if my brake caliper was loose, spoke was broken, brake pads were about to fall off, etc. I pulled off at mile 10 to investigate, found that the little clamp on my fork had broke so my brake cable was just flapping into my spokes. This would explain the noise.
Quickly surveyed the situation and figured my electrical tape, the trusty electrical tape, would be the fix. threw that on there and the cable was sure not to move. Also, noticed my caliper was in fact loose too, so tightened that down and was moving again. Probably lost 10 minutes based on my moving vs clock time for the day.
The theme for most of the week is big, high alpine, backwoods riding. This means lots of burly decents, rocky, rutty, loose, you get the picture. We did this for 32 of the 34 miles.
The slog up the fume trail was as miserable as ever. Cleaned it but it sure makes you suffer.
Continued to hammer around the wilderness with no real surprises other than the huge 20-ish feet drainage crossing at the bottom of one of the blown-out service roads that i noticed everyone walking around and over a wood plank. I was going so damn fast down the hill and i saw my opportunity to pass about 10 people standing there contemplating how they were about to cross as there were no canoe's close, so i just blasted right through and out the other side. Totally soaked, but totally worth it. My bike will squeak the entire week.
Saw lots of carnage with flat tires as some people clearly didnt get the message to tread up for the breck material. no place for race tires.
Washed out on a turn near the end and earned my "if youre not bleeding youre not trying" trophy for the day with some scraps on my knees and elbows.
Chatted with a rider from PA who happened to know the Legendary Tim Carson, so chatted about that for a while and before i knew it, 3h 44m later, i was ticking down barney flow into Carter park to the finish.
Finished 12th/23 in AG: 3:44, 34 min back from 1st.
Beers in order with WB, LS, Sara and Brian Krzyzaniak and the Anderson's who came up to slay some trails with WB while i was racing. We found lots of beers.

Stage 2: Colorado Trail. 41mi, 6100' gain
830am start - nature happens
This is suppossed to be the "fun" stage. So off the start we are sprinting up towards Gold Run Rd. A steep, out of your saddle climb for like 7 miles. Brutal! Definitely not fun yet.
Tuck in behind some female pro's because, well, the male pro's are like 1 hour ahead of me at this point and we're only 10 miles in to the day.
Shredded some incredible ST after the long slog of a climb at 110% effort and finally make it to Galena ditch. Unfortunately Galena is like a girl you scooped up on Colfax on a saturday night who seems to have herself put together, but is actually a vampire. Galena is relatively flat but with super sharp rocks that just want to ruin your day. Tucked in between some more female and the singlespeed leaders and get up to the Swan section and Aid #1. Phew! This was actually the most stressful part of my day. Ripping ST, tight corners, vampire rocks that are nibbling on your tires and pro's on both side of you is not what i consider a "fun" morning on the trails. #ontherivet
Hit the CO Trail and that girl you scooped up on colfax now turns into Cinderella and youre just cruising minus the super long slog up Westridge climb. More carnage as the course is eating peoples tires, literally.
Hit Red tail trail, hay trail, and Blair witch which is always super fun. Headed towards the Dredge Boat Aid #2 and saw the Yeti, a literal Yeti, handing out bottles, some 8 year old filled my  bottles and packed my  pockets with gels and waffles, out.
Up to Summit Gulch in the heat which is where things start to unravel. Crush a bottle, a package of gels and we're cruisin back on up to 10,500'. The wheels wanted to fall off here as I hit ZL trail because i hadn't actually seen anyone other than the Pro that passed be at the bottom of Summit Gulch for about an hour.
Crashed on ZL, again by washing out so tore up the other knee and elbow from the day before, so now everything matches. Pulled myself together to hit Gold Run Rd trail again, passed a suffering sole and cruised on down to to the finish at B&B trailhead.
Nutrition for the day included about 5 water bottles, a banana, some orange slices, and 2 packages of GU watermelon chews, which are absolutely delicious.
Met WB there finishing her ride and headed back to town to look for beers like a sleuth of bears looking for old ziplock baggies that once contained PB&J's.
Hit up the Angles Hollow for margs and beers which was delightful even after the woman at the bar yelled out to us as we first walked in "Dont be scared!"
Finished 7th in AG, 4:11, Up to 9th in AG - 55min back from 1st

Stage 3: Guyot, 41mi, 6500' gain
This is the biggie, lots of climbing, up and over the continental divide twice as you make your way around Mt. Guyot via French pass and Georgia Pass.
Again, perfect temps and no rain in the forecast.
Headed out towards the Little French flume trail via prospect hill which is a great section of trail. Descended down to start the long slog up Little French Gulch to the top of Guyot. Just before we started climbing, one of the PA singlespeeders ive been following around all week starts to blow chunks and lose his breakfast. I assume its his strategy to lose a half pound or so to make the climb easier, but apparently this is his thing, every race.
Anyways, on to the climb...this sucker hurt, the whole time, really put me in the pain cave. Some super steep, washed out, creek crossings, high alpine riding and some hike a bike. About 4 miles up worth. But, youre on top of the world as it seems once you finally hit the ridge. Skittles hand-ups are a must.
The descent down the back side into Park Co is super fun, but with some burly rock drops and loose sections where youre about 1% in control of your bike, just point and shoot is how you get down.
There were Amanita shrooms everywhere, the size of my helmet. I was tempted but opted for some GU salted caramel waffle instead.
The climb up the backside to Georgia pass just feels miserable. The sun is out and youre taking direct fire, 5 miles later youre finally able to let your legs stretch out and can ease up.
The decent down into Middle Fork is one of the most technical sections of the whole week. Big rocks, really big rocks, and wet. This section is more like the girl you scooped up from Ace Hi who was doing karaoke all night. You know exactly what youre getting, and you still cant help yourself. So you just blast down this section holding on for dear life and wishing you had full body armor. Its easier to just let the trail dictate your line because you have lost all control. See, just like Ace Hi.
I ended up crashing slightly over the bars because of this method of descending but nothing major, just reopened some of yesterdays cuts. Saw a lot of people limping out of there though holding derailleurs in hand, holding their wrists, etc.
By about mile 30 i started to fall apart. Legs were cashed and we were already looking at about 5200' of gain at this point with another 1300' left on loose rocky jeep road climbs. Cruised through a nice old scree field left behind by the old mining operations but this was full exposure on very little trail. Literally wide enough for my tires. Any mis-tire placement and you were falling a long way on sharp rocks. Not exactly what you want to be riding when you've bonked.
A singlespeeder, from PA, was pretty chatty at this point and turns out, he too knew The Tim Carson. i think Tim himself has built half of the wheelsets for the epic's field.
Somehow finished this day out and am going to need a lot of recovery cocktails this evening plus about 3 hours in the elevated legs. This one hurt, Lots of carnage at the finish. Seems i wasnt the only one that had to go a little deep today. A PB and fluff sandwich will help me forget about this at least for a few minutes though.
Next up, Aqueduct with another 40 mi and 6100' of up.

We'll be changing the frequency of ibuprofen doses from once daily to twice daily from here on out.
cheers!
Finish 10th in AG, 10th in GC; 4:40

Stage 4 - Aqueduct loop, 41mi, 6400' gain
Turns out 9 hours of sleep is the special number. Woke up feeling much more refreshed than I had been, especially after the worst ive felt thus far.
Today my goal was to ride smart, which means keeping my pace under control on the climbs, let myself fall in behind on the descents even if i was behind slower riders, and take in a lot more food and water.
Right off the bat we are climbing, like every day here in Colorado, but i stuck to my plan and it seemed to be working. A singlespeeder on flat pedals and a flannel shirt passed me in the first 5 miles and i would never see him again though, that would cause me to rethink my original game plan.
Really uneventful ride until Vomit hill, which made us suffer + a little hike a bike but the donut hand up on top was clutch. On the decent you are flying through some super narrow pine's as they are shredding your arms and calves as you are going about 25mph. One kind of threw me off balance a bit and sent me flying into a large pine tree but luckily it was very soft and forgiving so I exited unscathed. The tree on the other hand lost a lot of bark.
Over to Keystone we headed after that to start our 12 mile climb up Westridge and to the CO trail. Upon getting to Aid #2 i was in such a hurry to start pedaling uphill forever that i forgot my water bottle on the table, so back i go losing only about 2 or 3 minutes.
Up Westridge climb we go and down the south side of the COT. This descent of the COT is not as fun as the other side as theres a bit more rocky and rutty sections but fun nonetheless.
Dump out at Middle Fork and to Aid 3. No bridge crossings with only a 3 inch board to ride across today so that was exciting and less death defying.
Last big climb up Rock Island was brutal and seemed to go on forever but was likely only 2 or 3 miles. Down into the finish and they had margaritas awaiting mixed in with the post race spread. These guys really know how to put on a race. Incredible.
Overall a much easier day after scaling things back a bit and the part about not being at 13,000; for half the day like yesterday. I think i'm still in around 11th in my AG so only lost a few minutes today and 1 spot. Big climb up to Wheeler tomorrow and the brutal descent back down.
As a bonus, Gary Johnson, presidential candidate and former NM governor, who is also competing in the 6 day race, was on stage at the rider meeting to discuss his current views on today political system. Boy that was a treat...
I've also come to lose all sense of what day of the week it is and any other life responsibilities outside of feeding the dog, letting the dog out to pee, and taking the dog to the dog park. I am really glad this is not what i do ALL of the time.
Finish: 11th in AG, 10th in GC, 4:16

Stage 5: WHEELER. 24mi, 5400' gain
Wheeler day. TT start based on yesterdays finish. Ill be in the 9th group of 10 riders to depart.
Just get in line and march soldier! And that is exactly what we did for 2 hours after the easy lead out on Burro trail. We marched our bikes up to 12,500 to the top of Wheeler pass, on what seemed to be little goat trails, some scree fields, and then finally to some actual gravel trail, because lets be honest nothing really grows at that elevation. The ptarmigans were laughing at us all day, it was comical. Lots of flat tires here on the parts we were able to ride due to the sharp rocks. Once we finally were able to descend Miners Creek trail that sucker was BURLY!. White-knuckled that sucker all the way back down to Peaks trail. Big drops, loose rock, basically like everything else we've ridden this week but screaming downhill at 25mph. My hands still hurt 6 hours after finishing, like really hurt. I can barely hold this beer in my hand.
Bigger tires and higher psi were the winner for today and anyone who decided to go light and fast probably either had a real bad day, or was praying the whole time they wouldnt slice a sidewall.
Eventually hit Peaks trail, which i hate, and headed back to Breck on the uphill, rocky, rutty, high through hiker trail that is the peaks trail.
To the guy in your road shoes who thought they would be faster up and down today, i hope those worked out for you. Good luck on walking for the next week or so after climbing in those all day.
Finish: 9th in AG, 10th in GC 3:44

Tim Faust Photography

Stage 6: Gold Dust 30mi 3700' gain
We made it! Day 6 is the ACTUAL fun day. Again, TT start. Departure in group 8 today
Rolling up to the start i immediately notice i am only accompanied with 1 other guy in baggies. I thanked him.
Off we go to climb up Aspen Alley, Bakers Tank and Boreas Pass rd. Our group basically stayed together for most of this 10 mile climb minus the few who blew them selves up at the start to try and get a hole shot. Upon descending Gold Dust, one of the most magical trails, ever, you hit some blown out rocky chunk then move on to the flume section where there are banked turns, mossy walls and just enough pitch where you can mash your big ring through all of that for about a handful of miles.
The only hiccup on the day was launching down a rutty section only to find one of our French-Canadian fellows standing in the middle of the trail because he couldnt ride a rut or rock all week, seriously, so i was forced to slam on the brakes and skidded off into a small tree which gracefully caught me.
Climbing Boreas on the south side was fun as always but you just crank away. Got in to a nice group to draft a bit with so took turns pulling out front every mile or so. Upon cresting boreas pass, PBR handups were in order, and i was super thirsty, so down the hatch and down the mountain. Literally hitting 30+ mph until we took a hard left on Indiana creek and cruised on in to the finish with about 6 or 7 of the guys we started with this morning.
There at the finish, i scooped my usual coke, fig newtons, BBQ chips, and a Breck Epic Special sandwich comprised of mayo, bacon, pickles, and potato chips. Delicious!
Finish: im guessing 10th...banquet, booze, and belt buckles tonight!

Tim Faust PHotography

What the Breck Epic does right, or least what stood out in my mind:
1. Aid station support - absolutely fabulous! Great volunteers, just enough food but not too many choices at the buffet table, and just in the right locations. The little girl who filled my bottles each day at one of the aid stations deserves volunteer of the week for sure as she was lightening quick and yelled at the the dirt bikers as they were going by.
2. Maps are spot on. Both gpx for upload and paper for review the night before. We're talking topographic, colored, trail names, elevation profiles, climb details, decent details, etc. just awesomeness.
3. Race Crew are Pro's. Always happy, always willing to help, even to those with spandex on...
4. GU Vanilla Recovery powder mix w/almond milk; BOMB.

Some final notes:
These events bring folks from all walks of life and the world. Most racers are 40+ with extra disposable income, or young pro riders who were supported by bike shops or bike industry sponsors. But there are also the industry folks and volunteers, and most fascinating, the dogs of the Breck Epic.
LS had a blast with all of his friends to say the least, although the constant dodging of the head pat was not his favorite.
Just standing and people watching at the nightly rider meeting was like an event that WB and i really got a kick out of. Not for any particular reason, just fascinating clothing, conversation, etc.
Now that this is over with, im not sure ill jump on the stage race circuit. This was more fun and challenging than i ever could have imagined, but i really just like riding bikes. Im just not sure i need to do it in this format.
Having WB and LS there all week was awesome and their texts throughout the race were funny but just what i needed. To know someone is watching you gives you some comfort as you take too many risks or crash into trees ;).
This was the one and only bike race i had on the summer calendar so not sure what ill get myself into next but maybe a run at the Cougar Slayer course again in a few weeks if i can talk Franco into suffering again with me.
Hope you enjoyed the read and signed up for the epic in 2018....K2 out.

Some random pics throughout the week.Ill post more as i find them

Xterra World Championship 2016 - Maui

August 10th, 2011
Location: Denver Emergency Center for Children, Room P2
Kevin: "hey whitney, i cant race tomorrow" (referring to Xterra Indian Peaks)
WB: "wait a sec im trying to intubate this 13 month old who swallowed a Garmin battery, i need ketamine"
Kevin: " i cant swim....."
WB: "what!?! You cant swim!?"

And thats how this road to the Maui Xterra World Champs began, over 5 years ago. Apparently my baseball, football and skiing background was not as helpful as i would have thought to prepare me for this crazy world of triathlon.

Road to Maui:
Xterra Oak Mountain, Birmingham, AL
Late May. 5th in AG

Oak Mtn: hot and humid. almost drowned in the non-wetsuit swim. Zika virus is hiding here.

After Oak Mtn and securing our slots to Maui the anxiety of ACTUALLY needing to know how to swim set it. Maui was going to be an open water, OCEAN swim. I can barely get from one side of the 25m Golden Rec center pool without panicking.

Swam a few times in between Xterra Beaver Creek (2nd in AG) and Xterra Utah/Pan Am Championships (5th in AG). Actually secured an out right qualifying slot at Xterra Beaver Creek with a 2nd place finish so wouldnt have needed the Oak Mtn slot anyways in the end. Started to feel pretty comfortable in the pool after Utah and was seeing some good progress with my routine of one day a week, 30 min pull session only in the pool. This, was sure to get me out of the ocean and away from the sharks in Hawaii. 

The remaining summer was spent doing very few races actually. 18 hrs of fruita, relay for colfax marathon, singlespeed at the RME PV Derby,  Vail GoPro games trail run, 70mi Ring the Peak around Pikes peak, and that was it besides the bike packing trip from Telluride to Moab via San Juan Huts system with the crew. A  low volume race summer. 

Race week

Got all the bikes packed up and prepared my liver for all the pina coladas and mai tais by drinking a growler each night with TK. Love our Ruster Hen House bags as they fly under the size restrictions, and free with Southwest, and it really makes some airline agents upset when you tell them "its sporting equipment, not a bike" because they cant charge you extra. And besides, these things dont resemble a bike after you tear them down to just the frame, etc..

"Is that a bike?" "No-its sporting equipment"

Maui:

We get in with no troubles and scoop up the parental units, both my dad and WB's parents came to vacation and turn wrench for us. The Krazy Krzyzaniak's also happened to be in Kauai that week so they jumped a flight over the day before the race to hang out since its not often you have friends, one island over, while youre in hawaii. 

 

WB and i decided to hit the trails for a quick run to scope out the lower section so we rattled off a solid 6 miles at 10min/mi pace, almost the entire run course skipping just a very small section, two days out. Then hit DT Fleming beach to scope out the swim start. While a low pressure system was clearly moving through the area, that brought intermittent heavy rains with tons of wind for a handful of days leading up to race morning, and including race day. The run and bike course were soaked and were not handling the rain well. sticky Maui mud. The waves and swells were outrageous. Probably 3-4' swells the day before the race which didnt seem too bad at the time as we practiced breaking through a few sets to figure that all out. In the end the buoys looked to not be THAT far away so i figured my progressing swim skillz would surely get me out there and back. After all, i wasnt going to win the Superbowl, i just had to have fun and finish.

view from our VRBO house on Turtle Bay in Napili

"dry section of the prerun"

Yes, they knew i was from CO so they gave me #420 in hopes i would bring the RD some edibles

Race Day

The beautiful thing about Xterra is the 9am start, the 4 hour time difference in HI was also a bonus. That means you can wake up, take your time drinking coffee, eat some breakfast, and let normal physiologic processes go on uninterrupted.

Headed over to the transition area and get all settled. For a race with 800 competitors it sure didnt feel busy which was calming.

Headed down to the beach and did the nervous chit-chat thing for 45 minutes until we can get this circus going. Watch as the waves keep getting bigger and bigger and the announcer talks about the current that is moving right to left which is why we are lining up on the far right of the beach. Remind myself that i have no expectations aside from just finishing and having fun.

Swim

9am comes and the pros hit the water, just as a huge set hits too which seemed appropriate. 4 minutes or so later my AG gets the gun and its a bit easier to get in. I find open water immediately which is a welcome surprise since i went off with the largest group of AG'ers. I settle in and seem to do alright besides having to try and sight the buoys and take a breath with almost every other stroke. The waves do not seem to settle out as we get closer to the buoy and i definitely feel the current as i end up next to a course marshal on a surf board telling me to go right. I dont think the helicopter overhead is helping matters either but still make it to the buoy in decent shape and make the turn back to the beach. I certainly took advantage of riding a few waves as much as i could to help expedite this torture session but find myself having the floor drop out from underneath me and drop about 3 or 4 feet which led to some very inconsistent swimming. Finally make the shore and make my trot around the flags before heading out for round 2 (swim is an M shape with a short beach run between legs). Take a deep breath and look out towards buoy 2. Clouds seem to be rolling in again and the swells look huge. WTF i think to myself. Im immediately having flashbacks to the movie The Guardian. #$%^'s about to get real for round 2 so i take 15 deep breaths and start to make my way out and just begin to get pummeled. big waves, big swells, getting punched in the face the entire way out to buoy #2. Try to do a better job at swimming against the current but then just end up swimming in place for like 10 minutes. Finally make my way around and headed back. moral is picking up until i get almost to the shore line and catch a huge wave which literally washes me ashore a$$ over teakettle and end up washing up on the shore on top of another dude, goggles floating besides me. The guy looks over at me and says "Well thats one way to make an entrance". I look over at him and say lets get the $%^ out of here man! Up to transition we go, so thankful for that to be over.

Swim: 33:56 (42nd/53 in AG)

Video of my swim start: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwbg7CGcmTs3QkdpMVAxOFBxQVE

T1: 3:00 slow for me but my bike rack was smack in the middle of the transition lawn, slammed a fruity powerbar gel

Bike:

Well, i dont really know what to say other than at mile 1 i was in line marching up a hill, sometimes sliding down it, wishing i had metal spikes on my shoes. Tried to get on and pedal intermittently for the next 7 miles. Got off and pulled mud from my frame and gears about 15 times. You just had to laugh, but be glad you werent there.
We all knew what the bike was going to bring based on the prerides and weather. It was a slip and slide after a week of rain.  

At mile 8.5 we finally hit the downhill section. I hoped on and started to hammer. However, what i didnt take into consideration was my bike was 10 lbs heavier and turns out you go faster downhill when youre carrying more weight. About a mile or two in and we are cruising down another slip and slide muddy road and i took flight and just launched myself and bike into the bushes. Luckily i landed in some soft bushes so i popped up and hoped back on and held on for dear life. Finally made my way back to the lower section where it gets a bit more technical and twisty but the course was more manageable and tacky vs muddy and wet. The last time i was this excited to get off my bike was the course at Oak Mountain where there was something like 900 turns in 20 miles. Its just plain exhausting as its more mentally exhausting to stay so dialed into the course instead of just letting your legs power you up or down a hill. 

Was able to drink about 2 bottles of water although even in the rain and wet conditions i was always thirsty and could have used one more aid station. i think i got a bit behind with all the hike a bike that i had intended to use that climbing time to drink but instead had my hands full carrying a 40lb bike.

Anyways, into T2 with only the whites of my eye balls showing and super excited to get to the fun part of the race. 

Bike: 2:27:54 (about 30 mins slower than expected) 

If anyone is interested in watching how T2 works:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwbg7CGcmTs3LWQwT1hIM3dueFE

T2: 1:33 - crushed a package of cliff shots, tropical flavor of course. had a hard time tying my shoes since my hands were covered in mud and i dont use the EZ laces. otherwise uneventful but really happy to be off the bike.

Run:

This is where i typically catch a few in my AG and move into a solid finish but today would be different, i maybe picked off 2 in my AG. 

Hit the road and feel ok but it felt about 90 degrees and super humid at this point. I immediately sense that my hydration was not adequate on the bike and plan to take water at each aid station, where ever those may be located. I typically only hit one or maybe two stations during all other races so i knew i was in the hole.

To start, you run up a big hill, paved, and then tuck into the trees. About a mile in i see a guy ive been racing with all day kneeling in the middle of the trail, hands between his legs, arms crossed over his head. I ask if hes ok and he mumbles something so I assume his airway is intact and keep trucking along. Next some female AG'er passes me like im standing still. I am immediately taken aback and think that i am dogging it a bit so i try and pick up the pace but the legs are just crushed so i settle back into my 9min pace. I dont know who that ever was but ive never been passed by anyone like that on the run. Maybe it was Flora Duffy?

At about mile 2 i feel that i have a huge rock in my shoe and its not going anywhere so i make the decision to pull off and empty my shoe. that helped for about 1 minute until another appeared and i start to feel a huge blister developing on the pad of my left foot. Pull off again and empty that guy out. Carry on and finally hit the top around mile 4 and start to make the decent through the winding forest and old golf course, down the embankment and up or over the fallen trees on course. Certainly a much drier run than it was a bike and thankful for that.

Hit the beach at last and completely flounder trying to make that look sexy but my best attempt at a solid David Hasselhoff impression is a fail. Into the finishing chute i go with a huge smile on my face.

Run: 57:43 (9:10min/mi pace)

Run

Total time: 4:04:06. 25th/60 in AG, 11th American AG'er, 3rd American in AG

told you it was muddy

the watermelon was delicious

After finishing up i headed back to catch up with the crew and find out WB is still out on the bike. We headed to transition and after about 10 minutes she comes rolling through. I knew this type of bike course was not what she has ever ridden in so i figured she would not be happy with the conditions but SUPER excited to get off the bike. She made a quick turn in T2 and out to the run she went. 

WB Swim: 31:25 

WB Bike: 3:35:41

WB run: 59:25

5:11:21 Overall time

7th in AG!

at about 0:30, youll see someone who just couldnt get in the water, that was almost me

After all is said and done we grab a beer and then head back to the house. Was a great day to be out there and I wouldnt have traded in the touted "toughest Xterra World Championship race in 21 years" for anything. It was truly a course and conditions only for the worlds best, or at least those in the world that dont mind suffering. (i am not one of the best, but do love a good suckfest!).

It was muddy, unrelenting, and i was just lucky to not have had any mechanicals but there was carnage EVERYWHERE. People holding their derailleurs in their hands, peoples bottom brackets sounded like cans of rocks, chains laying on the ground where people abandoned them and just decided to coast their way into the finish. 

To sum it up, Xterra is not Ironman, its not marathon running, its a ~3hr race (on normal days). I dont have a coach or training plans and most people dont need them unless youre the pro's or one of the world elite's. Knowing how fast you can run in a straight line or down a street means nothing in Xterra, similarly to knowing how much power you can push on the bike only tells you that you spend too much time on your indoor trainer when its 85 degrees and sunny out (Sorry Breyer, not a jab at you i promise!). That doesnt help you climb up 3400+ feet over mountainous terrain with 200 turns and switch backs or jump over fallen trees or run down beaches. The point of this is to just be outside, having fun, with cool people who feel the same way you do, and especially the beers at the end. Having several screws loose certainly helps too. I hope to come back some day on a dry course and really see how much fun the course could be, which is why the real reason we do this. Its all about the exploration and experience.

Big shout out to our family who came and drank more than we did, the krazy krzyzaniaks for all the cheering and photography, Team DGBG and the Strava Crew for blowing up our phones all throughout the race; Optic Nerve, Panache, Peak Cycles & www.bikeparts.com, Wheat ridge cyclery, Skratch labs, Runners High, Wish for Wheels, etc.

Up next: 25 hours of Frog Hollow....who's in!?!

~k2

does xterra need any mascots?

It Never Rains in New Mexico

June 2013: 24hrs of Enchanted Forest, Gallup, NM. 24hr USA championships
Team "I closed Wolski's" ventured down to NM after competing in the 24Hr championships the year before in Colorado Springs. We got physically beat up in CoS on the 1 square mile, 13 mile course at Palmer Park. We literally got assaulted. It was cold, we drank too many Lime A Ritas and the course was super technical, so we were out for some revenge. WB (a NM native) assured us that it would be good times and great weather high up in the mountains of NM. What we didnt expect was the first drop of rain to hit NM in the last 10 years was to hit us during our race. And by a drop i mean about 6 inches of rain in 8 hours. The race was postponed due to conditions that were unridable. We almost lost tom out in the wilderness to a landslide. Tinker Juarez went on to win that year with 12 laps to our 5 person team of 8 laps. We said we would be back NM, and hopefully with drier weather.
During that season we would go on to compete at several more 24 hours races and the idea of doing Duo races had come up. Since i had been starting to feel out the waters in the solo category, Tom and WB agreed to do a duo. Over the next 2 years races went by with no duo entry for Tom and WB...until i caught wind of the Albuquerque mountain bike festival and the 12hrs of ABQ.
Without hesitation i immediately signed Tom and WB up for the duo. Zia Rides is the organization that puts on the incredible line up of races down there in NM including Enchanted Forest, home to the latest 24hr national championships. They are by far the best organization to put on races of these caliber. In general they are just super nice people, get just the right amount of sponsorship to provide good local craft beer, decent swag, and they know the importance of having a great local coffee truck onsite at all hours of the race. No one needs showers anyways, we are mountain bikers after all!
So, after signing those two up i was on the hunt to find my own Duo team otherwise i would have to do this sucker solo. I signed Toms wife up with me so there we had it. 2 duo teams but more importantly, Tom and WB could check this off their bucket list after 3 years of "talking" about it. Unfortunately, Teresa wasnt super thrilled with this idea of her racing but  once she got the confirmation in her email inbox there was no time for sulking, she threw together a training plan and kept to it for the last 6 weeks. She hit North Table mountain routinely crushing it up Mesa top trail, which is by far one of the most grueling climbs on the front range. Come race day she would be ready to slay-it!
WB was still certain that come race day tom wouldnt show up since he had had a history of coming up with excuses as to why he couldnt do a duo with her. We lured him down to NM with green chile chicken enchiladas and a nice big king size bed to sleep in at WB's parents house. Ok so maybe Tom does need a shower.

Day before the race:
We make the drive down to ABQ and head to the race site for packet pick up. We stop briefly at the beer tent for a root beer and Pale Ale and then head back down into town for some green chile chicken enchiladas.

Race Day:

Up early to get to the venue and set up our canopy and lounge chairs. Race starts at 9am. Tom and I line up at the start and it is not a crowded start. There are may 60-70 people at the start. Theres probably 150-ish people in the whole race so definitely a small field but for a first time race thats to be expected. 

The course is a 13 miler with ~1400' of gain but it was likely a little less based on my garmin which actually tends to overestimate so it was likely even less than that. 

We are off and hit the singletrack immediately as this trail is about 100% singletrack. We come up to our first technical section which is a big rock garden. THere are about 20 of these throughout the course. We push on in typical first lap fashion which is real slow and in line. I always have to caution people who go out on the first lap because the first lap is rarely true racing. Its just too crowded especially on tight singletrack and can be dangerous if you try to pass in a bad spot. I would suggest to anyone that if you want to race lap 1, you better get in the front row or get out onto the singletrack before everyone else. You always have to realize that no one wins or loses on the first lap, its slow for just about everyone. you have to ride smart, pass when you can but dont take too many stupid risks and risk a flat or hitting a tree because you are trying to pass so many people in a bad spot. I like to sit back, put on some tunes on the boom bottle and have fun. It is mountain biking after all. 

Make our way through the loop and get to some super flowy sections where you can really open her up and get on the gas. Then youll hit some more techy stuff and then some nice flowly stuff again. Like most other places on the planet except Colorado and specifically the front range, climbs in NM are not long and sustained but short and punchy. They are maybe a quarter mile for the steep ones and maybe 1-2 miles for the more gradual low grade climbs. Unfortunately for us Front rangers, we make up all of our time on the climbs and lose time on the descents so these courses certainly level out the playing field. 

I make sure i stop at the albuquerque bikeworks donut station on every lap and grab a half donut. This was super awesome as it allowed me to really not eat much on these laps other than my donut. They were located at about mile 7 so it was a perfect spot to grab some calories each lap. I stopped one time in the middle of the day when i was starting to bonk a bit. Water was just not as refreshing as it should have been. The climbs were getting to me as was the 75-80 degree sun. I limped into the donut stop and Vincent hooked me up with a corona. It was deeeelicious and just what i needed. After a donut and the corona i was back out and ready to hit my 3rd lap in a row. Teresa and I traded off in a 2 or 3 lap to 1 ratio for the race. WB and Tom were doing 2:2's and were really killing it.
I had predicted those two would be very competitive and sure enough they were holding steady in 2nd place the entire race. the 1st place team was just ahead of them by 1 lap the entire day and 3rd place was one lap down so they just had to ride safe and smart and finish with no major crashes or mechanicals.
Teresa and I were holding strong in 4-5th place in the Male 4 person teams (dont ask!....) Dusk quickly came up and were headed into our last laps. Lights on as it was now dark and this tight course was sure to be a party under darkness. Luckily our Magicshine lights throw some crazy lumens and light everything up. A bit off our pace but we finished strong and both of our teams held our positions.
A super strong day overall for all 4 of us. Teresa certainly wins the award for overcoming her fears of racing, especially on this super technical trail. She was by far the most courageous person out there and absolutely killed that course. wait until she sees what i signed her up for next....
It was another fantastic day with friendly riders and the best organized event you could ask for. The Oak flat camp ground was a fantastic venue with great trails that you just cant beat. We hope to be back next year and also that it draws some larger crowds to keep this race going for many years.
Team It Never Rains in NM: 2nd place coed duo
Team WB stole a dog once: 4th place Coed Duo (although results are unofficial since we somehow were put in the 4 person male category.)
For the gear junkies..
bike setup: scott scale pro 29er. maxxis ardent race tires, 1x10 (36x11x34 up front). magicshine 808 light (1000lumens).
nutrition: about 6 donuts, 6 Bosque beers and 1 corona. Twizzlers and a turkey sandwich. 1 large americano after laps 1 and 2.
Miles: 73mi
elevation: 7200'