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
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!
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
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
