"I just wanted you to know that ALL of US got HERE at 6:45"
That's what was loudly announced to me shortly after I hopped over the gate to line up by an overly enthusiastic racer in front of me. They told us at the meeting the night before we would line up by expected finish time.......what they didn't say is that it was 'first come - first serve' apparently. So there I stood in complete silence for an awkward 20 minutes or so not even on my bike....it was packed too tight for me to even get to it. When the gun went off I grabbed it, did a running mount, and we were off.
The race starts on the main drag in downtown Prescott and climbs on the pavement to the National Forest just outside of town. From there you slowly merge onto the singletrack and form a giant conga line for the next 30 minutes or so. I felt good....my HR was in control...the sun was out....a good day on the bike was in progress.
Eventually we got to a climb that had big log steps...a lot you could make but some were impossible. At one point everyone was off their bike pushing uphill. After that was a loose steep downhill that a few riders got around me on and absolutely shredded down (maybe it helps if you have ridden it before? :) Then more climbing followed by a loooong descent into the appropriately named 'Skull Valley', which marked the halfway and turnaround point to begin the beast of a climb from the 24 to 36 mile mark.
I was doing well...I had made a pre-race goal of trying to bust 4 hours and had time checks along the way that I was meeting or close to. I needed to make it to the turn around in under 2 hours (check, but not by much) and back up to the turn off in under 3 (check, but again not by much) From there big surprise....more climbing to the high point of the race.
This is where it really got grueling. The grade increased just when you didn't want it too, and at the same time the air got thinner. They warned us at the meeting this is where we would want to walk but just stick it out....man did that guy nail it. When the top finally popped into view it was a welcome sight. There was a lot of people cheering, and a gentlemen with a cup of beer in one hand and a bottle of Jim Beam in the other simply asking 'Whiskey or Beer'? I chose the latter, tipped the bottle back for a warming swig of firewater and proceeded on my way to the final descent.
The descent was sweet. Flowy high speed singletrack that would put a grin on a dead mans face. Eventually it takes you down to a creek which is crossed back and forth several times while zooming through the trees. Then it happened.
It was 3:54:08 into the race when I came to an abrupt stop. I know because my garmin took a split time when I flipped into the bushes (an undocumented feature perhaps? :). I wasn't sure what happened, did I not see a rock and hit it? The guys behind me asked if I was OK and I indicated I was fine and to move on. I turned my pedal to gear down before I hopped back on but it wouldn't move. Huh?? Checked the chain, fine, tried again, WTF?? Flip the bike over, my tire is jammed into the frame! Turns out my rim didn't like the firewater induced punishment I was handing out and decided to let me know by folding like a taco. I took the wheel off and examined where it was bent. Then I leaned it against a rock, crawled up and bounced up and down on it until it looked a bit straighter. Then back on, spun it, still completely messed up but not hitting the frame at least. Cool, I can try riding it out!!
From there I babied it out, my race was pretty much over. I didn't want to risk another jolt that would fold it again, and when I got to the road that takes you back to town I didn't want to take much chances either. Some guy asked me if I wanted to draft him so I took him up on it for a while. At a certain speed the wobble didn't seem quite as bad so I stuck with that. Just a little further and I was back in town and across the finish line. Sweet!!
This town knows how to put on a bike race for sure. After hanging out a bit it was time to grab mexican food for lunch, followed by a pub crawl and watching the awards and band play from the beer garden later on and into the evening.
If you are a mountain biker and have a pulse I would seriously consider putting this on your calendar next year!! 15, 25 and 50 proof versions available.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/whiskey-off-road-2012/amateur-50-and-25-proof/results
http://epicrides.com/index.php?contentCat=6
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