Brooke and I have been participating in the "Whiskey" for the past 3 years. In 2008, I did the 15 Proof, in 2009 Brooke did the 15 Proof, and I was supposed to do the 25 Proof, but as luck would have it, certain roadblocks got in the way of fulfilling that "destiny." Instead I cheered Brooke on from the sideline with "Sticki." This year was different. We both decided that we were going to do the 25 Proof..... no if's, and's or but's.
The weather for the past 4 months here in Prescott has been to say the least "challenging." In terms of actual saddle time for training or just going out for any kind of ride at all. This years winter has actually been well, winter. Rain, snow or both at the same time, mother nature was going to rain down on us all her fury. With very limited opportunities to ride, we traveled to Phoenix and to the BCT to try and get some kind of riding in. I tried to get some road riding in, but the wind was a factor most days. Although I did do the Prescott to Wickenberg road ride with a group of friends, but that was a month ago.
With little time left, Brooke and I were anxious to say the least. Steve and Micki decided to join the "Whiskey" fray. Micki the 25 Proof SS (single speed) and Steve the 50 Proof on his newly acquired Raleigh rigid 29er SS. Sarah of the "Sarad Clan" was to do the 25. Who could ask for more, good ride with some good friends. Sunday the 18th, Sticki came up to do a pre ride. We got started about noon and to keep a long story short, the outing was feeling a bit off for everyone..........except for the Steve "the Exception" Reynolds. He was rocking the "one cog" quite superbly. Micki was trying out different gearing combos so she could find the right rate of spin necessary to climb the 5500ft in elevation change on the course. With Sticking having better weather and the prime riding condition in PHX, they showed no mercy on the hills and were forced to wait for us. After the ride we went to Bill's Pizza and discussed possible ride times. Brooke had stated that she felt confident and could do 3.5-4 hours. My time was to be 3.5 hours.....I guess we'll see......
The day before Brooke and I were manning the PMBA booth that Epic Rides had given us in support of jump starting community mountain biking locally. Selling raffle tickets for a chance to win a $5500 Titus Rock Star 29er and sign people up for memberships was our primary goal for the event and we were grateful for the exposure. We also had done trail work to get the course ready for the 1000+ riders to now take to the trails of Prescott. The week leading up to this was a weather disaster. Thursday night we received 3" of snow. Oh geez. Friday, check in/packet pick up, was to be partly cloudy and a high of 62.....that didn't happen. It started out to be promising, but ended up being 34-42 and windy. We were all bundled up as were other vendors and riders. The raffle went well, $10 per ticket yielded about $3700 and with a week to go, the total should be around $4500 to be split between PMBA and The Yavapai Food Bank.
Race Day April 24th 2010 Forecast: Sunny high of 68 degrees
After a bad night sleep wise, I was not feeling the love. I tossed and turned all night. Inadvertently, I also woke Brooke up a couple times with my jostling. With Steve's start time for the 50 @7:15am, we did not see him off, as it would of imposed on our valuable sleep time. The start time for the 25 is @9am. Heading into downtown Prescott, the sky is clear and not a cloud to be seen. The Courthouse Square is crawling with visitors for the race, and the Earth Day Event on the other side is packing them in as well.
I snapped this picture just before the start. There is probably over 500 riders doing just the 25 Proof alone. With the "fast" crowd up front and the "slower" crowd in the back, we are perched somewhere in the front 3rd of the pack. IPOD ready with the jamz, firecrackers booming, excitement growing and then bang!!! We're off! The crowd screaming, we start pedaling in a massive wave rolling down Goodwin Street headed for Copper Basin Road toward Camp Pearlstein. With 4 miles of pavement and lots of climbing to be done, you could see riders starting to fall back or keeping pace. Once to Pearlstein, there was a mandatory walk section. No, not because of our lack of fitness, it was because other riders could not make it over a simple water crossing and up the other side of the embankment. You almost wanted to yell " come on now, it's a mountain bike ride, not a hike." But I didn't, this gave me a chance to shed my vest that I no longer needed, so in the pack it goes. Good thing too, it was quite warm by the time we got to that section.
Side note: With all the trail work, rain and snow. The trail was just fast and tacky, with the 50 Proofers having the already gone through these sections, it was down right flawless. PERFECT.
nuck, nuck, nuck, nuck. One rider failed to make an easy uphill rise, got off and pulled his bike to the side, but it was too late. The other rider just behind him already slowed to a stop and was unable to unclip and ended up falling over onto the rider that had just gotten out of the way. 2 down....plenty more to go. Now TR#48 is fairly technical if you count all 34 water bars staggered up and down the trail, but it is doable. This is where I met up with "frog man." I call him this because, I never got his name, but he had a rubber frog strapped to helmet. While riding, the frog was nearly ripped from his helmet by a low slung branch. I told him, "that was a close one and nice frog by the way. "He replied that he needed to name the frog," I said, how about Herman......?" We both got a good chuckle and kept on riding. It turns out he's from Colorado Springs and he and his friend are riding this together. You can spot his friend easily with a yellow rubber duck on his helmet. I remembered them from the climb up to Pearlstein. How could you not?
Following him, I could tell that he had the same speed and skill level as I, so it was a good match. On your left, on your right, he and I passing riders here and there, we both were making great time. As you make the transition form TR#48 to TR#260, there is a tricky section with some sharp switchbacks, steep drops and water bars. I give him a heads up and tell him what is coming up ahead. 1) because I'm a nice guy, and 2) I didn't want to see my "riding buddy" eat it.
He accepted and took caution, but rode it well. Now we were just flyin' down TR#260 or "baby head alley" as some call it. Always steep and rocky.....but today, it was steep and awesome, there was a well defined line headed down. A combination of mother nature and perfectly packed soil. The 50 Proofers must have cleared most of the baby heads out of the way, it was PERFECT........just PERFECT.......all the way down to Fire Road 53, this is where you dig deep. Starting in Prescott, you've just climbed up and over the mountains and now have to climb back up and over to finish. With FR53 a long slow grind to where it meets the back side of Copper Basin Road (dirt). A fellow rider asked if I have a odometer and how far we are. I tell him," 13 miles, about half way done"......no response. But I think he was hoping we were closer than that. I think he pulled over shortly after, because I don't recall seeing him again.
A little ways in "frog man" and I chat it up again. It turns out he's been a middle school teacher for the last 17 years.....WTF. He looks to be about my age, which is 34 by the way. I did a double take, so he must have been about 37ish. We talked most the way until the last part of FR53......Only because....this is where "IT(FR53) beats you." It's mostly a slight incline with some small rises here and there as you make your way up to Copper Basin. But, the last 1/4 mile is a steep and windy section that will have your legs begging for mercy. This is the last time I saw "frog man. "Crank it out", I tell myself...... almost in granny gear, I come upon some fellow riding buddies walking along side the road. They give me words of encouragement to keep me going. Almost there.....one last turn and over the cattle guard. I let out a freakish yell, only verbally admitting what my legs wanted to say. AAAARRRRRRRRHHHRRRRRRRRR!!!! I made it up and over to the 1st aid station.
It couldn't have been a more happier site. A fine bounty of potassium, salt and energy drinks. An oasis if you will. Many a biker lay their steeds down to feed at this trough of plenty, myself included. But only for a couple of minutes and then back on the bike to climb back up Copper Basin Road to Sierra Prieta Lookout. This is a long 4 mile climb that never seems to end. Off to the left you can look out over Skull Valley, very tranquil, unless you're peddling your bike up a huge hill. I passed a couple riders here, some there, some passed me, I caught back up to them because they bonked, but a couple of ladies were cranking it out on the SS and put me to shame. I swear, she must have been rolling a 34-10. The rear cog was as small as a quarter.....unless, I was seeing things.......hhhmmm.
As I get closer to the top of Copper Basin Road, there is a crowd of about 25 people. Up ahead there are about 6 riders grouped together as they make a left onto Thumb Butte to go to Sierra Prieta Lookout. The crowd start cheering and hollering them. I'm advancing about 30 feet behind them with another rider back 10' and another 15' and so on. But, as I pull up to the crowd and make the turn, not a word, nothing but silence. What? Am I not worthy of a cheer? Are they throwing salt in my game? I give them a look and point to them and yell out, " Can I get a HELL YEAH?" Oddly enough, there was just enough silence to make it uncomfortable and then................... the crowd erupted in to cheer and excitement. It was great, nothing like crowd participation. I was laughing for the next couple of minutes from the look on their faces when I said that. I'm glad they responded the way they did cause anything less would be awkward. Good times.
To the top of SPL, the 2nd aid station stood with more ride treats to be squandered. I must help myself to them. So I did. Pat from the PMBA committee was there under the canopy, he called out my name as I came up the hill. He was partaking in the 15 Proof, and was doing well for being a fairly new rider. He and I talked for a couple of seconds and I said," back to the bikes" and he agreed. To pull off the first part of this trail, you must go down off the road and then immediately climb a fairly steep incline and then a couple more. I pull it off without a hitch, Pat, right behind me...does not. I here a couple puffs of breathe and a " ahhh! Dang it." I didn't look back, but I could hear him get off his bike and start pushing it up the hill. I came up to the back of some other riders and they were inching along....I pulled up on the rear tire of the rider in front of me, I stood up and cranked it out in a big gear. Once we hit the crest, I felt a little" twinge" in my legs....what the.....? "What was that?" My mind searching for clues....."Oh no! I hope it's not leg cramps!" No worries.....I'm on the down hill section, I can spin those cramps away.
In fact I did. Bombing down the the Thumb Butte single track throwing caution to the wind. I was kicking it into high gear. The only problem........again.........mountain bike riders that can't ride any kind of obstacle......must be "roadies fakin it." Some halted the progress I was making. After passing them it was afterburner on. I was getting close, one last creek crossing till the last section of climbing, also known as "cramp hill." No problem. Until I started pedaling. And then it happened. "Cramp hill" sunk it's claws into my quads and calves simultaneously. I felt my legs go into lock-down mode, I tore my feet out of my pedals just in time. I stood next to my bike with leg lock in full effect. The people I just passed were now starting to round corner. I put my head down trying to convince my legs to get it together. No response. Now worried, so close to the end, how long was this going to take? I slowly began to do a squat and eased my way down to sit on my heels, I could feel the lactic acid finally receding from my muscles. Rubbing my quads and calves for a bit, I was able to stand up and was at least able to walk, with the ability to bend my legs, instead of walking like Forrest Gump in leg braces. It was a relief. At most, it only took a couple of minutes, but it seemed longer than that. Only about 5 riders had been able to catch up and pass me by. I continued to walk the last section of 'Cramp Hill" to make sure that there would not be a repeat of what had just happened. Looking back down the hill, everyone else chose to walk as well.
Now at the top, I jumped back in the saddle and headed toward TR#392, the last part of single track down the switchbacks and through several creeks and onto Creek Side Trail. Again, more "technically challenged" riders. At this point, my frustration had kicked in at the lack of riding skills I am witnessing out here, mind numbing. Simple obstacles, little drops, they were getting off their bikes for these...? WTF. And to make it worse, they stayed on the trail blocking riders behind them. Total disregard of "proper trail etiquette" in my book. So I voice my opinion with a " you know you have riders behind you, right!" It was loud enough to hear if you were in earshot of it. No one responded but magically, the next couple of tech sections the trail parted like the Red Sea. With the last couple of sections cleared I hit Thumb Butte Road which leads back to the finish line.
Awesome, I just killed that course, with very little prep time and some leg cramps to boot. Rolling towards downtown, I throw it into the big ring and spin it out. When what do you know, a couple of those "tools" that were jamming me up, start creeping up on me. Whatever "tools." They pass me, no biggie, I'm still hauling. We make the corner onto Park Ave. There is a slight up hill on Park, not something you want to see after a grueling ride but it must be done. I put my head down and grunt it out, when all of a sudden, the bike gods rained down some "KARMA" on their non technical asses. I assumed that one of them had crashed and taken the other 2 out with him. I found out later that he "cramped up" and it tossed him off the bike into his buddies. Oh.....so sad......SUCKA!!! I pedaled by with a grin, I did enjoy it, I'm not going to lie. To the final turn and onto Goodwin Street. I can see the finish line, the crowd cheering on the finishers. It was great. Only someone tried to take my place in the standings and tried, I repeat "tried" to take my place, but put the hammer down and out-sprinted him to the finish by less than a foot. Take that fool. My time 3:32:03 61st place in Mens Open.
Now I just had to wait for Brooke to pull in on her "trusty steed", at the 1st aid station, Tone from the Raven Cafe had asked where she was. I said," back there somewhere." He kinda looked at me funny like I should keep tabs on her. No worries, Brooke's a trooper. She has guts. For only taking up riding seriously in the last couple of years, she has come on strong. She rocks the single speed on some rides that others need gears for. I love it. She can only improve and get better. I better watch my back. She pulls through the finish with some "moxy" as seen in the picture. Look ma' no hands! I walk up to her and give her a big hug. I got choked up and teary eyed. Most impressive. Great job Brooke......
She pulls up at 4:17 and is in 16th place in Womens Open.
And of course, Sticki and Sarah are already here waiting. Micki really kicked some butt in the Ladies Single Speed Class. She took 2nd Place 3:23:18 narrowly beating out a fellow friend and competitor. Great job Micki. On the right, wassup!!!
Sarah was in Womens Open Class. She ended up taking 4th Place 3:18:10 on the right.
Steve "the Exception" Reynolds was not so fortunate. He never really had a chance to pre ride the 50 Proofer course and did not know what was in store for him. That and he lacked the superfood - Little Debbie Brownies, his main source of nutrients. That's OK though, next year he has big plans to "crush the competition." As per the rules "Sympathy Photo."
Results can be seen here: http://www.epicrides.com/results/worresults/wor_results_2010.html
Another awesome day riding with a great bunch of friends. I wouldn't change a thing. Except for the those leg cramps.....those were killer.
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