What an amazing experience! We never took a picture. It came at us fast and hard. The riding was one thing.....we combined for about 127 miles in 9:46. Teenie took 3 laps(as fast as my laps) and I took 5. We were busy as cranberry merchants between laps.........the organization needed was overwhelming.
We came close to obtaining our goals 100%. I lost traction in a sandy corner and fell....no big deal. My last 2 laps fell off on speed as I went back to back. To tell you the truth, we rode much faster than we thought and got in one more lap than anticipated. We missed the cutoff by about 5 minutes for yet another lap. No matter, we had no lights which were required for the last lap. We have exactly zero experience riding in the dark......not that anything like that ever stopped us.
Very happy for Teenie. She proved, yet again, she can be one TUFFCHIK. She fought back the emotional drag of crashes in MOAB and at El Tour(recent weeks). She has taught people to overcome their fears for 20 years but that doesn't exempt her from her own.
I learned a lot about this type of race:
* Race org is everything and it is complicated.
* You need lots of stuff.
* When your female partner is turning in lap times equal to yours, it is very motivating.
* Your team mate can fall asleep and not be on the course for support when are you going back to back laps.
* Girls are amazing. Their bikes never get as dirty as boys.
* Hangin' out all day, with a bunch of people that like what you like, is fun.
* When Teenie and I pin a number on, we are racing.....even if we don't know crap about what we are doing. I could tell you 'we just rode for fun' but that would be pure BS.
* This race was about 1/100th as dangerous as El Tour de Tucson.
* A team mate(wife) who rides 4 miles to get the SUV and packs the thing to the brim, while you are on the last lap, is invaluable.
* Chipotle, the title sponsor, makes awesome tacos. Maybe they were just OK and we were starved after a day of racing?
* A race, like this, can leave you hungry for 3 days.
We came away pretty jazzed and I am sure we will try to field more teams next year in this event. I am already planning for 12 Hours at Tsali (May 11, 2013).
Are you a Tsali racer?
Hope to see this weekend!
4 comments:
"...busy as cranberry merchants..." ha ha. That has to be my favorite comment you've written in 6 months. I don't even understand it, but then again, I've never sold cranberries!
I'm glad you guys had fun. Sam and I have done similar events and love them. I'm sure you won't have any trouble getting some folks together for the Tsali race. I hope I can participate.
Since I am stronger at endurance racing and really enjoy those long, long...long rides....I like the sounds of this type of race!
Inspiring to read.......
If you have never raced or been involved with one of these mountain bike races you are really missing out! The atmosphere is completely different than a road race and they are an absolute blast. Hanging out in the pits and cheering (or harassing) each other is about as good as it gets.
Well done, you guys! Those events are a heap of fun, especially when there are a bunch of you, and you have some support. I am THERE for Tsali this year, ready to kick some butt, drink some beers, and come out with a clean bike!
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