Return of Darkness XC

Sitting here listening to the Fightin' Willies' third basketball game of the season - not on TV - so I figured I'd post a little update.

Saturday, November 8, TMP, Tyler Eaton and I loaded up Tyler's Subie and headed toward Gunnison - specifically the Hartman Rocks area - for one last "race".

Sorry, I jumped ahead.  On Friday, November 7, TMP and Tyler were Facebooking about this race.  I threw my hat into the ring.

     "Didn't think you wanted to go, or we woulda asked..."


     "I didn't know I wanted to either.  I figured what the hell.  Make it my last ride of the year."

So we went.

TMP (left) and me (center) enjoying the sage

"Return of Darkness", as the race was named, was a low-key XC race put on by the Gunnison Trails group as a fundraiser for maintenance, and officially send out the summer...aptly named since the next day signaled the time change to very early evenings.  We lined up at "high noon" (-ish), and were racing for a whopping $1.75 in cash prizes.  Yep - a bill and three quarters.  The official start line was Dave Wiens' Suburban...and we were being timed with a digital wristwatch.  Funny enough, the race was amazingly supported at the aid station, and it was the best-marked mountain bike race I've ever done.

     Take note, Mountain States Cup.  Your course markings, marshalling, aid stations, and general racer support are an effing JOKE compared to what these guys did for FUN.  Start giving us something for our 50 bucks.

The venue was pretty sweet.  This was my first trip ever to the Hartman Rocks mountain bike area.  The trails are all very fun...lots of twisty swoopy singletrack through sagebrush and desert-style rocky outcroppings.  Not much vertical gain - maybe 1500 feet for the whole 20 miles.  Warming up, I knew I was in for a real treat.  The way my heart rate was reacting, and subsequently my breathing...I could last the full 20 miles, I could last 2.  Just had no idea.

Tyler, me and TMP heading up Kill Hill

Much more the latter.

Not having seriously ridden since the middle of September, and probably still recovering from a deficit of massive fatigue, I was in no condition to 'race' a 20 mile XC race.  So I made myself a pact - that if I started suffering hard, I'd shut it down and just enjoy the ride.

Anyways, I got a pretty good start.  Up in the front third of the group.  But man, that first hill - cleverly named "Kill Hill" - was UP.  I had to back off of it and just work my way to the top; unfortunately, I also worked my way backward through the pack.  Lots of sandy and rocky singletrack would follow, but not much "racing".  Probably 8 miles in, I hit the "shut it down" point, and just enjoyed the ride for the rest of the afternoon.

And a great ride it was - 60 degrees, sunny, just loving every minute of it.  Great way to send out the 2010 season.