Pre-riding the evening before the race gave me chance to revisit the final abandoned train tunnel that is about 1 mile from the finish. Years of decay have yielded a nice carpeting of rocks with a few choice chunky bits right in the middle where it’s dark and wet. A re-purposed train trestle bridge leading up to the tunnel has very narrow railings that challenged many riders.
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The paced road section leading out of town is a great warm up and gets the blood flowing without too much drama. The moderate grade up the 1st climb is enjoyable and gives me a chance to find my groove. Then, pulling some trains and hopping onto others is a great way to keep your speed up during the 1st 20 miles of gravel.
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The Romans created cobbled highways that today have weathered into lumpy paths that seem to swallow the wheels of lesser vehicles. The 1st section of single track is a snaking ride that seems to have more cantaloupe sized rocks than dirt. Glad to have my Wagon wheels for sure! In the middle, there is a nice little techy section with a couple of small bridges and a rock garden with cheering fans waiting for the carnage.
Long climbs are rewarded with extended sections of very straight single track chutes that you can ride with no brakes like a cruise missile! Whoooosh!!!
Frequently, I stuffed my cheeks like a chipmunk to keep the motor running. Energy drinks and a sip at the "Beer Station" kept me cool.
The climbs got bigger and the trails got certain as we ripped down some serious single-track. Old school east coast riding provides really challenging rock features and lets you know how close you are to cramping up.
The last big descent down Panther Hollow nearly rattled the teeth out of my head and I gave it a sharp cussing, Panther don't care.
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A splash of Coke at the last aid station was the perfect set up for the final stab of a climb that leads up and down to the deceptively pleasant sounding "Fisherman’s Path" that makes up the last bit of single track. It's more of a rock-n-roll hike a bike. I was able to ride out the last section and put a nice gap on some fellow racers. The "path" would have the last laugh as my calf locked on the rails to trail leading to the final tunnel. A dozen awkward pedals later and my right leg was turning circles instead of squares...soon I was cooking with gas again and steamed my way to the finish.
Joe and I had some great results:
Joe - 7:47 (20th place - open men - out of 189)
Jeff - 8:48 (61st place - open men)
Joe was truly smokin and I set a new personal best, I'm really stoked on the Wilderness 101!
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Awesome job guys!!
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