The Whiskey is in Prescott Arizona, a city to which I have never been. I was very impressed with the town and I think I should get a summer place there. The course has a whopping 7200ft of vertical in 50 miles. That would mean that it also has 7200ft of descent, so I guess you take the good with the bad.
The Whiskey is in Prescott Arizona, a city to which I have never been. I was very impressed with the town and I think I should get a summer place there. The course has a whopping 7200ft of vertical in 50 miles. That would mean that it also has 7200ft of descent, so I guess you take the good with the bad.
I ripped a couple pictures from another guys blog, here's to you SOAZ, credit where credit is due. I actually yo yo'd along with this guy the whole race, I could pick him out due to that argyle gear and impressive chest hair.
He actually captured me in the background of this shot. (Note to self, mix in a salad.)
Right off the start the pros and wanna bees jumped off to a fast start, I plodded along with the only gear I had as we made our way thru town and up to the Copper Basin Road. Once we hit the single track around mile 3 or so I was decently warmed up and in my element- that is Single Track Ginsu Ninja. I always wonder if dudes question their manhood when a guy passes them on a rigid single speed going up hill, or down for that matter. I think that in this instance it is mostly due to the fact that I was at the back of the pack after my tortoise and the hare routine thru town and I was picking off the low hanging fruit.
After the first aid station is the long, 10 mile, dirt road descent to Skull Valley. Another place I have never been, and it would also be a great place for a summer home if all I needed in life was my double wide, a bar and a Christian Fellowship congregation.
I was told by my buddy John of Sabrosa Cycles fame that on the 15 mile climb back to the summit I would find Jesus. While I did not see Him, which is actually kind of disappointing, I did meet my Native American animal spirit guide. It's a Peruvian Vicuna and his companionship was invaluable, he kept repeating in heavily accented English, "choo can do it." That climb was interminable, no picture could do it justice.
I have also become 22.8% proficient at using my new super awesome helmet cam and accompanying software. So I actually have footage for you, the mounting bracket broke at some point during the ride and a fully rigid bike does not provide what I would call a "stable video platform." Or maybe I have Parkinsons and just don't know it, either way it gets a little shaky in parts.
Some of the best footage I can't get to load up properly, maybe I should read the instructions instead of just stumbling along with trial and error.
In summary, I had a blast despite the suffering but I have no plans to repeat in the near future. Maybe it will be like child birth and I will soon forget the pain and want to do it all over again. Stranger things have happened.
