Toad Hill Classic - And The Winner Is

The heat was brutal and the 3 barrel of Blind Tiger Six Point IPA was frosty cold. The only race was to the keg, some came by car, some from bed and some even rode there. Out of the ashes, empty pint glasses and a competition to capture the ultimate buzz there emerged not one but two winners -

Toad Hill Classic - Today

No matter what it takes be there.

Dark Horse 40 - La Ruta of the North

Memories of the suffering endured at La Ruta came rushing back like a hot kiss at the end of a wet fist this weekend. The 7th annual Dark Horse Cycles 40 presented not only the organizers, but also the racers with some of the harshest conditions remembered for race day. Humidity and temps were both in the mid 90s before the 9 am start and with all of the rain that has fallen this year the course was changed from a 2x20 mile to a 4x10 mile format. On top of this the only way to avoid the heavy mud was stay on the high ground which meant sending the course up and over every climb available in Stewart. In past years the course usually had 2000+ feet of climbing for the race, this year it was 1000+ feet per lap!
Right from the start the pain and misery began for all and never let up until one either dropped out or made the four laps. Throughout the race the course was strewn with bodies of riders that had gone out too fast, not hydrated properly or succumbed to the tortuous heat. Conditions proved to be so tough that even the pros were pulling the plug by the end of the second lap. The one saving grace was knowing that the Mayor's Super Secret Rest Stop at the 8 mile mark, was being manned by the Sirens of Stewart and these ladies knew just how to make a dehydrated racer feel good - rock & roll music blaring, ice cold PBRs in the coolers and fresh blended frozen margaritas to bring down your core temperature.Along with the cold adult beverages the Sirens were handing out leis for each PBR consumed (redeemable for prizes at the finish) and hiding cash preems worth hundreds of dollars for those that still had enough mental stamina to look at anything but the trail ahead.
When the course finally closed it was a stellar day for Dark Horse racing, taking to the podiums in Sport Singlespeed, Open Mens Team, Expert and Sport Masters, everyone did their best to make the Mayor proud. No sooner did I cross the line then off to the Super Secret stop where the first order of business was to drain a PBRchange into some fresh clothes and wait for my good friend 3 Beer Rossi to come through. It was the perfect excuse to have another PBR with 3 Beer(note the rider coming in behind 3 Beer with multiple leis around his neck) and get ready for the ensuing party at the finish area.
Now for those of you that haven't experienced a Dark Horse race the reality is the race is really just a great excuse to have a party, and boy do the Mayor and Hawaiian Mike know how to throw one. On the menu was fresh grilled chicken, all of the sides your depleted body could desire, a freezer full of popsicles (yes in the middle of the woods we had a freezer FULL of popsicles) and of course beer, lots of beer, in fact lots of really good beer.....Harpoon! Any misery on the course quickly vanish in a sea of hops and barley. To sum it up it was a real challenge on the race course but it was one hell of a party once you finished. Bravo Dark Horse Cycles!!!!!

Dark Horse 40 - News Flash

The 2009 Dark Horse 40 is in the books and boy was it a cooker this year. There will be more to follow in the upcoming race report. The heat and humidity were so bad riders were coming in with faces white with salt (and it was not from the margaritas being served at the aide station). For those that did make it the result of losing so many electorlytes were shocking. Here we see NECS member MacGyver before the start of the raceand here he is after finishing depleted of all salt reserves.Same MacGyver only he kept complaining about how his prostrate was flaring up like a tiki torch.

Toad Hill Classic - News Flash

Book you flights, make your hacienda reservations, stop at the embassy for your visa and get you shots. The first annual Toad Hill Classic is on, 8/22 with a 2 pm starting time.

ATTENTION!

C-Dubs reporting for duty. Awaiting orders from HQ.

Wilderness 101 - Mrs. C-Dubs Welcome To My Madness

It has been a week since the complete sufferfest know as the Wilderness 101 took place and after a week of nonstop drinking, to drown the pain, I have finally sobered up enough to recount the horrors that were inflicted on those of us that made the finish but had less then optimal races.
The year’s weather patterns continued unabated as the drive down to Coburn was all rain all the time. Along with softening up the course the rain ensured that campsite setups would be an exercise in frustration as shelters were erected and cars unloaded in the downpour. After sitting around for a couple of hours waiting to get a preride in I surrendered and went out in the rain for a brief ride. Preparation and training for the race had been right on schedule with the exception of heat and humidity which had been nonexistent this summer…..until the days leading up to the race when it suddenly changed from spring like conditions to full on summer in a matter of days. Based on the forecast for race day, heat and high humidity, I knew there was a possibility it would be a long day on the race course so just to get ready for the suffering I unleashed the dominatrix and requested a good whipping to get used to the pain.
A combination of injuries and the economic downturn had trimmed the ranks of the Independent Fabrication team to just 3 participants – Jeff Whittingham in open, Mike Ramponi in singlespeed and Chris Wurster in masters, with Harlan Price nursing a broken wrist and providing moral support to the rest of us. About half way up the first 3 mile climb with the sweat already pouring off of me I knew that the high humidity (90%+) was going to make this a long race, if I survived to the finish. It was my good friends the demons and they had decided to come out and play a bit earlier then usual, oh brother is this going to be a long day of suffering! By the 20 mile aid station I had managed to stay with my primary competition and kept my head down, ground out the miles and consumed as much fluid as possible to try and stay hydrated. Despite feeling like crap I managed to pull out time on the next climb only to flat on the ensuing descent, giving back all of the hard earned time plus some extra. Lady luck was not with me and I managed to flat a second time at the summit of the next climb and finally limped into the 40 mile station with yet another flat! Still not feeling great I resigned myself to being off the podium and turned my focus on making the finish.
The early cloud cover managed to give way to bright hot sunshine right as the big climbs began. The timing was perfect for getting the heat/humidity combo going at worst possible time. Despite this I continued to pound out the miles and fighting dehydration, I actually started to feel better as the race went on, taking back places over the final 45 miles of the race. My spirits were buoyed by the knowledge that short of a mechanical or a crash I was going to make it 7 straight W 101s completed. By the time I managed to get to the finish (a disappointing 7th in Masters) I was so spent and dehydrated that I couldn’t stand and my calf muscles looked like a bag full of worms squirming around. Countless beers and goji tea insured an altered state of mind that would make me forget the pain and repeated promises to myself that I would never come back again if I made the finish. Funny thing is I have made the same promise 7 times now and have broken every time the entry comes up.
One of the highlights of the weekend was the last minute participation of Mrs. C-Dubs, standing in for Marci de Sade. While she only made it to the first check point before dropping she had a great time, racked up the same finishing record as the Mayor and swore to come back next year and go for the 40 mile checkpoint.