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!!!!!