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Strange Brew: The Ultra Endurance Race Scene
Once upon a time I was a cross country racer, the typical beginner that moved up to sport and then clogged the middle of the pack. You know the guy that made you dismount on the courses most heinous climb? That was me. And I was plunking along just fine until, one day, It hit me. And that day, my view of racing changed forever.
Setting the stage
The venue was one that I had been going to for a couple of years. It was run by a crazy old man that was more concerned about having fun than setting course records. He had his own independent series, and his own licenses.
The thing that really set this guy’s series apart from the others was the courses he created. I recall that one course that had us hiking about 50 yards up a waist high creek, holding our bikes above our heads. Then there was the one with the ravines so deep, that you had to hike your bike up and down each side because of the steepness of the ground. And the one where I found a junior racer buried over his head in a hole he fell into, waiting for another racer to pull him out. Yep! This promoter was certifiably crazy. And we were probably just as crazy for racing those courses.
The thing was, after those events you would sit down with the guys and say, “That was awesome! We finished!” It didn’t matter what place you came in. It was an experience of suffering and overcoming that everyone from first place to last place shared in. Camaraderie that was bred through toughing out whatever the crazy old man could dream up.
And you know what? I think he was on to something.
That’s when I realized that most races were about who came in first place and then there was everyone else. That didn’t seem like a very fun idea. When I coupled that with the entry fee, I didn’t see a whole lot of value from my dollars spent. I could get a bunch of guys together and ride for free all weekend long instead of cross country racing for an hour and a half. I also wouldn’t feel bad if I didn’t come in first place, because there are no places when you ride for fun. Of course, there isn’t any serious competition when you are just riding around with your buddies. Well, at least not the kind that happens when you put on a number plate.
Enter the ultra endurance race
The situation seemed hopeless until the ultra endurance bug bit me recently. Here was a competition that was low cost and high value — the race fee covered 200 miles and up to 20 hours of fun mountain biking. Even better, the feeling after the event was much like the one I felt after that crazy old man’s cross country events. The laid back, accepting atmosphere that didn’t judge you on where you placed. It was a scene that respected everyone’s efforts and relished the pain and suffering inflicted by the day’s course. It was the best of both worlds to me, a fine mix of a bunch of people just riding bikes, serious competition, and a challenging course. A strange brew indeed!
1. Posted by Week 20 » The Biking Hub: Mountain | 12:15 pm, 26 May 2006
[…] For Monday, I posted up a review of the Manitou Minute: 04 and followed that up with Ashwin’s comparison of the fibre-based Flat Attack sealant and Stan’s latex concoction. For Wednesday, I posted up the build specs for my 2005 Giant Trance, thinking that the entry would generate some decent discussion — ‘Too heavy!’, or ‘Why not get a Reign?’ — and it did, just not the type of discussion I expected. Moving on, Guitar Ted gave us a thoughtful glimpse at the type of event that served as the foundation for the growing ultra-endurance race scene. […]