Race Day BHX
Just like last year, the weatherman was calling for warm and dry conditions for the race. In 2014, it was very warm with temps at 95 degrees. This years' temps of mid 80's was perfect. The ten of us rolled out of town and hit the 20-mile section of single track. Then we climbed up to Terry Peak and down to Deadwood (mile 50). Last year, I took an hour for lunch to cool down and had an awesome bacon cheese burger. This year, I did what Paul Anderson did last year and whipped into Taco Johns ate a combo meal and ordered two bean burritos to go.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cbmmgk7pqaskfvz/311.jpg?dl=0Zach Stone and Aaron Denburg early morning on day one.
I rode with Josh Bruhn on and off for the rest of the first day. He caught me eating a burrito just 30 minutes after lunch, and we rode together for the next few hours. I stopped at the Store in Sturgis for major resupply and had a pizza and beer at the Knuckle Brewery. One hour before dark, Josh and I met up again and got on the Centennial Trail single track at Bear Butte. I rode and pushed until 9 p.m.-- looking for a flat spot without poison ivy to finally stop for the night.
I set my alarm for 3 a.m. but woke when I heard a rider pass by closer to 4. The next 60 miles took me 14.5 hours to complete--all on the Centennial Trail. I had to filter water at Dalton Lake and resupplied with hot pockets and candy bars at the Nemo Guest Ranch. The temps were up to 84 degrees causing me to filter again at Brush Creek and Sheridan Lake. Made it to Rockerville at around 7 p.m. for a pasta dinner and a chicken strip dinner to go. Continued to the Storm Mountain single track section after supper and set up camp at around 10 p.m. Day 2 was the most demanding leaving me at mile 180.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0k4idpqiaaw9psy/317.jpg?dl=0Getting ready to filter water from Dalton Lake.
Rolling at 4:15, I entered the Foster Gulch area navigating slowly and trying to stay on track in the dark. I ran into Aaron Denberg, who called the race that evening before with a shoe that had split in half just above the cleat and a few other reasons. I hope Aaron comes back next year for another attempt. After this section of trail, I rode into Keystone and spent 20 bucks at a little market and filled my bags with goodies. Rolling blacktop and faster moving single-track sections though the Custer State Park area were next on the list until we merged onto the last 13 miles of the Centennial Trail. The worst part of this section is the hike up and down French Creek to Horse Camp. I tried to ride the trail towards the end of the hike-a-bike down and split my sidewall on my front tire. Had to put a boot and a tube in it and finished the southern-most section of the course just before dark. A few miles though Wind Cave National Park and then gravel and logging roads back up to Stockade Lake then over to Legion Lake were I set up camp just North of the Legion Lake campground after grabbing water there. Shut eye at 10 p.m.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/coo2kaajxzdvfge/319.jpg?dl=0Foster Gulch section before Keystone SD
Looking forward to some real food, I was motivated to get up at 4 a.m. and started the day with 5 miles of single track then onto the Needles Hwy past Sylvan Lake and logging roads by Crazy Horse Mountain taking me straight to the Hill City Café--where they had a buffet breakfast still going on at 9:30. I ran into Lindsay Gauld in Hill City who was now on tour modw after losing his Etrex on Day 1. Lindsay had the will and the time but without an Etrex, it was hopeless. I sat with Brian Hall and Peter Grimes in the Café, and we had three or four plates breakfast buffet. They called off the race the night before stating that the fully rigid bike and all the hills and hike-a-bike were more than they expected.
With a full belly and another 20 bucks spent at the grocery store, I was off to Silver City to start riding the Deerfield Trail to Deerfield Lake. I arrived at Mt Meadows Resort two hours before closing and ordered a burger and fries. I rode though the night with the full moon. I went to grab some water from the spigot at Timon Campground, but it was shut off so I had to filter water from Little Spearfish Creek. Up the trail and into Wyoming to Cement Ridge Lookout, I was seeing lots off weird things in the woods with the full moon and being super tired, I pulled over at 2:30 a.m. for a 45-min nap. I got up and made it to Old Baldy trail but could not handle it any more and set up camp at 4:15 a.m. for some proper sleep. Got up at 6:45 feeling refreshed and enjoyed the next four hours riding prime single track in the daylight all the way to the finish. Nice to see my family at the finish line.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3g4wskmry71g6aa/323.jpg?dl=0This buffalo and I scared the crap out of each other on a blind corner. I got of my bike and slowly walked and talked to pass him. Nice Buffalo
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