LoVe Vs HaTe: DoUbLe DaRe StAge 1

Main Entry: ¹ul·tra
Function: adjective
Pronunciation: '&l-tr&
Etymology: ultra-
: going beyond others or beyond due limit : EXTREME

Pronunciation Key

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Main Entry: en·dur·ance
Function: noun
Pronunciation: in-'dur-&n(t)s, -'dyur-, en-
1 : PERMANENCE , DURATION
2 : the ability to withstand hardship or adversity ; especially : the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity endurance>
3 : the act or an instance of enduring or suffering <endurance of many hardships>

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If that is what Ultra means and that is what Endurance means, then what I got the chance to experience this weekend certainly fits the bill.

Man, the pennies are tight around here.

I dropped Steve a line letting him know that I didn't think I could make it, money was just not there.

This race is free though.  And there are no prizes.  Technically to even enter the race you have had to have raced the qualifying race PMBAR.  

Eric, the creator or the simply the man who decided to bring this type of racing to Pisgah Forest is a genius, Nuff Said.  A race where there is no set route.  A course that the only thing that exist is self policed restrictions as to what routes cannot be taken or what trails cannot be traveled.  It is a race of HONOR a race of PRIDE.  

But PMBAR is only part one.  PMBAR is the bunny race.

If PMBAR is the bunny race, then The Most Horrible Thing Ever is the double black diamond of all double black diamonds.

To qualify for PMBAR you just need to sign up and make the cut off, to Qualify for the Double Dare you need to complete a PMBAR to qualify for THE MOST HORRIBLE THING EVER, you need to have completed a Double D.

Steve and I had something in common when we first conversed on the MTBforum.  We had not done any of the races at all.

This would be my third showing at Pisgah in one year and my first race ever with this format.

Both Stages start at the White Pines Campground.  Stage 1 at 12pm on Saturday October 18Th.

A time trial is first task that takes you to the next staging area where you receive your passport that contains descriptions and a snap shot of the location on the map of the checkpoint.

The time trial, special task and the Mandatory checkpoints are the only required stops or task.  The other 10 locations littered throughout the forest are optional.   There was also a special test that could net you extra points.  But the goal is to get as many checkpoints as possible and return to camp before the 12am cut off.

There is no SAG wagon or SAG stops.  There are no certain sources of water so you have to have a filter or iodine pills.  There is no convenience stores on the course.  You have to carry the required gear and all your food and water.  I was itching to test out some of my touring gear, but going, just didn't seem possible.

But, Steve offered to help me get up there and help me live out a dream before the years end.  And somehow Steve managed to get us in a race that we technically had not "officially" qualified for.  And Steve had the Baddest ass land plot that we got to stay at and Steve could climb and read a map all I had to do was RIDE.

So we met up and got up on the road, the Bird went to P city to visit the Family, I met him On Eye Ten and we headed up.  We had never even really spoke more then ten or twenty minutes so it proved to be a good chance to get to know one another and discuss strategy.  Looking back I feel like I was smack talking myself, not really knowing what challenges laid ahead.

We got there on time, had breakfast at Cracker Barrel(which I later regretted, made me feel sluggish), and we got checked in.  They checked all are required gear and we readied ourselves.  In the pre race meeting they told us we had to time trial to some place.  And that we would be released in reverse order with a 2 minute gap for each.  The difference between the slowest and the fastest would determine the time bonus.  

My bike felt pretty heavy loaded down with all the stuff that I CHOSE to carry to kinda practice what It would be like to ride with a load(GDR practice, nerd right!).  And immediately the route kicked up hill.  I wasn't diggin it too much, I wanted to go fast but I had turned my 25lb bike into a 35lb beast.  It was ROUGH.  But I gritted my teeth and eventually we made it to the end.  There we got checked in and they gave us our passports.  I immediately went to eating cause I was already feeling the ass kickin.  

Steve laid out the map and we decided to mark all the points and strategize.  Well so much for that crap, cause we pretty much went the least strategic route from the start.  That's Hindsight talking.  Cause next thing we knew after we rolled out, we were riding some pretty sweet single track right next to a river.  It was beautiful and I was feeling the high of being dwarfed by the magnificence that surrounded me.

It went pretty good when all the sudden we crossed this really nice little bridge, and I was just so high and happy to not be climbing and riding on the road or a forest road, that I was just froggy.  Well, we had  a choice.  Follow S mill river or take Squirrel Gap.  This proved to be our Rookie mistake Number two as we chose to continue on S Mill River.  

This trail at parts was like an old creekbed.  Very rocky and technical for miles.  I was diggin it cause I am used to riding in adverse conditions.  But it gets different when the trail dips and when the leaves are hiding what may be the obvious safe path.  Rocky, rooty O and add Ridiculous Deep and frequent Creek Crossings for good measure.  Creek Crossings in Cold weather is a combination as deadly as that old geezer and the ditsy chick that are running for president.  Something you don't really want to ever have happened to you but if it does you kinda deal with it.   That's the first product propers and lesson I learned from this trip, next time carry extra socks and make sure they are the same thick wool as the ones I had on.  Even when they were wet they managed to keep my feet warm.

Steve's navigation skills were extraordinary.  We got to a spot where there was another deep creek crossing OR you could continue along the river.  Steve looked at the map and decided to continue North.  

He made the right call as we scored another checkpoint and then immediately started making our way up the mountain to the next one.  It was pretty much take this trail and we will get to the next one.  Well were going up, not bad, the entire day I was riding 1 x9 style, and this was no different, it was a good Lil pitch to start on but totally doable, it kept going, it meandered, we did some switch backs, then it gets rocky.  You know you may have made the wrong choice which was now rookie mistake number 3, when we came a cross a team that said we had a lot of guts or skills to be going up that trail.  And again when we made the checkpoint we found another team and they said something similar as well, seems like once again, rookies did their thing.  

Now its when it gets even more Fun as we start riding the Gem of the ride Squirrel Gap Trail.  This trail was right up my skill alley as it was fast, flowing and technical with no room for error to the left.  Beautiful.

I see Steve navigating by foot through a section and I decide to just let my speed carry me

threw.  As I hit it fast, something swallows my front wheel and I end up Flipping over the bars onto my back onto a log, elbow and hip smack on the wood... It hurt so bad, worst of all the rear tire almost came down on my face which would not have been sweet at all.  As I get up, I notice that I'm missing my water bottle.  I had a 200 oz camelback bladder in my BD1 ERgon pack, I didn't need the bottle for water.  That bottle was my last full bottle of Iced Coffee, and I didn't want to lose it.  I set the bike down, slid on my ass 20 feet down the mountain, got my bottle and climbed back out.

We kept going and hit some sharp switch backs.  Steve was keeping it swift in the front, this guy can ride, and I see Steve walking the first super sharp one, I clear it so I'm right on him, he picks the wrong line on the second one, I took it tight and was about to pass him, when his front wheel dug in and dumped him right in front of me.  I had to hit the Eject button and dump the bike to avoid smashing into Steve's face with my Panaracer Rampage.  

Luckily, my Samurai skills saved the day as I cleared him and landed safely to roll out and get back up, I knew once we started crashing as a team that the Bonding process had officially been completed.

We finally make the mandatory which was rad, I was rolling up, letting out battle cries and whooping it up.  We had a choice of a task.  Either, shot gun 3 beers between the two of us or hit a target at a distance with a B B gun.  Steve nor I were Alcoholically skilled enough to shot gun beer.  So I shot, I can shoot a B B gun and nailed the target 3 out of 3 shots.  We readied for the night, mounted our lights, I took off my wet shirt and put on my wool shirt and we started the fire road away from that area towards the next checkpoint.  That road went up and down and up and I couldn't see Steve for a long time, but eventually I roll up and were at the checkpoint and Steve is there and all the sudden its like grand central station as other racers are pouring in and gearing up and wow it got busy quick.

At this point it was 830pm or so and Steve wanted to go for 3 more checkpoints.  I was looking at the task at hand and thinking about mills river miscalculation and how if we made the wrong choice and took the wrong line we might miss cut off.  WE had worked so hard that day that my recommendation was to keep it conservative, lets go for one more lets go back home, eat and rest for tomorrow.   Stage 2 started at 6am.  

The race was far from over though as we made our way back, we later discovered  a checkpoint that was a mile or two from the spot where we had started earlier that day.  That was our first rookie mistake, remember, O well.  It was a fun trail and I was feeling good, so I started putting the hammer down.  

Something about knowing that your close to being done that makes you put the hammer down and I was on it, when we finished hammering thru Pink Beds, we got on the road, and it was pretty much downhill for a couple of miles.  

For the first time in the day I disposed of my 1 x 9 philosophy and started hammering the Big ring.  Roadie tucked, hauling ass, taking corners like if I was on a ninja street bike, just flying and loving it all, trying to wrap up the day. 

After hammering for a bunch of miles we hit the fire road that takes you to the Start finish and once again I am hooping and hollering, we roll in with day one complete around 10pm or so.  

We Officially made it to STAGE 2.  EeeeewWWWWwww!

I have a couple of beers and we pretty much haul ass.  Steve's feet were as white as cotton socks, he was freezing and so was I.  

My lower back was the so sore from leaning over and pedaling all day long.  My wrist muscles ached from pulling on my bar ends all day while climbing.  My right knee had tendon pain, I broke the number one rule and decided to try my new shoes the day of a race and I didn't have the cleat right.  

O, and by the time, I showered, soaked in a hot water bath tub ate and drank to recover it was midnight and I had to be up in 4 hours.

Ends Stage 1

Tomo stage 2

Laters,

LOS