Despite heavy rains for a few days prior the race went on. It started off with a one mile, 11% grade, dirt road climb. That spread the racers out for the single track. From then on it was all beautiful undulating single track with and occasional rocky technical section. There were scenic vistas and a couple stream crossing all in remote tall forest. Really primo stuff. I would say normally the trails are somewhat less technical and have less climbing than Ouachita Challenge. However, the heavy rains had left some very challenging conditions. We went up early hoping to ride the trails on Thursday and rest on Friday. It rained for 24 hours straight on Thursday. We did finally get a ride in on Friday even though it was very wet. When we rode Friday our tires were the first to hit the many rock sections and we had no problem. On race day the fifty or so bikes ahead of us had all the rock thoroughly covered with a nice veneer of slippery mud. Yikes! The Kook and I were there on the tandem. I think we actually faired a little better traction wise than the half bikes. It was doable but the slick slowed everyone a bit and the mud and sand took it's toll on the bikes. Fifty riders DNF. Another 35 or so did not start, I assume, because of the wet conditions. Judging from the number riders on the side repairing bikes I would say that many of those were mud/sand related bike breakdowns.

 Unrelated to the mud, we blew our rear hub (again) just before the first check point at about 14 miles in. DNF for us also. Because we break hubs often, I have a single speed freewheel screwed onto the Phil Wood hub where a drum brake is supposed to go. That allows flipping the wheel and limping in with a single cog. Normally climbing is achieved by standing but with the muddy conditions we could not keep the rear wheel hooked up. We decided to save our old knees and bail. We took a fire road short cut five or six miles back. How do those SS guys do it?

We took in Blanchard Cavern on Thursday while it rained. Beautiful cave! The town, Mountain View, also offers folk music shows everyday of the week. It is an eight hour drive so take a few days to make it worth the trip. Oh ya, poison ivy/oak was rampant and, while we did not have a problem, they warned of ticks and chiggers. Great trails! Friendly people. We will definitely be back.

There are some professional pics here http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery.asp?userid=philipwalrod&gallery_id=379985