The Second Annual 12 Hours of Mesa Verde was my first. Held just outside of Cortez, Colorado, the race is hosted at a place called Phils World which is comprised of 99% single track in a juniper forest of fast, loamy sand basins and slate plated canyonita rim riding. Never mind the 3 mind blowing ravine half-pipes with 10 & 20 foot roller gaps that you could sail each and every lap. If anything, I recommend just riding here. The event was put on an the neighboring Fair Grounds and other than a brief stint on a dirt road to and fro, the race was primo single track round trip of 16 – 17 miles.
Arriving at midnight the night prior, I toed the line at 7am with about 150 of my close friends to head out around the “BEEF” building for 300 yards to the bike by foot. Angsty as always during any start, I rocked past as many peeps as I could and found bits of prime trafficless soil here and there where I could enjoy my own flow. The course was fast. It wanted me to go fast.
The repercussions of that having started with “The First Bonk” which included a 30 minute nap after the 4th lap. On lap three Travis Brown past me so I knew what it was like. I’d pass about a dozen of the same people about three times each during those first laps. And then I’d lose it all to delays in the pits… adjusting, filling, sleeping &/or inhaling whatever. I was a stoked idiot mainly because the trail was so bitchen and also because I’ve been wanting to go fast nevermind rules. I think I heard Jim Gibson laugh at, not with, me. And After my nap, I headed out to try for another 3 to make it 7 even, and of course, that was a Big Dream too because I only made two of them as “The Second Bonk” hit me while I was flailing through the last of the rim trails where the rocks were laughing. I felt like that fat girl in the giant bowl of Jello so stupid it hurt to watch.
I crept into the pits with 20 minutes left on the clock and I called it with plenty of silent excuses screaming. I ended my effort, ultimately happy to ride 6 laps for about a 100 miles and I still got 11th out of 32 which is still on the first page. And I learned a lot again about pacing and reality. The same lesson for the last 18 years.
12 Hour races are a hard thing because you can go fast the whole time, but it’s on an edge and the basic Pavlovian necesities will consume you but I vow to return with better approach.
12 Hour results are here as well as Lap times & last years info. Good on ya to Travis Brown for riding a production Frankenbyke to the fast lap. Brian Bennett of Phoenix took 2nd in Solo to Jens Nielsen. He’s consistent as ever and came to the race with no additional support. And good job to Ben & Jared, the FLAGSTAFF FUN MOKEYS who shouted and howled all the way to a 1st in the Duo gig. I can’t wait for next year.
May 12th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
looks epic to me!
May 13th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Mesa Verde only has about 9 million great places to ride with an hour of it.
But I aint never gonna ride down rt 666 again.
May 14th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
I would never laugh AT the gnome! More like giggling. Riding along and was sure I saw a supersonic gnome blow by me like I was standing still! Hallucination? The mind plays tricks on a long day like that.
Super fun course, and a great day of riding for the Flagstaffonians present! Enjoyed the pics.