Why was I waking up from a 30 minute nap at 2:30am in the rain to put on my soggy bibs and clothes for a race paced 9 mile loop?
Photo by Joe Viger
Nestled at the base of Mount Washington were hundreds of mountain bikers ready to ride their bikes for either 12 or 24 hours, solo or on a team. I was one of those lucky riders in the pack riding with a team of 4 people.
So how does this work? There are crazy people, then there are CRAZIER people (solo riders). You can choose to ride in either a 12 or 24 hour category solo or on a team variation. You can choose to be on a team of two, four or five. In all cases, the goal of this race is to rake in as many laps within the time period with the fastest time possible. In my instance, I was on a team of four, and we each would take turns riding a lap. Each lap would take about 50 minutes, so right as the rider would roll in, the next would be waiting in the transition for a high five and take off on their lap.
Photo by Jessie Zach
Strategy when on a team, or even solo is critical. Our team made sure someone was riding at every moment of the race, so you consistently had a two hour and fifty minute break. With that said it was important to eat, hydrate and possibly get some shut eye if you so dared!
The course:
The 9.6 mile course was packed with climbing and all the mountain bike challenges one would want. Right out of the gate there was a FLOATING bridge that went over the pond. This bridge was so unique and a nice touch to the fun course. There was about 6 miles of gravel doubletrack that felt flowy (I know right, flowy doubletrack?), if you've ever rode at Great Glen Outdoor Center - these were the trails. Following the doubletrack, you dove right into punchy climbs on singletrack littered with wet rocks and roots. There were around 8 bridges scattered throughout this section as well. This section became increasingly exciting in the pitch black when it was raining…. With the right attitude it was an absolute blast!
Oh, I forgot to mention the log roll which had a special treat between 7pm-11pm, BACON! That's right. One of the race coordinators was cooking hickory smoked bacon over a fire and handing pieces out mid-ride!
As soon as you roll in from your lap, the first thing you need to do is head right over to the river behind the staging area and jump in! There are numerous spots on the river, I ended up finding a deeper section than the one pictured later on in the race. It was so hot the first 8 hours of the race so cold water immersion was all I needed, it was conveniently right at the finish line!
I’ve participated in many races and events throughout New England and this has to be by far the most impressed I’ve been with how the event was laid out. Since we spent the weekend there, we were relying on a comfortable setting, especially since most of my team had their families with them. They had food trucks right on site, beer and there were literally portapotties everywhere and they were cleaned/pumped each day, like how awesome is that?? 10/10 experience just due to this.
Recap: If you don’t give this race a shot you’re missing out, and I feel bad for you. Get a fun group together and either take the race seriously, or just go out and party on your bikes. Eat lots of food, grab a beer from the tap truck during the race if you are into that kind of thing. Huge kudos to the race organizers for being on their A game even with a lack of sleep.
Yours truly,
Jordan Zach, MBA
Founder of Bike The East
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