Darkhorse 40 Reports

I am still aching all over today. This was my 1st race since my knee surgery in March. The downhill start got me in the woods in the top ten which was great since I never saw a bottleneck. I basically rode my own race and found a pace that I could sustain for 2 laps. I rode with Chris G for quite a while which is always fun as we are often not in the same group when we are even at the same event. I saw woody for most of the 1st lap and even had a chance to crash into him when the guy in front of him stopped shot. (sorry bud)

On the steep rock wall climb I noted that my chain felt loose. I stopped to tighten the ebb. i was just off the side of the train bending over my bike whn this bulldog dude smashed the top of my hlemet with his bars. This toally rung my bell. This kinda blew since I was feeling pretty good phyicallly but this was a unforseen setback. Note to self.. Get off the trail completly next time.

After that I was sort of in a fog but since I have ridden the loop before I knew I was near the end of the lap. The last 2 miles had some mean rocks and roots. The flow of the first 15 miles was gone. I saw the MTBNJ cheering squad and they got me really pumped up for the next lap.

The 2nd lap was a total blur. I drank a ton of fluid and ate a lot but my belly and head were telling me to stop. I walked a few of the short ups but once I was 1/2 way through the 2nd loop I stayed on the bike for every climb but one.

I finished in 3:48 which i was happy with considering that i have not had a number on the bike in ages. I got to ride with some really good people and share this event with some cool folks.


I signed Kelly up for the race in the spring w/o telling her and she was pissed at the time😡. We have ridden this loop with Sonja and Heath and she really dug it. So after some encouragement that she could do it she committed to do it.

After my 1st loop i asked what her time was and she was about 2.5 hours. I was stoked that she kept going for the 2nd loop too! She had a slightly faster 2nd loop and rode to a 6th place finish. i was much more impressed with her ride than my own. This was her longest mt bike ride ever by over 10 milles btw.


Overall a great time and memorable day. If I can figure out my food and drink options I think I can do much better next time around.
 
Did not catch her name...but wanted to say THANKS to the very nice female rider with the full MTBNJ kit that gave me her pump when I was repairing my second flat of the day. Blew through all my CO2's and was kinda done until she showed up. Thanks Again!!!!

Rob AKA "Sevenz"
Long Island
 
managed to finish this year which was my goal- after failing to do so last year. I started out in the back of the pack (cat 2 sport men) and choose to go with the singlespeed as I thought this would be faster. What a bottleneck going in the ST from the fire road!! Rode a decent pace the first lap and never let the HR get too high. Second lap dropped my riding partner and just kept the pace going. Thanks to whoever provided me with the seltzer water out of their truck at mile 22 or so- it kept me going to the rest stop at mile 30. I felt great and just kept pushing and was slowly passing guys that were running gears in my class. Overall time was 4:35 and managed 78th in the class. I'll take it!!!
 
Kudos and thanks to the DH crew for a well run event. Such hard work...

On the drive up to the race I didn't feel too good. Still sleepy as hell. Too much work lately, it's always like that after vacations...

The hammer gel bottles were a nice touch, that was actually all I needed for the race. Only 1 bottle holder meant that I had to stick a bottle in my jersey and switch mid-lap. Two bottles a lap were actually ok, although I was a bit short on water towards the end.

At the start of the race, I got boxed in pretty good. Luckily as we approached the first turn, I was able to move to 3rd wheel. Roger Foco then proceeded to shed his chain just before we hit the singletrack. This surely ruins your ride.
The guy in front of me was riding well, and we were opening a bit of a gap, but as soon as the trail was going up I had to slow a bit, so after a while I decided to go around. I ended up by myself for a bit, before Terry (the eventual winner) joined me. This was good because he seemed to know the trails, where I was using way too much brakes all over the place. We chatted a bit then pressed on. Eventually around mile 11 he left me. At first I didn't understand why he accelerated all of a sudden, then I understood when we hit some sort of a wall hidden by the vegetation... This catch up game got to me, and for some reason I wasn't able to get the engine really going.
Then it was Mike's turn to leave me in the dust. I was sweating bullets and still not getting the flow much, always wondering whether the trail was going to turn left, right or keep going straight. That and my bike was making some rattle noise and slowing down every time I coasted. I also must have flatted at some point as the rear tire was rolling on the rim at times. I didn't want to stop for either, it wouldn't have changed much anyway.

Somewhere in the beginning of lap 2 I was apparently dozing off when James Harmon comes up and scares the crap out of me. I needed to wake up and picked up the pace a bit, but my legs were hurting and cramps were creeping up.
The course is a real blast, although I wish there was more climbing. The last mile was a bit of a grind, but I actually liked it. The cheering section was strategically placed, a doubly huge welcome for the spirit lifting and the promise of a finish nearby.

I rolled across the finish to see my family there, which is always awesome. After the race I still had some energy, which tells me I didn't leave enough on the trail. This allowed me to generously contribute to the demise of the IPA keg. Whoever added that to the menu is a genius.

Cheers
 
Chris26er said:
One word for me--PAIN! Great day all around, I went too hard too soon and paid the price in cramps. The race setup was flawless, the Darkhorse boys are super awesome.
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I'm gonna beat the s#$% outta ya for 31mins and 1 sec just so you get a real good idea of the gap:getsome:
 
Sevenz said:
Did not catch her name...but wanted to say THANKS to the very nice female rider with the full MTBNJ kit that gave me her pump when I was repairing my second flat of the day. Blew through all my CO2's and was kinda done until she showed up. Thanks Again!!!!

Rob AKA "Sevenz"
Long Island
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That was Jenny A (Jennyboots)
 
Shaggz said:
Holy crap, that was fun. I did 20 (thanks again, Walt) and could not imagine doing 40. I'm glad I parked behind Panhead, who was cool enough to hook me up with some Clif Bars, as I for got my food bag at home.

Madawg and the DH crew put on a great event. It was obvious they really enjoyed themselves out there. Great vibe and I really enjoyed seeing so many cool people there.

The only negative I saw was the Tool that screamed at his mother using the f-bomb in the transition as she was handing him his camelback. Loser.
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Seriously. I am still shocked at his behavior! perhaps they made him walk home?????
 
didn't think we would get all this love from yelling at riders. Thank Bill for the horns.
 
Well that hurt. Race was almost a no-go until 10min before the gun when I was literally driving out to go home - changed tires the night before and left my 15QR thru-axle on the basement floor at home. Mike from DH grabs the Niner guy who has a Fox 15QR in his truck, so I get rock-star parking and kit up and get to the start line. Disaster averted. A million thanks to Mike and Niner for getting me to the start line.

Lined up in the back, because hey, ever since I left Sport, winning is for other guys. Rode the first few miles with Mike K, Norm, Rob Y and another guy and we had a nice flow going. Slow enough that Norm and I could debate the impact of diet coke on the etiology of obesity and perform a brief literature review on the subject. Launched a bottle on one of the drop ins and thought this soon, I should really pick that up. Sad part is those guys were gone and so was my flow and ability to follow a wheel, which was critical since I didn't pre-ride. Forgot to hit my start button on my computer, which kind of stunk since I had no idea how far along we were (5mi as it turns out). Hit the beer station and finally came through the start finish area. The first 10-12mi were way faster than the last few. I negative split my second lap by about 10min now that I knew what to expect, and it felt better other than dabbing on one of the last steep punchers. Rode back and forth with a SS and another guy, and I nobly attacked them with 2mi left and rode in for a brilliant 39th place in the so-called "Elite" group. 3:45 with beer stops.

God I suck.
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TedH said:
Norm and I could debate the impact of diet coke on the etiology of obesity and perform a brief literature review on the subject.
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This is actually true. I was saying to Bill that sometimes during races, I just slowly come up to people and talk to them as if we've been having a conversation for the last hour. I literally did this on the fire road climb on the first lap. I'm not sure what the guy thought of it, especially since I knew who he was and I'm sure he had no idea who I was.

Nice talking to you for a bit. And nice to have someone out there who can just bust out conversation on any random topic. ChrisG is really good at this too.

My tip: you started too fast.
 
thanks to everybody that came out and supported our silly little race party!!

great to see everybody and thanks for all the positive words! we appreciate it!
 
Before I mention anything about my race I would like to express my obligatory thanks to Maddawg and the DH crew for an incredible and memorable day at Stewart. Every detail about this event was well planned and executed. Thanks for all the hard work guys! It's evident that this race is run on the love of the sport.

Just a lot of fun out there yesterday! This was my longest race in a single push to date (not including 24HOA). I went in simply with the goals of racing my own race, finishing under 4 hours, not blowing up and most importantly to have fun. All of which I accomplished.

I raced Singlespeed Men Open cat. This was a more competitive field than what I'm used to. It may have caused me to be a little more timid but thats ok, I wasn't too concerned with placing. I just wanted to get through the race with a reasonable time.

I took it easy on the first lap. Never really threw down overly hard. I was riding with Chainsaw for a mile or two but I had to break off to pee. That kinda sucked as it put me in the back pretty early on. Should have taken care of business beforehand I guess. After the pack broke up a bit, I was by my self for a good while. I jumped on trains here and there, then passed or lost them.

The trails and course were just marvelous. I nearly forgot I was racing at one point while enjoying the flow of of the ride. I cleaned ALMOST everything, dismounting twice I think.

The Sirens of Stewart where a welcomed sight. It was about that time that I was out of water. I was graciously offered a beer but declined. They filled my water bottles and I quickly moved on.

Another much appreciated and welcomed sight was Pearl, Mandi, Bill and Lisa at that roller coaster section. When I heard the sound of the vuvuzela in the distance, I knew it could only be one thing, It must be near the end of the lap. I don't carry a computer so I need to rely on dead reckoning or signs such as this to let me know where I am.

The second lap was for the most part uneventful. I was alone almost the entire lap. Had plenty of gas in the tank so I cranked up the juice. I was feeling good as far as my legs and lungs where concerned but my body was beginning to feel the effects of riding a fully rigid bike for this long of a distance. My neck, back and wrists where not happy with all the harsh jostling. By mile 30 I just wanted it to be over. I was by no means dead, it's just that my body felt pulverized.

I finished in 4 hours flat at 39th place. I'll take that. Felt darn beat up by the end. Next year I'm doing this race on some form of suspension bike.

Post race beers and food, Awesome!
 
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Awesome race! Well ran and great to see how much the Darkhorse crew put back into the race.

After last years DNF, I went into this race just wanting to finish. My goal was to keep it easy the first lap, then push hard the 2nd. It didn't really work out that way. In the beginning there was a bad bottleneck since we started right after the mass of Sport men. It was slow going for a while, which was probably good since it forced me to not push too hard. But once we passed the back of the man pack, I pushed harder than I should. I rode the first 13miles with Helen Cross, at times pushing too hard to keep up with her. Then she flatted, so I was on my own from that point. After the 1st lap I stop to switch camelbacks and grab a pb&j, thanks to Chris29er for his assistance. Little did I know, when I started the 2nd lap I was actually in 1st place. If I had known this I wonder if it would have changed my mentality and the way I raced. About 1 mile into lap 2, #1 girl passes me and for some reason I think I'm now in 3rd. I pulled back a bit feeling my stomach get queasy. Then at 31 miles, the cramps started. First my calves, which I know how to deal with, but then my quads which I never experienced before. Discovered that I had no more Electrolytes, wondering how the heck I packed so few. Spent the next 5 miles in survival mode, getting off and walking some climbs in fear of the cramps returning. Everyone around me seemed to be experiencing the same thing, misery loves company. I just kept moving forward hoping to not let any women pass. Then somewhere around mile 35 a women passed me and my spirits were defeated (didn't realize she was racing as a team). I was mentally berating myself for pushing too hard on that 1st lap. At mile 36, I got a second wind and was determined to ride through the cramping and 'race' the last 4 miles, it was a race afterall and I was determined to not let anyone else pass me. Finished thinking I came in 4th, and then was elated to hear I came in 2nd, what a great way to end it all.

I managed to get one beer before the kegs were kicked, we need 4 kegs next year😉 Good food. I even won some $$ to boot! And thanks to the cheering crowd, they rocked and were the highlight of the race.
 
Norm said:
My tip: you started too fast.
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Pleasure was mine.

I'm not sure I started too fast given I took 15min off on my second lap. I was pretty conscious of my HR for the first lap and keeping it below 170, but I really felt a lack of focus once I lost your group. I was able to break up the 2nd lap into sections after getting the first lap done and I think that's why my 2nd lap time was that much faster.
 
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