Fat Tire Challenge Brookville PA

Fat Tire Challenge June 20, 2010 held in Brookville, PA.

Left home on Thursday with the intention of doing a pre-ride on Friday in early morning hours. We were unable to do the preride when we arrived so we settled for early afternoon on Saturday when Grandma was able to watch the kids. We met up with the race director, Michael White and a small army of volunteers to help with some trail maintenance while doing the pre ride. I noted with my cyclometer the different rock gardens, hill climbs, single track bridges, and mud holes while Bob re-hung marking tape and cleared away branches from the trail. It took us 2 hours 37 minutes to do the whole 15 mile course. The course is a 15 mile continuous trail through Clear Creek State Park. It has a little bit of everything a mountain biker could hope for....single track, rock gardens, bridge and stream crossings, laurel fields in bloom, 2 mile continuous hill climb, then another 3/4 mile hill climb over wet rocks and roots, and rock drop offs....simply heaven; WE BOTH HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS RIDE TO EVERYBODY, THE COURSE IS NOW OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND.

We arrived at the race on Fathers Day ready to go, the weather was calling for clear skies with a high of 78 degrees. The course was still a little sloppy, but dry compared to Western Pa standards. We started out in a staggered start, going by age groups instead of a mass start. I was still a little nervous, but more excited because of the damn nice bike that Gung Ho put together for me. I started out at my own pace, letting some of the other riders sprint it out to the first gas line. Two minutes later Bob was started out leading the whole group, the first into the gas line, sprinting through mud holes, jumping logs, passing riders from the class that started before him. I was going at a good pace myself, but enjoying myself, tearing over rocks with those new big tires. Soon Bob caught up to me and yelled from about 25 yards back, "COMIN UP ON YA, SEVEN GATES" I knew that Bob was going to catch me (we talked about this the day before the race) and started to slide over. As Bob came around me he said "COME ON SEVEN GATES KEEP THAT PACE UP" What Bob did not tell me was that I pulling away from most of the other riders in my category and his also. Then Bob was gone with three other riders chasing him as he was swallowed up by the laurel and large rocks. I was able to keep my pace as I rode through the same laurels, then down a slick downhill with a sharp right hand turn at the bottom. Bob caught up with one of the riders from my class that refused to slide over. Bob called out several times but each time the rider tried to sprint ahead, but could not keep that pace up for long. During the first slick downhill, he endo'd and landed on that large rock. Bob and the other three riders slowed to a stop, sliding the whole way down the hill asking if he was ok. He jumped back up on his bike and took off ahead of them again. The next drop off is very steep, Bob endo'd last year and busted his head open on this one. The same guy endo'd again, this time lying down on the trail. Again Bob and the riders ask if he was ok and again he took off ahead of them.

I was excited about this part of the course since I proved to myself that I was able to get over this type of technical track. Unfortunately, there were about 6 riders ahead of me who couldn't. At mile 6 the trail comes out of the forest and spits you out onto a service road where there were volunteers with H2O and first aid. This is where the heat and humidity were really noticeable. Bob was half way through his water bottle and asked for his second one but the hand off was missed. I too was running out of water, but grabbed a gel instead. At mile 9 the race director had crime scene tape that Bob had provided with a body trace of a fallen biker that the course had chewed up and spit out. I started to feel some leg cramps coming on as I began the next hill climb. This lead into some wet technical single track over rocks and roots and back into the forest. At least this part was shaded! Next was a fast, wet, rocky downhill. Bob was now holding second place with 3rd and 4th place tearing down behind him. Suddenly Bob's rear tire went straight up and kicked out to the left and we was literally riding on his front tire! 2nd place yelled,"holy*&^^%! How'd you do that?!". Bob tried to laugh it off, by saying,"as long as it looked good!". I had been looking forward to this downhill from the beginning, too. It is a fast track that you can really make up some time on with your speed. After climbing two miles up at mile 5, we now had another 3/4 mile climb up some wet rocks and roots to the rock gardens. We both climbed these climbs with little trouble and Bob cleared the first rock garden. Some slower riders were walking across this garden, so I rode as far as I could then ran the rest.

Bob's legs cramped up at mile 13.5 after the second rock garden, and he was totally out of Heed. Bob let second and third slip by, then finally was stopped by a large rock that he could not get his rear tire over. He tried to get off his bike, but both legs were totally cramped up. It took about a minute, but he was able to get going again; after dropping several more places. I came up to the second rock garden and tackled it like the first. Bob was able to finish in seventh place, dropped his bike and came back into the woods to cheer me on. Bob noticed that several other female riders were pushing or riding their bikes out towards the finish line. Cramping badly, I continued to ride over each hill until Bob came into sight. Bob was clapping and cheering, yelling "The finish line is right there" Michael White moved this years finish line to end through the forest which meant you could see it, but had a technical trail to get to it. So again over the rocks, roots, several logs, Bob cheering, I gave what I had left to the finish line. As I crossed, I came down totally exhausted, I gave everything I had during this race. I was getting disappointed seeing some of the other females already walking around the finish line drinking and talking.

We went back to our tent and Bob said he was going to check the standings. Bob came back and told me that I got third, to leave my jersey on for photographs. Bob then left to help out with some of the volunteers and the trail. When it came time for the awards ceremony, I was getting excited because third place is better than what I thought I had done. I can't describe what I was feeling when Michael White said I came in first place. After it was all done, we found out that the other females that Bob watch walk or ride out had actually quit leaving me to handle the race alone. Again, we both recommend this race to everybody, the only way to describe it is like Micheaux, but more muddy, wet and slick.

Carisa