Steamboat Springs Town Challenge

Any town who's recreation department puts on a Mt Bike race meets my definition of a bike meca. I'm here is Steamboat Springs where my parents live, yes lucky, and I was able to catch this race. I got a little over 24 hours to acclimate to the altitude but a nights stay in Salt Lake due to a missed connection seemed to help as I didn't feel too bad going into the race.



I got a chance to pre-ride the course the day before the race, about 90% of it was fast single track w/ a few short sharp climbs and rolling descents, fun

My strategy was to go fast at the start, see who came around me and try to follow them around. Got off first on the line and was looking good until I immediately took a wrong turn (hadn't pre-ridden the start apparently), taking about 1/2 the field with me ! Luckly the trail I was one joined back onto the course and after letting the field that didn't take the wrong turn go by I hopped on the back.

The pace wasn't fast enough so I went around the group got to the front and put a hard effort in on some fast and rolling single track through some high grass. After this effort there was still 2 riders on my wheel. I eased off some to get a recovery and grabbed the wheel of the rider who went by. I followed him for a bit and as the trail climbed I went around to put in another hard effort. At this point I was passing some racers in the class ahead (30+ expert) so it started to become hard to tell how far behind me my field was. I thought I had a pretty good gap so I settled in to keep picking off racers in the next class figuring that would be a good pace to keep.

About 3/4 the way through we got to the sharp climb w/ some 180 degree sandy switch backs, the race/altitude whatever was really starting to bite so I tried to keep a solid pace w/o blowing up, but realized that I was slowing. Two riders started coming up behind and when I glanced back i saw their numbers were different so I was psyched, figuring that i was in good shape.

They both caught me going down and I let them go by figuring I could stay on their wheels and ride a better line down. One just took off w/ some pro-like speed, wonder where he came from ? At this point I'm not so sure I'm in first anymore, so I stay tight on the rider just in front. I come along side him on the last short climb up before the single track to the finsh, he gets to the top first, but I'm able to sprint by him to get the hole shot. Down the single track fast and to the finish just ahead of him.

Turns out he was in my class, and I beat him to finish 1st.

Awesome course, hope I can plan my trip to Steamboat next year to race this again.






photos courtesy of Art Mastoras race photographer.