We took off for Arizona early Thursday morning for the Whiskey Off-Road event and took the Moab route to get down there. It was very scenic most of the way down with the exception of very barren stretch of land from the Arizona line until Flagstaff. We arrived in Prescott around 6:30pm not realizing that we actually gained an hour to move into Pacific Time.
After unloading the gear, suitcases, and bikes we walked a few blocks over to Whiskey Row to grab a bite to eat. Prescott Brewing Company seemed fitting for the evening. The waitstaff was very friendly and their menu had so many options, that made making a decision very difficult. I was recommended the Ponderosa IPA by our server and it was a very wise choice. The brew was fantastic and I could instantly see why this brewery has been named the #1 Micro Brew in Arizona for 2 years now. Their house ground Peppercorn crusted Gorgonzola burger was pretty awesome too!
The town of Prescott has got it going on. From their historic downtown section to the "upper" Prescott Valley with all the common shopping and dining options you find in most booming cities, there was something for everyone. The start/finish and expo area was setup right on Whiskey Row right alongside the town Court building and its spacious park setting. The finish line offered several balcony seating options from the various bars and restaurants giving spectators "VIP" access to all the excitement. The locals were all very friendly and I had several "locals" thank me for stopping in their town and spending some money.
Saturday morning was the start of the 25 Proof and 50 Proof races for all categories except Pros. We started the 50 Proof race promptly at 7:30am to the sound of a customary shotgun blast, as used for the beginning of each race throughout the weekend. I arrived at the start a little later than I wanted, so my position was not optimal for a fast start. After close to a minute and a half of waiting I finally got rolling. The initial climb was on pavement for about 4 miles as we led out of town to the Prescott National Forest land. I was able to gain quite a bit of time on the road as it gradually got steeper up to the dirt. Apparently it was not enough though, as we hit the singletrack, it literally took 100 yards for the "Conga Line" to start with those who pushed it too hard in the beginning and now couldn't maneuver some of the simplest of technical features. Despite the frequent stops, the singletrack was prime. The town of Prescott has a very close relationship with the National Forest Service and it shows in the quality of their trails. Built for sustainability, the first climb and descent of the course featured what seemed to be an endless array of water bars keeping even the most technically advanced riders busy and attentive. At one point we had some steep 30+ percent descents littered with water bars that scattered racers among the dirt. One guy took an initial turn into the descent and instantly went over the bars. I must say I was rather impressed with his instant release from his pedals, otherwise his landing would have been race ending. As I weaved my way through the racers walking the descent, we popped out onto a double track climb for about 15 minutes up to aid station 1 and our descent to the Skull Valley out and back.The out and back format was nice in that it allowed me to see the damage inflicted to the field from the lead riders who were able to "clean" the majority of the initial singletrack. The out and back was about 9.5 miles each way and it wasn't until mile marker 6 that I started to see the first riders making their way back up. At the turn around it looked as though I was sitting in about 40th as I made the turn back up the hill. The climb out of Skull Valley, past aid station 3 and to the top of the total climb was brutal. About 15 miles in length and a vertical gain of about 2800 feet that gradually got steeper definitely put some hurt into the thighs. Trying to ease off the onset of cramping, I tried to hold a steady pace without really trying to put some big efforts into the pedals. By the time I reached the top of the climb I had dropped to about the mid 70's in placement. My chain had lost all lube on the descent of Skull Valley and it was amazing how much of a mental damper the sound of a squealing chain will put on your cadence.
The first long descent was oh so fun! It was a fast sweeping 15 minute ride on some newly build singletrack by the NFS. I was able to gain a few places on the descent until I ran into the final 200 foot climb of the course. It started with some technical rocky ascents that I must have hit hard in the wrong fashion which sent my thighs into a wicked cramp spasm. I instantly jumped off the bike in an attempt to stretch them out with no luck. My thighs literally looked like they were alive with muscles jumping back and forth. After a few minutes I was able to get back on the bike and "spin" a little ways up. Soon enough, the climb became more sustained and loose, the cramps came back. With a bit of walking I managed to get to the top of the climb and begin the second long sweeping descent back into town. By this time I had lost quite a few more spots and was currently sitting at about 98th position. I made the final efforts on the road back to Whiskey Row and finished with a time of 4:45:00. I was very happy with the time and effort considering it was my longest race to date. Final results put me in 97th place out of 232 finishers in the Mens Open 50 Proof. One thing I was really happy about is that the Park City Point to Point race is not until September, because I am definitely not ready for a 78 miles race yet!
Team High Maintenance had a great showing with some fantastic results. Team Captain Amy Hermes finished a huge 2nd place finish in the Womens 50 Proof Singlespeed category. In the Womens 25 Proof category, Nadine Davis finished 3rd and Danielle 12th (also her longest race to date). After the race, we found out that Danielle managed a solid finish despite a bent rear brake lever from a early crash as well as a broken pedal, preventing her from fully engaging her cleat.
In almost every category, riders from Colorado seemed to dominate the podiums. Interesting, considering most of us have just hung up the skis for the season. Former Bach Builders rider and current Honey Stinger rider Dax Massey took 2nd in the mens singlespeed 50 Proof race. Way to go Dax!
On Sunday, the Pros took off and were just flying by the course checkpoints. In the mens field, Chris Sheppard (Rocky Mountain Bicycles) crushed the group finishing in a record breaking course time of 3:04:00, almost four and a half minutes ahead of 2nd place finisher Colin Cares (Kenda Felt). Eagle local Jay Henry (Tokyo Joes) dug really deep to finish in 3rd place. Jake Wells hung on to finish strong in 7th place. In the womens race, Pua Mata (Sho-Air) pushed hard in the final descent to pass race leader Catharine Pendrell (Luna Chix) with only a mile to go and win the race. Avon local pro Gretchen Reeves finished in 4th place.
All in all, the Whiskey Off Road is an event that I will definitely return for. My only issue was the race start format. I think I would race in the pro group next time just to have an open trail ahead of me. The 50 Proof group started with about 600 racers and the 25 Proof group had even more. Thanks Prescott! We'll see you again soon!
Thanks again to Bach Builders MTB Race team sponsors NoTubes, Ergon, and Infinit Nutrition for keeping the suffering to a minimum in my first race of the season!
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