TEST OF ENDURANCE 07

With several disappointing results in a row, I was ready for this race! Last year Erik Tonkin (Kona), Omer Kem (Priority Health) and I battled for most of this 50 mile marathon before Erik won by a couple minutes. Unfortunately, the rains came again the night before the race and made it much harder this year. Rob English (Bike Friday) set the early pace and my teammate Zach Winter kept him in check. By the midpoint of the first 25 mile lap it was again just three of us at the front and we were on pace for a new course record. The second lap proved more difficult, though. With all the traffic behind us, the trails became nearly unrideable. Luckily, I was again riding my Scale which handles these conditions superbly. Zach went to the front many times during the first part of the second lap but Rob answered every time. Too bad, because eventually the repeated accelerations tired Winter out and he blew with about 15 miles to go. This left English and I to battle for the victory. I led into the most technical singletrack of the course and noticed that Rob couldn’t hold my wheel. I attacked and ended up winning by 8 minutes or so. A brutal day, but another well deserved win for me and another season goal accomplished.