PUFF–race over…

Drove 20 hours or so with about 6 hours of sleep following the final stage of Breck Epic. Got into Oakridge just in time to stand in a giant line for dinner and get dialed in for the even more epic Cascade Cream Puff.

The CCP is probably one of the most well known 100 mile MTB races in the world. That being said, and me living in Oregon, I have never done it before! This year I was able to just squeeze it into my schedule but I regret to say I still haven’t DONE it…

We woke up to the banging of the wake up bell way too early this morning. I was locked and loaded and generally running on adrenaline and oxygen dense atmosphere at the start. I had decided to run my rigid set up with semi slick tires but then it started to rain just as took off.

It was still half dark and super cold as we headed up the initial long gravel road climb. The pace was ridiculous for 100 miles but I was riding well and in good shape in the top ten.

We arrived at the first aid station and I stopped to get some more bottles and my jacket. Unfortunately the drop bags had not gotten there yet so I spent a good 5 minutes looking for my stuff only to leave colder and without my breakfast.

The course climbed onto singletrack and then traversed a rocky sidehill. I was ticked due to the lost time and riding a bit too erratically. I skipped sideways off a rock and PSSSSTTT–cut my front tire.

This was insult added to injury, but I quickly inserted a tube and inflated the tire only to discover that the said tube had a leak. Now, things were really falling apart but it wasn’t over yet!

I put in the second tube and inflated it. Jackpot–no holes. After scooping all my junk into my bag, I was back on my bike now behind most everyone. I passed a few other riders then lost in on a switchback only to discover than now my rear tire was FLAT. Game over!

The next bit of poor luck came when I asked another rider how to get back to the start. They suggested that they had done the race before adn I should proceed to the next aid station. Actually I should have turned around and gone back because the next aid station was the furthest point from the start in Westfir!

Oh, well, I still got to ride over 50 miles offroad today AND eat three unrounded meals in the most famous aid stations in the world!

Next year…