TMBRA Marathon #1 in Palo Duro Canyon

This weekend I was back on the Luvjet–this time to Amarillo, Texas to check out the first race of the TMBRA marathon series. As I flew in, I wondered where the mountains were since Amarillo is located up north in the panhandle flatlands and known more for ranching not mountain biking. Charlie, a local racer on Team Kordestani (promoters of the event) picked me up and delivered me to the race site. Palo Duro Canyon is known as the “Grand Canyon” of Texas for good reason. After a half hour drive from the airport the grasslands fell away into a huge canyon that appeared to stretch on for miles or at least as far as the eye could see!

The venue was beautiful in the setting sun as I checked into my little cabin located right on the rim, cut directly into the rock! It was about a mile down to the bottom where the race was staged on state park land complete with campground, gift shop, restaurant, amphitheater, showers, etc. I took a short ride around the first part of the 15 mile loop and it may have been four corners country–red rock formations, hoodoos, sandy arroyos and even some slickrock!

The sizable purse had a attracted a strong contingent of riders hailing from all over the west. The race began at 10:30 with a quick lap around the the campground before diving into what would virtually be three laps of singletrack. Jason Sager led the charge followed by Russell Finsterwald, Ben Sonntag and the rest of us. Apparently the young Trek rider (Finsterwald) wanted to get his paycheck ASAP so he promptly put the hammer down. I made a couple early mistakes and soon was passed by Tristan Uhl and Daniel Matheny among others. Several more costly mistakes during the first lap added up to a sizable deficit.
Somewhere along the line, Sager pulled out, leaving Finsterwald alone at the front chased by Ben and Tristan with Matheny and another two riders ahead of me. Halfway through the second lap, I passed one of them with his chain off and soon caught Daniel and his companion. By this point, I had a decent head of steam so I just rolled past them and only Matheny was able to follow. One of the more technical segments of trail came near the end of the lap and I was able to open a gap and never saw him again–let alone anyone else. I rode the final lap in solitary bliss enjoying the sun and taking in the scenery without making too many more errors.

By the finish, things had spread out with Russell still out in front claiming the big check followed by Sonntag, Uhl, myself and Matheny each minutes behind one another. The course was fast with the winning pace over 15mph and fun–nothing but smiles seen around the finish! In all my travels, I don’t remember racing in the bottom of a canyon before. It was a unique experience and such a contrast from the surrounding countryside. With drought still gripping this part of the US, it was almost like a little paradise carved out of the flat plains just for riders like us. With creeks still flowing and deer and other wildlife sharing the moment the colorful scenery was almost surreal.

After getting to know many new friends, it was time to climb back up the grade and back to reality. Back to the airport and back home to where heart and life is–back to a little duller, grayer, wetter, backdrop for my next ride. In the meantime, I will marvel at the memories of all the amazing places I have been as these two wheels keep turning while looking forward to my next adventure and enjoying what seems so mundane yet so comfortably familiar.