6hr Gear Grinder

there is something about ripping down a gnarly single track that makes you feel alive, in the moment,  and much younger than your years.... 

Saturday was a great mountain bike event in Tuxedo, NC....Gear Grinder 6hr MTB Race at the Falling Creek Camp off Green River Rd.

Awesome event... great weather, people, venue, course (except that first climb... first gear slog up a 1 mile gravel climb).... a great race requiring a lot of grit....

Brandon, Beth, and Jim Hoffmeister did the solo, while I teamed up with the "BigDog" for a 2-person team ...birddog 

guess who is who........ to race in the 40+ .... other than Jim there was no one close in age.....

BigDog and I pre-rode the course on Friday..... ouch, not sure we will be able to go under an hour per lap to make 6 laps in under 6 hours hour.  BigDog, as he said in his blog, was "intimidated" ...what have I (Jim?) gotten us into..... A helluva a climb to start, then a lot of rocky narrow single track with more climbing and a rippin descent.

And if Brandon saw the climb on Friday he may have not slept that night.  Not a course for "clydesdales"..

Brandon ended up 7th doing 4 laps even though cramping on the 3rd....

Jim was right behind (well a bit back... but hey, almost 30yrs difference)  came in 8th..... just impressive...  below is the only spot on the course you could relax for a second....oh, he is about to hit the "wall"

Bethster, of course podium-ed.. taking first,  finishing 4 laps with 1 crash and no contestants left taking first in women's 40+... she was itching to go out for that 5th though.... (note: she likes the new kits so much that she didn't want to get it dirty)...

and team birddog...the two old guys gave it all we had, averaging under an hour per lap going a full 6 laps.... finishing 8th out of 9 teams in the 40+mens.    In my view, we won... a couple of 60 year olds still playing in the dirt, putting it out there, up for a challenge.........no fear....great being out there with the BigDog.

And our old team mates and riding buddies Debbie and Katherine put together an awesome showing taking 2nd in the Women's Team overall....... Debbie put on a clinic for me when we hit the single track descent on the first lap, never to be seen again except in the transition... that girl can go......

Just a great event...a great challenge....nothing but fun...well ..with a little pain.....

I'll be there next year....