McDowell Mountain Bike Race

I can't believe a cold has ever gotten me down for a few WEEKS, but alas it has. I headed over to the race to spectate and check it out!
This race was a LOT bigger than the Papago Peddler. It's the first points race of the year so everyone shows up.

The loops were all being run backward for the race today. For me its not backward... Well, mostly because I've only ridden the course once and it was the "backward" direction. If you haven't GO ride it. Its not technically hard, but is a lot of fun. You can get a great pace going on most of it. By the looks of it going the correct direction would only be faster. I haven't had a chance to ride the technical loop, but it looks fun and challenging!

Everyone was geared up!

The Missing Link Guys take riding seriously. They take drinking beer even more seriously. :)


Yes they brought a couch out! MLR rocks! I look forward to riding with these guys if they can stand me and I can keep up! haha!


and their off!

I don't think this guy wanted this moment imortalized on film... doh!

A little video of the first Sport riders coming through. They look a little expert to me! They led most of the pack by 5 minutes...

We then headed over to the hill since it seemed like a place I would fall.

Keeping speed up to the hill!


I was surprised by how many people made it. A lot of the marathoners (folks who were riding twice the distance of the experts. Yikes) stopped at the bottom and walked it. Others road up it just as fast as the rest. Double Yikes!



Video of a couple guys climbing the hill.


And that was the end for me! I need to get well and get training!