Bailey Hundo Recap

Bailey Hundo. Check. Now this is my favorite Colorado mountain bike race…so far. The course was awesome. The staff was so helpful at all the aid stations. Everything about the day just went well.
The day started at 4am. I quickly loaded up the truck and was in Bailey, geared up at 5:30am. It was a chilly start as my thermometer read 42 degrees. My teeth chattered as I was getting dressed up and took a couple of spins around the street. I wasn’t too concerned with where I started from in the pack, so around 5:55 I strolled to the back of the start line and waited for it all to begin. 3-2-1 go, we are off.
The first 7 miles is a rolling dirt road, so there is plenty of time for the shape of the race to be established. There were 48 starters in my category and I’d guess ~300 starters (216 finished) total. After the first 7 miles we turn onto the Colorado Trail which becomes all single track for the next 50 miles. When I turned onto the singletrack, I’d guess there were around 30 riders in single file that set our pace. I didn’t see any passing as the pace was fast. For me, I was going harder than I had wanted to, but you can’t really ride your pace in a pack on singletrack. I stuck with the pace and the 30 of us dwindled down to 10 or so. At this point we passed through the first aid station and most of the racers stopped. I had packed enough water and food to make it to aid 6 at around 60 miles, so I was able to keep moving for the first 5.5 hours. I had 6 bagels, 6 shot blocks, 2 cups of cashews and 118 oz. of water.
At around 90 minutes into the race I was all alone. I finally found my pace and got comfy on the bike. I knew it was going to be a long day and probably hot later on, so I tried to save as much energy as possible for then. From the 90 minute point until I reached aid 6, the race was super fun!!! There was 1 tough climb in Buffalo Creek that seemed to take me a while. I was riding well, eating right and feeling good.
I was thinking in my head I could make it to the river (aid 6) by 11am which would give me the best chance to ride sub 9 hours. However, my timing was off and I didn’t reach the river until 11:30am. I took my first break of the day. I quickly filled up my water, ate gobs of watermelon and threw back a 12oz can of coke. As I got back on the bike I ate a handful of cashews and started wondering if sub 9 was possible.
For the next ~15 miles I had no idea what to expect. It was the only portion of the race route that I have never ridden. From aid 6 you following a dirt road which turns into pavement all the way to Deckers. There was a slight tailwind and in this section I could really feel the difference on the new wheels/hubs. I got down on my Ergon grips and made up some really good time as I was doing 23-25 mph all the way to Deckers. In Deckers, we turn right, however I went left. Thankfully some guys whistled and I realized I went the wrong way. So from this point all the way to aid 8, it was steep and hot. It was pavement for about 4 miles and then steep jeep road. There was a jeep that had almost slid down the mountain. The jeep was high centered on the edge of the road calling for a tow I had assume. I asked him if he wanted to hook his jeep up to my bike and I’d tow him out, but for some reason he said no. Oh well.
At aid 8 I am tired and hot. The thought of sub 9 seemed distant, but from aid 8 to the finish is the exact ride I had ridden 2 weekends ago so I knew what was ahead (I always seem to be able to ride harder when I know what’s in store for me). I thought if I could find a little giddy-up I could do it. I filled up my water, drank another 12oz coke and got back on the bike. I think it was a combination of the little adrenaline spike and the coke because at 7 hours and 15 minutes in, I giddy’d-up. I passed around ~25 racers and felt strong all the way to Bailey. At around 8:15 I knew I had sub 9 so I just rode strong to the finish.
I finished 15/48 in my category and 83rd overall. This weekend we are riding from Silverton to Buena Vista. The endurance gained from the Hundo will surely get us ready for this weekend.