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Today was the fifth stage of the Breck Epic. Epic indeed. After some singletrack climbing and descending on the Breckenridge ski hill, surprisingly good singletrack in fact, we hit the Burro Trail. This is a tennish mile rocky rooty trail that kept us working, especially given the steady rise. This was followed by some steady climbing on dirt road that brought us into a breathtaking alpine amphitheatre and the Wheeler trail. To the south was the northern face of Quandary Peak, one of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks. It’s hard to describe just how amazing this scenery is. I’ve heard talk of some killer north facing couloirs on Quandary and I saw them today. After five days of racing this god-forsaken singlespeed, a lazy early summer ski day sounds pretty damn appealing. In fact, the Jeff Carter rule of hiking states that ski descents are the only reason to hike at all. There used to be two reasons, but I’m engaged now.

So this Wheeler trail is beautiful and a great place to take your bike for a walk, because all the gears in China aren’t riding that climb. Again, the Breck Epic delivers the Big Ride in race form. Yeah these aren’t the 6 hour days of the Transalp, but it also isn’t riding a 3% grade up a paved road for two-and-a-half hours either. In fact, thus far, I’d say this race combines the beautiful high alpine riding of the Transalp with the luscious singletrack of the BC bike race into one tasty package.  I love it.

So after nearly an hour of hike-a-bike, we topped out on the East facing flanks of the Ten Mile range and rode some soggy singletrack that kept us from taking in the views.  Having ridden this trail before, the view is of the Gore range, a fairly remote range north of Summit.  Cross the service road, lots of photographers, and see my good friend Catherine cheering us all on. Then we boot up to Wheeler pass where we are greeted by a nearly fifty mile-an-hour wind. Then it’s a three thousand foot descent to Ten Mile Canyon and the bike path. Loose high alpine trail gave way to bermed turns and stream crossings.  Hit the bike path and watch the geared bikers pass me by. At one point I try and catch a draft from a fifty year old lady with a lunch box on the back of her cruiser, but she, too drops me. The singlespeed does have its limitations.

In the singlespeed category, I pretty much saw my last-day podium hopes vanish as Jake simply rode away from me today. In fact he was second on the day. I have really enjoyed this competition and will come out as strong as I can tomorrow hoping for a miracle. There has been great camaraderie amongst all the singlespeeders and they are a great bunch of guys and girl. On the eve of the final stage, I can say this has been one of the most enjoyable weeks of my life, watching this incredible event come together in the mountains where I ride whenever I get the chance. As the fatigue of the week has set in, my ability to lay down witty blogs appears to be falling off. Thanks for reading.

I love living in Colorado and today is why. Stage 4 of the Breck Epic—the circumnavigation of Mt. Guyot— defines what mountain bike stage racing is supposed to be. A big committing ride at race pace. Huge alpine meadows, singletrack that spends 12 weeks NOT covered in snow, expansive views of South Park, cloudless skies and the rippingest Colorado Trail descent in the Summit County. Well, there was a downside too, about ten miles of mining road climbing and descending that nearly broke me, but we’ll get to that in a minute.  As I wrote in a few blogs back, I love the big ride, and today was it in spades.  In fact, this ride was billed as a Summit County classic big ride and I spent some time thinking about the first guys to ride to ride this twenty years ago on those heavy rigid bikes with plastic levers, the Styrofoam helmets and neon jerseys.

Now some of you may be wondering about the belt driven bike. It’s a belt, just like that found on Harleys, instead of a chain. It’s strong as hell, nearly maintenance free, super light and lasts something like five years. It takes a bit of time to get set up correctly, but once done, it’s bomber. It does require an interruption in the frame to get the belt into the rear triangle, but after riding two of these bikes, I’ve heard nary a creak from the frame.  After a couple of days of racing, I am giving it zero thought, which is exactly the point. It has generated a ton of interest here at the Breck Epic as well as everywhere else I’ve ridden it, but when I offered free test rides during the backbreaking climb up French Gulch, nobody was all that interested. Weird.

I started the day in third place in the men’s singlespeed category, but Jake Kirkpatrick put the hurt on, knocking me off my first ever podium. In fact, there were some great shakeups in the men’s singlepeed category overall making it a hotly contested category.  I didn’t give up without a fight though.  It was back and forth until the climb up French Gulch, when he pulled ahead on the steep climb, which is of course a hike-a-bike for singlespeeders. After cresting the hill, I lit up the descent as fast I could, but he was gone. I fought as hard as could all day, climbing as fast as I could, skipping aid stations, squeezing Gu’s in my face at an alarming rate, but Jake finished 5 minutes ahead. I was so shelled in the closing miles of the race that I there were tears streaming down my face. This singlespeed racing business is no picnic my friends.

My friend Cristina and I are both racing the belt drive and we are both suffering, although she seems to be holding it together a bit better as she is in second overall in women’s open. Granted she’s a mountain bike legend. In any event, we had some larger rear cogs couriered up from Spot in Golden to take the bite out of the climbs. We’ll need it, as we are climbing over Wheeler Pass tomorrow. Ouch.

Thanks for reading, I’m whipped and need some sleep, but couldn’t be happier with the inaugural Breck Epic. Like bike racing? Put it on your calendar for 2010. 

It’s a barn burner for third place in the men’s singlespeed category here in the Breck Epic. Jake Kirkpatrick (New Belgium Brewery) rode like a total badass today, taking out nearly all of my lead. He’s riding incredibly strong, descending like a madman on his fully rigid bike and its four bar Franken fork. Best of all, he’s a great sportsman. This is the essence of amateur bike racing; I nearly lost my marbles on the last few climbs, seeing stars, praying for downhill, a meteor shower, something to put an end to those excruciating climbs. But I didn’t give up- not with my first ever shot at standing on a podium.  I know carbon handlebars are pretty damn strong, but it felt like I was trying to pull it off my bike as I heaved and hoed trying to get that one-geared backbreaker up those hills.

 After the stage we joked that watching each other over our shoulders on the climbs was like the zombie-chasing-the-blonde in B horror flick. We’d glance back and see the other person moving so slowly, and then a few seconds later we’d look again and the other person would be closer. I didn’t let out a blood curdling scream, only because I couldn’t frickin’ breathe.

So today’s stage was awesome. We once again awoke to perfect blue skies, low humidity and cool temps. After a “neutral” start, we climbed Boreas Pass Road for a bit only to bomb down the Aspen Grove Trail. This is the kind of trail you see on granola bar ads on TV.  The field was tight and there was fast and fun wheel-to-wheel riding around me. And then the rolling climbing started, up and up through forested jeep roads and popping out into a beautiful alpine valley that defines Colorado’s beauty.  After a big descent down Boreas Pass Road, we hit the Banker’s Tank Trail. At one point, we passed the 8 foot deep hole that I fell into a few years ago in the Firecracker 50. (it was super cool- people watching, bloody leg, crawling out of the hole…  I felt like a first grader who peed his pants on recess). After bombing down French road, I thought I was pretty much done, but there were three brutal switchbacks before a loose descent to the finish.

So those of you who might have been encouraged to come try the Breck Epic next year after my first few blogs might be think this sounds discouraging. Au contraire is my reply. Who wants to plan a week around an easy stage race? A lot of people I guess, but then again most people think mountain bike stage racing as a vacation ranks above solitary confinement only because of the beer.  No, today’s fast and furious stage was a shit ton of fun, and a warm up for tomorrow’s circumnavigation of Mt Guyot, a fiftyish mile, ten-thousand-feet-of-climbing beatdown that will bring the field to its knees.

That’s all for now. Big pasta meal and birthday cake for my friend Brian. What a week so far. I’m so glad I’m here. Thanks for reading.

I've know Steve Yore for quite some time now, our friendship goes beyond 24 hr races. When he came to LA to be photographed by Jill Greenberg for the cover because he was crowned the Outside's Fittest Real Man In America, I stopped by the shoot.

Now, his time in the limelight is over and this new guy (picture above one the July Issue) gets to wear the jewels. I couldn't pass up the opportunity of asking Steve Yore what it feels like to pass his title on to David Goggins.

Are you crestfallen that your title is being passed along?
I'm thrilled. The new crew is a bunch of badasses. They deserve the recognition!

 “This is a lot of work Brian” I gasped to my buddy as we rode up the last climb before the bitchin singletrack descent on the Flume Trail. I was of course referring to racing a singlespeed, which is new for me this week.  Big grunts uphill, spinning out on flats, but hell, it’s bike racing in Summit County and therefore a damn good time.

Today was the first big stage of the Breck Epic, and it certainly lived up to my expectations. Sick, Sick, Sick. Beautiful blue sky Colorado day, Ten Mile range green and white with summer snow fields towering over us as we queued up for the start. There were familiar faces and smiles all about, but more importantly there was a total lack of the annoying lineup shitstorm that defines the huge stage races like the Transalp. By this I mean standing in crowd of 400 people in a beautiful but cramped village square basking in the overwhelming aroma of BO and Ben Gay.  But I digress, we’re talkin’ Breck Epic here folks. 

So after a neutral start we hit some dirt road climbing that quickly spread out the field. We got up into the maze of mining roads that crisscross the Golden Horseshoe above Breckenridge, including up the appropriately named Push Hill. One of the great things about mountain biking is feeling the history of the land you’re riding and nowhere is this more apparent than in these old mining roads with their tumbledown shacks and abandoned mining equipment.  I might be suffering on my singlespeed but that is nothing compared to those poor prospectors hand digging the flume trails we are riding today.

Eventually we got to the super goods, riding 17 miles of the Colorado Trail from the Middle Fork of the Swan to the dredge. This is my go-to Summit County ride and it was truly great to race this section of trail I have ridden so many times. Perhaps it was a small advantage as I knew what was coming, but I’ll take it. The descent on the Colorado Trail down Westridge is a magic dirt carpet ride that is worth the trip in itself.

So what’s the deal with racing crazy big wheel singlespeeds? I’ve ridden singlespeeds for quite a few years but have been reluctant to race them (see pre-race blog 1). But I’m kind of getting into it. As I have said, my belt-driven Spot singlespeed is a sick bike, but the fun transcends the bike. You’ve got one gear and so that’s what you ride. Maybe you crank past some geared rider up a hill, only to have them pass you on the flats. I can’t say I’m regretting the choice, although the Wheeler Pass loop in two days my change my mind.

OK race fans. I currently stand in third place in the men’s SS category with a slim 41 second lead on a hard charging Jake Kirkpatrick. This is completely new territory for me, but I’ll do all I can to keep this place. Thanks for reading and check back in tomorrow for more updates.