RACE REPORT: 2006 Bigfoot Classic (Day 2 XC)

Got up in the early morning fog of Eureka to grab a cup of coffee and make my way up the mountain for the Bigfoot Classic XC race. The conditions at the top of the mountain near the race site were perfect and it looked like a huge amount of people turned out. Someone later told me that we had 165 racers (about twice past years). Whatever the final count, we had a large field and a crowded pit: lots of pro riders, sports and a few beginners.


The course was one of the better ones that I have ridden: some long climbs, swooping downhills, technical singletrack and even a few hike-a-bikes. It measured out to 14 miles and about 2700 feet of climbing per lap. The pros did two laps, sport one and a half and beginners one. I didn't remember to turn on my GPS unit at the start, but here is most of the course:

Here's the elevation profile:
My race turned out pretty well. I climbed well during the first set of climbs, got a little bogged down during the hike-a-bikes then made up the time during the flat at the mid-point of the race. Unfortunately, no race of mine would be complete without an epic crash. And I certainly didn't disappoint. Just after the 1/2 way point on the divided singletrack, I pulled endo'd in some mud at about 25 miles per hour (it looks pretty cool on the GPS readout). At first, I thought I had broken a rib as the bike had pummelled me in the chest during my crash, but after I pulled my bike out of the nearby tree (!) I was back racing. I pulled it together to finish with a respectable time and won my category.


I didn't get a chance to stick around for the awards ceremony, but the unofficial pro results were:

• Tim Olson (2:14:05)
• Aren Timmel (2:15:37)
• Michael Lee (2:16:40)
• Nigel Hill (2:23:08)
  

Overall, the race was a great experience. My hat off to Vic (in the picture above posting results) and the rest of Team Bigfoot. It was well worth the six hour drive for the race. I posted some more photos from the race over on this thread at MTBR.