Another beautiful day of endurance riding in the Santa Fe Mountains! Temps where perfect and no rain!!! Can’t ask for anything better, ok maybe some more spare tubes… 🙂
We had 40 people sign-up and 33 show up.
Congrats to Jens Nielsen for top Bragging Rights for the full BFL .
Congrats to Lyra Parker for being the first female to attempt and complete the full SF BFL on a Single Speed and she did it faster than a couple years back when she did the SF BFL on gears!! Nice Job!
Special thanks to Brent Bonwell for doing the SAG drops (and assume cleaned up Big-T) and Chris and Lenny for cleaning up at Aspen Ranch.
Please post your ride reports as comments at the bottom of this page and send me any pictures you would like to post.
Please send any results corrections or additions to lennygoodell@comcast.net
Click here to view results on Google spreadsheets
Here are few photos from the event:
I was having a great day even with flat #1 (slit rear tire) shortly after getting on Windsor. Then when I went to leave Aspen Ranch to head out for the RV loop, I heard the rear tire leaking air. Damn it, the slit was too big and the tube pushed through! Flat #2 and I only have one more tube, so I can’t go out on the RV loop with no spare tube… I am going to have to bail and head back… Luckily as I was filling up the rear tire after duck taping the slit, Dylan Harp rolled in on a 29er. He had one spare tube and was head on the RV loop. Said if I had another flat he would give it to me. I made it through RV loop without issue and was heading down Windsor just above Big-T intersect when I hit a rock a little hard with the rear tire. I thought to myself, wow that could have been a pinched tube, and then I heard the air, flat #3, Damn it!! I was 16 miles from finishing and most of it was downhill. I rode the flat cautiously for 1/4 mile before deciding to wait for Dylan and his spare tube. Dylan roiled up just as I about to head back to the Big-T intercession to possibly bail to Hyde Park Road. Dylan pulled out his spare tube which was leaking slim, but that was ok because the value just was open. But nooo, it had a puncher in the tube also. I filled it up and got the slim to seal the puncher and put lots of air to avoid another pinch. Yea! Started flying down Windsor feeling good when Dylan yells, “Is that rear tire ok?” I said yep, feels good and then look down to watch it go totally flat… Flat #4. I used up the rest of my CO2’s trying to get it to seal with no luck. Damn it!! I was almost done!! Luckily Dylan’s phone got reception so we called Chris at 2nd street, who had just rolled in, and told him to pick me up at the Borrego trail head. Dylan proceeded to finish his first ever endurance ride (Nice Job!!) and I walked/rode the flat down to the Borrego trail intersection and proceed to walk out the 2 miles up to Hyde Park road where Chris was waiting for me. Did I say damn it!! I was almost done!!! Next year I will have a fresh set of tires, 3 tubes on me and spare tubes in the drop bag!!
Hey, great ride once again! Loved the sag drops – I was particularly happy to avoid lugging all the extra water and food – for which I owe Brent and Chris huge thanks. My only other comment is that the next year’s event should start and stop at some other watering hole on the east side of St. Francis, perhaps even the new 2nd Street Brewery at the Railyard, rather than all the way over on San Mateo. Even with more than one gear on your bike, you feel puttzy schlepping all the way across town on windy city streets after hours riding in the mountains. Might be nice to just come off the trail and have a beer a bit more immediately. If you’re looking to make up the difference in miles and elevation on course riders could begin their windsor decent at the big-t junction.
Thanks again!!
Awesome ride, everyone! The course was great! I decided not to do the second lap, it was getting dark soon. Maybe next year.
Thanks for the sag haul, Brent. That made for a simple day.
What a beautiful day to ride! What about that lower REM section 🙂
This is the kind of ride that most of us would never consider even trying to attempt, but the group energy and of course the great sag support makes it barely doable and even enjoyable at times. I have some great memories of riding with Dylan, Isacc….and watching Kevin Thomas mash his SS up the steep hills with amazing power and stamina….turn pro already man.
Thanks everyone for coming out and keeping the energy high and the rain clouds away.
You guys are damaged.
What a great day for the ride. Thanks to Chris and Brent for the sag support! What an awesome course. I bailed at Hyde Park Rd and went straight to Santa Fe Bakery and a Haagen Daz milk shake. Lenny the ice worked great in my Camelbak! Who knew, I had cold water for hours.
Thanks again.
Brian Gronert