Epic Mountain Challenge

Despite getting my ass handed to me down in Pagosa over the weekend, I ended up having a blast.  Finished second to last place after the four races.  Was hoping to find a solid MOP crowd who were more interested in having fun than competing for money, but I'm pretty sure I was the only guy in town who didn't care about the 60 grand on the line.  Are mountain bikers always this serious, or should I not judge from this race?

Half Marathon - Ran 2:11.  As hard as I could go.  Probably equal to a 1:45 or so on a flat road course.  Died a bit over the last four or so miles, but even on a perfect day I couldn't have gone much under two hours given my current fitness.

Mountain Bike - My first bike race.  They shortened it to 20 miles, so at least I didn't get lapped.  Took me 2:15 to finish.  My bike training pretty much consists of riding to a bar, getting wasted, and riding home, so this high intensity racing stuff really caught me off guard.

10K - Super solid race.  43:45, each mile faster than the one before.  Passed quite a few folks over the final 5K.  Sounds like a slow time but it was a pretty slow course.  And I beat Abby Pomegranite's time.  This was the first time all weekend I wasn't the last place dude.

Time Trial - I knew these weren't my people when I was looked upon with disdain for having the audacity to carry a PBR on my bike for this 1.8 miles up a hill.  Took me 13:02.  Slow, but I was riding for the win.  And by win, I mean not finishing in last place.  Mission accomplished!

They could really get a good thing going with this event.  I hope to go back, but I'll be trying to talk some slower folks into going.  I just couldn't believe there were no other racers in the local brewery on Saturday night.  Like I was in the twilight zone or something.

Next bike event for me is the Greenland Gravel Grinder.  The thing ends at a brewery, so hopefully there will be some cyclists there who aren't afraid to have a beer after the ride.