Stoopid 50

This year, the Stoopid 50 fell on Fathers Day. I rode it with my dad, as part of my w101 training. It was a good race, and a lot of people where there. Some 200 people showed up, including Brandon D., Rob L., Michelle Stopper, and other elite riders. I raced the Men Open category, but two other juniors raced it too. Like God (Jeff Bahnson) and Forrest Conrad.

The race started with a 15 mph moto paced start on a long dirt road with some paves sections. Then a turn, and up a steep (but short) climb to the Brush Ridge Trail. Interesting it's named Brush Ridge, as it never gets anywhere close to the ridge, always staying in the valley. Across some skinny bridges (a 25 footer, then a 100 footer). After Brush was a wall out of the valley, then the Lingle Valley trail; a roller coaster descent with some steep drop-offs and a sketchy drop into the valley. Bear Gap (crested the top, then first flat) took you back up to a road, then switchbacked back onto the Chicken Peter trail. From there was a sweet descent on Shitalka trail and a fire-road climb to the first Aid Station.

I fueled up at the station and then got ready to walk my bike up the Upper Sassafras trail. This is one of the best technical downhills on that side of the forest. Up on the ridge and down to a gradual uphill road, where we descended the Telephone trail, then Wallace trail. At the beginning of Wallace, I launched off a drop-off into a rock garden, and got my second flat. Many people have come to the conclusion that I ride wayyy too agressively for my race wheels, so I have decided not to race them this year. My rock wheels are much stronger. At the bottom, we turned onto a road, and climbed a very steep snomobile trail back to the bottom of Telephone. Continued on the snowmobile trail back down to the road, switchbacked, and climbed Lower Sassafras; a steep climb through mountain laurel and crossing a pipeline. At the top we crossed a road and continued uphill on Pigpile trail, then downhill on Pigpile through some fast turns and boulder drops. The technical lines were easily ridden around, but for some of the locals who wanted to have fun with the trail, the drops and jumps were really fun. A short but super fast downhill road sent chills through you, as the wind was very cold. The long jeep trail, named Flat road (if you ever ride it, know that it is not flat at all) took you back to the bottom of Upper Sassafras (the hike-a-bike) and then the course sent you on Sassex-X; another extension of Sassafras that lead to the second Aid Station.

After a twisty trail, then back up the road to ride another portion of Shitalka trail, you climbed Long Cut and Dear Tick. Once the climbing part of Dear Tick was behind you, it was a fairly easy ride back, but 3 rocky trails still stood between you and the finish. The top part of Dear Tick had a few rocks; same with Chicken Peter and Brush Ridge. After finishing up the Brush Ridge trail, it was a long and boring gradual climb on a paved road, then a turn, uphill, then downhill, then the last uphill to the finish. Then you ring the gong, and go to a shaded area to fall over.

It was a really fun race and I am going to do it next year and every year after that for as long as I can. If you're not doing anything, and aren't too far away, you should think about coming up. Forrest sayed that the trails were possibly the best he has ever ridden, and if anyone wants to come up and ride with me this summer, let me know.