Good name...Very fitting.
About 3 months ago, I was perusing the mtbr forum boards and clicked in on an innocent enough thread labeled "t.m.h.t.e."...As a fairly experienced adventure racer, it sounded painful, but fun... I'm used to long weekends of suffering... albeit, broken into many different sports...24 or more hours of straight cycling... in Pisgah terrain... sounded vaguely intimidating. And being told "no" by several prospective teammates should've been a red flag.
Jump to Friday night...I have a 3 month old son...a full time job running a store...and precious little time to waste on things like training, pre-race preparations or sleep. So...I work until 6pm, throw a bunch of junk in the back of the truck, stop by Ingles for a bunch of Gatorade, Doritos, Boost and single serve ravioli...mmmmmm...and hustle over to the White Pines Group Camp to begin the ordeal.
I get the tent set up and my gear laid out pretty quick (my cousin Drew is appalled at the complete lack of bike maintenance apparent in my Litespeed...the crank barely turns over and the rear brake rotor is making a sickening squealing noise where spun)...Whatever, I ain't got time for details...I stuff some calories down my gullet...and lay down for about 30 minutes...just enough time to get really sleepy...then, clang, clang, clang...Eric rings the bells for the racer meeting.
In no time, we are all on 477 and speeding along behind an SUV up Bennett Gap...Brad Key and I set the pace before a couple of teams roll up and join us...At the Bennet Gap trail head, I snap a quick pic and apparently take the lead...
Down to 276 and on to the dirt rd. behind Looking Glass...Brad rolled back up on me and we proceed together on 225 and down Cove Creek...I manage to open a little gap here (why the hell was I even worrying about it?) and start up to Gloucester Gap alone...close to the turn up Pilot, Brad rolls back on me again and proceeds to ride away into the night...I struggle up the wall that is Pilot Mt. and come into Farlow alone again...down, down, down...I was worried about missing the right turn on the way down and turned around just before getting there...pushing back up towards Farlow, I meet Brousard and teammate coming down...I turn around again and follow...About halfway down, I run into the first bit of cramping and stop to refuel and take on salt...Then it's out onto Courthouse Rd. and up & over Summey Cove to 215...Didn't see a single skunk...but Thomas Minton and Mike Brown come in right behind me after tangling with one...
Off I go back up to Gloucester via 140 and 5003...unfortunately, I missed the 140 turn the first time by and added some distance and time with an extra climb up to the gate at Kismee Trail...oops...
Back up 5003 and then on up to Butter...Cramps are gone and I'm feeling fine again...the downhills on Butter and Long Branch make the last bit of stage 1 very enjoyable...
Entering the TA, I find I am hours behind Brad and 4th in off the stage...but only Brad has left on Stage 2...Stuff more calories down...thank Erinna for some E-Caps and Sudafed (nasty cold now)...fill my bladder and roll out in second.
I'm thinking stage 2 should net at least 4 points...ha!...I head straight up Coontree to get the cp on Bennett and continue over to Buckhorn...burning way too many matches in doing so...down to Squirell and up to the Horse Cove intersection, I'm all alone...Until I see a 2 person team walking up Horse Cove after getting the mandatory at Cantrell Creek...not sure where they came from...On the dead-fall whack out to Cantrell, I meet Brad coming back...He only has 2 CPs and doesn't mention going for Buckhorn on the way back...I'm starting to think can out-point him...Ha! again...
All kinds of time goes away while I'm floundering out to Cantrell and back...It's everything I can do to get down Horse Cove and back over buckhorn to White Pines before 3pm...I bury myself in the last 30 minutes only to miss it by 180 seconds...Damn!...Oh well, at least I don't have ride anymore...But wait, Eric informs me that he has magnanimously extended the cut-off...I'm welcomed to head back out...that is, unless I'm "skairt"...
I linger for a bit...eat, drink, warm myself by Erinna's wonderful fire...smile a bit when my lovely wife and 2 beautiful kids arrive to see daddy as a complete wreck slumped in his Crazy Creek chair...The I pull on some new togs and haul my ass out on stage 3...I have found that I am tied with Brad on points and have cut his advantage to about 75 minutes...maybe there is a chance...
I sleepily pedal out Fish Hatchery Rd. and start up Daniel Ridge...as I near Farlow, here's Brad coming back from the Shuck Creek CP...He's only planning the one mandatory before heading in...I have 3 planned for the stage...as I near Daniel Ridge Creek I am cramping badly again and pull over to sit down, eat and stretch...Cook comes by, returning from the CP...I didn't even know he was up there...I wonder how many points he has...and where his teammate is...but, deep down, I really don't care.
I get to Shuck Creek, snap the pic, and head back...I keep thinking I hear voices...Daniel Ridge is a BIG place at night...I continue down the DR trail, hook up with 225 and make it over to snap the pic at Cove Creek and Caney Bottoms...I get both sign 'cuz the passport says "Caney Bottoms at 225"...but they don't actually meet...whatever...Off I go, down the dirt rd. to the Fish Hatchery and over to Coontree...Up Coontree and down the backside (I clean this trail for the first time in my life!) to the TA at White Pines.
I'm told I'm ahead on CPs but behind on time...Brad has already left for the next stage...a bunch of laps...each taking about an hour and each worth 1 CP...it's 9:30 and I'm cooked...I crawl into the tent for 20 minutes of sleep (I've been up for 40 hours) and sleep until 4 am...oops.
I wake to find that I technically still have time to turn one lap of Stage 4 and get to stage 5...Brad turned 6 laps!...Frigging incredible!...He's passed out next to the fire...Cook turned one lap...he's out like a light as well...
I'm hacking up green shit and my ass is completely on fire...the last thing it wants is another 7 hours on a Flite Titanium...There's no way I can out-point Brad now...and, I'm told the last stage is a crushingly long gravel grind...
Towel...being thrown...to the ground...The first TMHTE is history for me...Somewhere over 120 miles and 25,000 feet or so of climbing...
To Brad Key (and Cook)...You are absolute hammers.
To Eric and Erinna...thank you for a weekend of what adventure is supposed to be. Fear, Joy, Pain, Suffering, Elation, Satisfaction.
Next up? Checkpoint Zero AR
About 3 months ago, I was perusing the mtbr forum boards and clicked in on an innocent enough thread labeled "t.m.h.t.e."...As a fairly experienced adventure racer, it sounded painful, but fun... I'm used to long weekends of suffering... albeit, broken into many different sports...24 or more hours of straight cycling... in Pisgah terrain... sounded vaguely intimidating. And being told "no" by several prospective teammates should've been a red flag.
Jump to Friday night...I have a 3 month old son...a full time job running a store...and precious little time to waste on things like training, pre-race preparations or sleep. So...I work until 6pm, throw a bunch of junk in the back of the truck, stop by Ingles for a bunch of Gatorade, Doritos, Boost and single serve ravioli...mmmmmm...and hustle over to the White Pines Group Camp to begin the ordeal.
I get the tent set up and my gear laid out pretty quick (my cousin Drew is appalled at the complete lack of bike maintenance apparent in my Litespeed...the crank barely turns over and the rear brake rotor is making a sickening squealing noise where spun)...Whatever, I ain't got time for details...I stuff some calories down my gullet...and lay down for about 30 minutes...just enough time to get really sleepy...then, clang, clang, clang...Eric rings the bells for the racer meeting.
In no time, we are all on 477 and speeding along behind an SUV up Bennett Gap...Brad Key and I set the pace before a couple of teams roll up and join us...At the Bennet Gap trail head, I snap a quick pic and apparently take the lead...
Down to 276 and on to the dirt rd. behind Looking Glass...Brad rolled back up on me and we proceed together on 225 and down Cove Creek...I manage to open a little gap here (why the hell was I even worrying about it?) and start up to Gloucester Gap alone...close to the turn up Pilot, Brad rolls back on me again and proceeds to ride away into the night...I struggle up the wall that is Pilot Mt. and come into Farlow alone again...down, down, down...I was worried about missing the right turn on the way down and turned around just before getting there...pushing back up towards Farlow, I meet Brousard and teammate coming down...I turn around again and follow...About halfway down, I run into the first bit of cramping and stop to refuel and take on salt...Then it's out onto Courthouse Rd. and up & over Summey Cove to 215...Didn't see a single skunk...but Thomas Minton and Mike Brown come in right behind me after tangling with one...
Off I go back up to Gloucester via 140 and 5003...unfortunately, I missed the 140 turn the first time by and added some distance and time with an extra climb up to the gate at Kismee Trail...oops...
Back up 5003 and then on up to Butter...Cramps are gone and I'm feeling fine again...the downhills on Butter and Long Branch make the last bit of stage 1 very enjoyable...
Entering the TA, I find I am hours behind Brad and 4th in off the stage...but only Brad has left on Stage 2...Stuff more calories down...thank Erinna for some E-Caps and Sudafed (nasty cold now)...fill my bladder and roll out in second.
I'm thinking stage 2 should net at least 4 points...ha!...I head straight up Coontree to get the cp on Bennett and continue over to Buckhorn...burning way too many matches in doing so...down to Squirell and up to the Horse Cove intersection, I'm all alone...Until I see a 2 person team walking up Horse Cove after getting the mandatory at Cantrell Creek...not sure where they came from...On the dead-fall whack out to Cantrell, I meet Brad coming back...He only has 2 CPs and doesn't mention going for Buckhorn on the way back...I'm starting to think can out-point him...Ha! again...
All kinds of time goes away while I'm floundering out to Cantrell and back...It's everything I can do to get down Horse Cove and back over buckhorn to White Pines before 3pm...I bury myself in the last 30 minutes only to miss it by 180 seconds...Damn!...Oh well, at least I don't have ride anymore...But wait, Eric informs me that he has magnanimously extended the cut-off...I'm welcomed to head back out...that is, unless I'm "skairt"...
I linger for a bit...eat, drink, warm myself by Erinna's wonderful fire...smile a bit when my lovely wife and 2 beautiful kids arrive to see daddy as a complete wreck slumped in his Crazy Creek chair...The I pull on some new togs and haul my ass out on stage 3...I have found that I am tied with Brad on points and have cut his advantage to about 75 minutes...maybe there is a chance...
I sleepily pedal out Fish Hatchery Rd. and start up Daniel Ridge...as I near Farlow, here's Brad coming back from the Shuck Creek CP...He's only planning the one mandatory before heading in...I have 3 planned for the stage...as I near Daniel Ridge Creek I am cramping badly again and pull over to sit down, eat and stretch...Cook comes by, returning from the CP...I didn't even know he was up there...I wonder how many points he has...and where his teammate is...but, deep down, I really don't care.
I get to Shuck Creek, snap the pic, and head back...I keep thinking I hear voices...Daniel Ridge is a BIG place at night...I continue down the DR trail, hook up with 225 and make it over to snap the pic at Cove Creek and Caney Bottoms...I get both sign 'cuz the passport says "Caney Bottoms at 225"...but they don't actually meet...whatever...Off I go, down the dirt rd. to the Fish Hatchery and over to Coontree...Up Coontree and down the backside (I clean this trail for the first time in my life!) to the TA at White Pines.
I'm told I'm ahead on CPs but behind on time...Brad has already left for the next stage...a bunch of laps...each taking about an hour and each worth 1 CP...it's 9:30 and I'm cooked...I crawl into the tent for 20 minutes of sleep (I've been up for 40 hours) and sleep until 4 am...oops.
I wake to find that I technically still have time to turn one lap of Stage 4 and get to stage 5...Brad turned 6 laps!...Frigging incredible!...He's passed out next to the fire...Cook turned one lap...he's out like a light as well...
I'm hacking up green shit and my ass is completely on fire...the last thing it wants is another 7 hours on a Flite Titanium...There's no way I can out-point Brad now...and, I'm told the last stage is a crushingly long gravel grind...
Towel...being thrown...to the ground...The first TMHTE is history for me...Somewhere over 120 miles and 25,000 feet or so of climbing...
To Brad Key (and Cook)...You are absolute hammers.
To Eric and Erinna...thank you for a weekend of what adventure is supposed to be. Fear, Joy, Pain, Suffering, Elation, Satisfaction.
Next up? Checkpoint Zero AR
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