What a week! I drove out from Southeast PA with a friend who also rode the XL. I'm happy to report that we both finished, and my poor old van survived the 2800 miles of driving that needed to be done.
I rode an Evil Chamois Hagar. Since someone will ask, I used Specialized Pathfinder Pro 42s, but I had a Michelin Power Gravel strapped to the frame just in case. The highlights for the setup are the Fox 32tc fork, Redshift Kitchen Sink bars, Stan's Crest mk IV rims with Onyx Vesper hubs, GRX 1x with a Garbaruk 11-50t cassette, a dropper post, and my favorite pedals – deity deftraps. I saw one other person start on flat pedals but I'm not sure if they finished.
My friend who I traveled with wasn't sure they would finish the ride. We had grouped up with two other riders very early into the ride, and we all agreed to stick together and get through the night. It was a great plan – we hit a lot of the more technical stuff in the dark. It was nice to make sure everyone got through safely and had no mechanicals.
We had a couple of different paces going and eventually my friend said she wasn't sure she'd finish, and that we should split up. We had a long talk about it but she seemed sure of her choice, so I left and continued riding with one of the other riders from our overnight group. Him and I rode together for the rest of the race, and I owe so much to him for the company and encouragement.
My total time was 30 hours and 24 minutes.
I checked Trackleaders at every stop and saw that my friend from back home was still making progress. She had never quit. She pushed herself through it and finished in about 32 and a half hours.
It was an insane experience, and I would definitely do it again, but faster! I would also consider flying instead of driving, but I am glad that I got a picture of my van with the world's largest rocking chair.
by richardsneeze
1 Comment
Fucking beast! Hope you had fun man