Pangea Adventure Racing http://www.pangeaadventureracing.com/ had a bike race today that was an absolute incredible amount of fun. I (and all the other adventure racer types) that went weree not really sure what to expect - the only information we really had was it would involve some navigation, was all on bike, and would last between 2-3 hours for the long course. Starts would be between 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM and you could show up any time, get a start and head off on the bike.
I had a soccer game that morning where I ended up refereeing the game, so was running late, but was still able to make it to Seminole State Forest and head off on the course around 10:55 AM (Greg held a spot for me).
SO here is what it was. A course of 12 checkpoints with 2 loops was done on bike. The navigation was simple enough that the course was essentially a marked course and the checkpoints simply proved that you actually did the entire course. I was able to get started about the same time Team Primal Instinct left the last manned checkpoint and was heading in. It was a bit hot out (I think the temp today was upper 80's) - but a nice breeze made the first part of the bike ride and packed sand double track quite easy.
The area was absoulutely beautiful (I'll have the map posted soon). The course headed north and crossed Blackwater Creek where it went along the sloped edge of the one of the basins and had some real live hills as I headed north towards the manned CP/TA and the start of the first loop. I had some knowledge of the area so I really did not need to navigate too much on this section and simply slowed down a few times to read the map and make sure I was heading the right direction. I passed a few teams that had started earlier, heading back towards the start/finish as I was heading out on the course.
The wildlife was incredible. I had to dodge a Gopher Tortoise who had decided he wanted to block my path. The at one point I came across a Doe and a Fawn that literally ran along side me for almost a full minute before deciding that it was smarter to go into the forest. This was a unique experience as I literally matched speed with the 2 deer and was able to watch them up close as they ran alongside and just in front of me. A little later I startled a flock of Turkeys and one Turkey also decided that the road I was on was the best way to run and also simply ran in front of me. Just so you know they can run really really fast!
All the terrain on the race was either low grass double track through pine and deep forest or hard gravel and sand - in other words great fast and non-technical mountain biking. Thus the term "hammer-fest" you could literally hammer as hard as you could for most of the ride - and I did my best to hammer this one hard.
After the second loop I could feel my energy level going a bit lower from fatigue and a bit of dehydration, though I was doing my best to keep a solid pace. In the end I ended up doing the 32 miles in 2 hrs 21 minutes, 2 minutes behind Team Primal Instinct who finished in 2 hrs 19 minutes. The CFAR group had a grill and food set up at the end of the race (and yes we plan to do this every race).
The format is a really cool format and I think a lot of folks who are not super-comfortable with difficult navigation would really enjoy it. I'd love to see Pangea make this - the Seminole Forest Hammer-fest, a name we coined after the race, a regular event. To do this we need mountain bikers to support the race format. The terrain was quite easy, so non-technical bikers could easily do it. The navigation was no more difficult then reading a road map, so that should make it easy enough for folks who are not nav-savvy. It was off-road, so unlike road races you don't have to deal with cars. In fact it was the best of what most roadies like about road riding without the cars.
If you would like to see Greg and Pangea do more of these types of events - and these should really appeal to roadies who want to try some mountain biking please e-mail him at greg@pangeaadventureracing.com and let him know. All you mountain bikers out there - let's hear from you!
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