Online Exclusive: Baja Epic Pushes Riders' Limits
The start of one stage of the Baja Epic
Photo courtesy of deportes6am.com |
In its inaugural run, the much-anticipated Baja Epic overcame numerous obstacles to deliver competitors a grueling multi-day race that even pushed seasoned stage-race veterans to the brink of their abilities.
After four long days of relentless climbs and bone-jarring descents through the desolate desert mountains of Baja, Mexico, most of the riders who had resisted the urge to quit insisted it was one of the toughest mountain-bike stage races they had ever endured.
"I can't remember having so many crazy things thrown at me, even at La Ruta," said Jack Funk, a hardened endurance rider from Calgary, Alberta who has completed well-established pain fests such as La Ruta and the Trans-Rockies. "That second stage (an 81-mile stretch of high-desert sand basins with over 6,200 feet of climbing), with the never-ending sandpits and wind, was probably the hardest day of racing I've ever had. We're spending entire days in the saddle."
"The course was a mofo, with day two dishing out a 20-mile sand slog that really stripped it down to the primer mentally," said Rob Quinn of Denver, an accomplished Baja hand who originally conceived the mountain bike race across Baja's taxing terrain. "I'd say overall about one-fourth of the field did not finish in one stage or another due to bonking, running out of light or mechanicals."
Of the 26 riders who started the race on Nov. 5, only 17 completed the entire course on their own power, with the temptation of a lift from the official Rhino ATV proving too great for some to resist. With heavy winds and demoralizing stretches of deep sand adding to the rigors of a 250-mile course punctuated by 24,000 feet of climbing – much of it technical – other riders simply found there was not enough light in the day to reach the finish line before being swept up by officials.
"It was more of an adventure ride than a race," said overall winner Evan Plews, a pro rider from Salem, Oregon who dominated every stage to finish in a combined time of 18 hours and 46 minutes – almost three-and-a-half hours ahead of second-place finisher Art McFarland of Chandler, Ariz. "It was tedious at times, and maybe people thought it was too sandy, but you have to expect it to be tough."
The third stage was the race's most popular segment, with 6,850 feet of steep climbs and over 7,800 feet of descending, much of it remarkably technical, with unexpected ruts, sand traps and extensive rock gardens that tested weary racers' bike-handling skills. The 53-mile loop started and finished in the Valle de la Trinidad – not far from the spot where a rancher shot a California dirt biker last week while he was pre-running a stretch of track near the Baja 1000 motorcycle race course.
Fears sparked by the rampant gang-related violence that has besieged Baja in recent months were a major contributor to the lower-than-expected turnout for the race – some 100 riders were originally expected to compete, but only a quarter of that number actually showed up, and promised big names such as Tinker Juarez, Brian Lopes and Hans Rey were conspicuously absent.
Despite this, most of the riders felt that the small field was a blessing, as it created space on the course's technical sections and contributed to an unusually friendly atmosphere.
"The small group bonded well and spent quality time on the bus and just generally doing all the other stuff you do at an event," said Quinn. "There was an interesting array of personalities and backgrounds, and everybody hung like brothers. In my opinion that part was just as good as the epic riding."
Ryan Labar and the Sh*tbike take on Baja!
Photo courtesy of Deportes6am.com |
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