Circa
300 miles of Arizona Trail is a long distance considering mountain biking race
but on the other hand the distance is not long enough for epic expedition. This
time I wanted to feel a taste of a race, having fun on the trail at the same
time. However, nothing is as it seems. This race, as summarized by Steve
Wilkinson, has teeth; I would say that it has thorns not only in metaphoric
sense but also literally. Thorns, which caused that I almost did not finish.
Monday, 23 April 2012
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Arizona Trail is calling
Start: Friday, April 13th, 2012 - 9am
AZT Trailhead, Parker Canyon Lake
AZT Trailhead, Parker Canyon Lake
The Arizona Trail Race is a self supported, wilderness mountain biking race held on the cross state Arizona Trail. Two distances are available: 300 miles and 750+ miles which is complete Arizona state traversal. I am attempting to ride the shorter route. The race follows the Arizona Trail as closely as possible from Mexico to Superior, AZ, covering some 300 miles of varied terrain (elevations range from 1600 to 8100 ft). The trail surface is primarily singletrack, but the race will detour on dirt and pavement to bypass wilderness areas the trail passes through.
This is not an organized or sanctioned event in any way. It's simply a group of friends out to ride their bikes on the same route at the same time. For many this is not as much a race as a personal adventure. It is big, tough and intimidating . Finishing is a huge challenge. Only about half of daredevils showing at the start line or even less is able to finish.
This is not an organized or sanctioned event in any way. It's simply a group of friends out to ride their bikes on the same route at the same time. For many this is not as much a race as a personal adventure. It is big, tough and intimidating . Finishing is a huge challenge. Only about half of daredevils showing at the start line or even less is able to finish.
More information about the race can be found here:
You can find there a link to live tracking webpage. Racers carries SPOT satellite messengers showing their positions so you can follow “dots” on a map. However, SPOT devices mainly serve as a line of communication with friends and rescue teams in the case of an emergency situation.
Men’s course record has been set in 2010 by
Kurt Refsnider - 2days 8h 45min
Women’s course record has been set in 2011 by
Lynda Wallenfels - 3days 4h 5min
Lynda is the first female AZT 300 finisher!
Wish me luck!
Pawel
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)