the 50

super stoked about this year's 50. i love this race, thank you mike silverman. to get one of the coveted 650 entry spots you have to be on the ball - or crazy-lucky. this yr i was lucky.

started the season with the sea otter, a 38m xc, but felt a hell of a lot more like an enduro. now finishing the season off with an enduro that i'd label an xc - minus the laps. for a lot of folks in this fall classic, it's something to shoot for, a great way to end a season. the aid stations are friendly and plentiful, the views grand, the roads kind and the singletrack smooth. mostly. this is new england after all.

man, this is a great race! wake-up at 5a, choke-down coffee/oatmeal, pray it's warmer than you'll know it'll be, glide-out of your lodging, mist everywhere, freezing. arrive on-site, hundreds milling about, check-in under headlamps, so damp and cool, but dressed light, for the sun. chat with old friends, stars shining down, is it growing brighter? horizon begins to glow? check watch for 10th time, when does this race start!? always wrong. time to go, jockey for a spot in the front cpl lines, not a lot of room, who are all these tough guys? end-up in a ditch, same as yr before, damn it's cold. time to roll.

then the ride. won't even think about that. that was last yr or the yr before. this is this yr. but, man is it a great ride, no matter what. once you've done the 50, you're hooked.