I am doing another underground race next week called the Phoenix Endurance Experience. It is hosted by YuriB, who I do not know. I will know a few folks this time around, and be on some familiar terrain. The route is about 5 miles of T100 and 30 miles of canal out of Central Phoenix, then a double Bypass up Windgate (ugh…as if it wasn’t hard enough that we could do Bell), then 30 miles back on canals. The route is neat in how Yuri strung together almost 90 miles of trail and canals and back alleys and footpaths to have very little road time while crossing Phoenix and back. I reckon I will spend a fair amount of time looking for landmarks like “the corner with red paint on the curb”, but it will be cool to bisect the Valley like a coyote.

this will, statistically, be about as hard a ride as I have done. The Prescott Monstercross, Quad Bypass, and TOWN ’06 were about equal in the effort level. But this will combine a lot of miles with an enormous climb in the middle and likely few breaks. On paper its the same challenge, but the climb in the middle has me very scared about breaking and caving. the Double Bypass really has 5 climbs, each in the general neighborhood of 1000 feet: the foothills on the Scottsdale side, Sunrise, the climb up through Fountain Hills, Dixie Mine and Windgate. i can’t imagine i will be in anything other than survival mode once I get to the climb up Windgate with still like 3+ hrs of riding to go.

I did about 6 miles of canal today on the Blur, to see my pace, and it was about 12mph with easy just riding along. So I figure that means about 3 hrs ride time to get to the Bypass, 3 while there, and another 3 home. Allowing for breaks and whatnot, it will be 9-11 hrs if all goes well. We leave at 6, back at 5. It will be the longest day of saddle time I have done.

I am a bit nervous.