Anyone wanna race?

As I may have mentioned sometime last year (which was a very short number of posts ago) I signed up for two races this year, the Arrowhead 135 and the White Mountains 100. However, as it turns out there is a 50 mile race in Anchorage thrown together by Chain Reaction Cycles called the Frosty Bottom 50/25. I realized this all of three weeks ago and started harassing everyone at the shop until several people agreed to go down and ride it with me. The net result was a longer drive (each way) than racing was to be had, but I have to say it was worth it. I was expecting a bit longer (time wise) ride. Averaging out in my head I figured I'd be spinning for five to six hours. Of course, that was all based on trail conditions around the interior. Apparently the folks in Anchorage are used to rolling on packed white concrete, and I pulled up to the finish in less than four hours, much to my own surprise.

All in all it was a fun ride and I felt pretty good afterward. It gave me some early hope, especially considering one of the racers I was riding with for a bit said the trail in Minnesota (for the Arrowhead 135) is somewhat similar. Maybe that extra 35 miles won't kill me after all.