The First Annual Brown County Breakdown was held yesterday in the Brown County State Forest in Brown County Indiana, about an hour south and west of Indy. Ride choices were 30, 50, or 62 miles of technical and hilly mountain biking.
As things unfolded over Saturday/Sunday…
Saturday:
- Thanks to Monster Trunk and his cousin Betsy for giving me directions to Sangiovese. My Father and I sat two tables away from LARRY FREAKING BIRD! The food was excellent as well.
- SOX WIN!!!
Sunday:
- Race weather was 44 degrees with a steady light rain. Probably 50-60 riders total.
- The trails are probably awesome on a dry day. When wet they are a slippery off-camber mess. Oh, and did I mention almost 80% uphill?
- In the span of one mile I crashed three times, broke the zipper on my jacket and lost my computer. This was at about mile 9 of 31.
- Panaracer Fire Pro XC tires are terrible in mud. At one point my Father’s rear wheel stopped turning because it was so clogged with leaves and mud. I was using the same tires.
- This is the first day EVER that I was happy to have disc brakes.
- Chain suck sucks. It will kill you on a long uphill.
- Upon exiting the first trail onto the park road, many riders simply went back to the beginning and called it a day. We went on.
- At about mile twelve we stop in the campground and wash our bikes off with the hose at the RV dump station. That cleanliness was short lived.
- The trail continues with a good bit of gradual downhill, but it is a muddy mess and slippery as all get-out.
- SO much mud. Bikes are shifting poorly. I can’t feel my toes.
- The cabin turnaround is supposed to be at mile 17. There is nothing to be seen at mile seventeen.
- The occasional rider is seen heading back the other way. We must be nearing the cabin.
- We are heading down a steep grade to the cabin trunaround. I pass a rider walking up and he warns me that the last bit down is a mother-something. I say “Thanks!” and move on.
- CRASH! Landed hard on my right side and hurt my shoulder. He was right, that hill was a mother-something.
- At mile 18 we finally get to the cabin where they have a fire, hot chocolate, gatorade, gin, pretzels and sandwiches. We skip the gin.
- Since the trail is in such poor condition, they are sending everyone back on the road once they reach the campground, but that still means a hard ride to the road. Most of it is uphill.
- Severe cramps hit me in the quads in both legs while climbing up another hill. Gotta spin to work them out.
- The road. It’s all downhill from here.
- Pull into the finish line for my schwag and hot showers. (It took me an hour to finally get warm.)
Total mileage: almost 31 miles.
We’ll be back next year. Like most of these events, in retrospect it was fun.
Next stop: Iceman!