DAS Racing: Coyote Hill

courtesy of Crystal Gauvin

A true mountain bikers course, Coyote Hill proved to be a fun challenge for the team this Memorial Day weekend. There were many podiums - Rich 2nd, Chris 3rd, Liz A 1st, and Liz B 2nd- in their respective racing categories. John finished in 6th and Tracy completed her first race in her new category.

courtesy of Crystal Gauvin

John Hansson:

Courtesy of Crystal Gauvin

"Where to begin...if there was ever a course that i had a chance to hang with all the roadies this was the one. The 30 foot sprint just to dive into tight single track really set the pace for the rest of the course, i found it to be butt puckering exciting and leg burning challenging. As always the root 66 guys put on a heck of a function, kudos to them. Nearest i could tell, everyone had a great time riding that course. Its definitely my new favorite. Now, couple that with a super fun trip to kingdom trails after the race and blammo...you have the best weekend a mountain biker could ask for. But by far, my favorite part of this weekend was really feeling like part of a team. The club turnout was fantastic, everyone was there from beginning to end. We had our own tent, our own grill, and a crap ton of laughs. That was the reason why I wanted to race. I know I didn't mention the countless hilarious discussions, the quote list, the off road adventure, the camping adventure, the mcdonalds deposit, and story time with aunt liz...wow i'm still reeling."

Liz Bove:

courtesy of Crystal Gauvin

“I'm not good at remembering the order of things that happened during a race. That was particularly true for this venue. The course was a very difficult one for me. I recall a blur of slide-outs, slips, endos, and overall cramping misery. I lost my water bottle on the first lap. I've never had such cramping on a ride. My calves and quads were killing me for the whole 2nd lap. First place was well ahead and by the second lap I didn't see the woman in third, so decided to take it easy and hope focus on finishing. I stopped to recover my water bottle and another time to gather myself and drink Gatorade and eat a GU. My thought was that if third place caught me, then so be it. I couldn't have finished without giving myself the breaks. It ended up working for me. First place was never a consideration. She passed me early and appeared to be flying over the technical course! The results showed she won by 9 minutes! I finished in second place and was very happy to be done with it.”

courtesy of Crystal Gauvin

Tracy Gustafson:

“My first Cat 1 race, DAM THAT WAS HARD!!!

courtesy of Crystal Gauvin

This course was more technical than any other course I have raced so far and, since I upgraded, I got to do 3 laps instead of 2 - YIPPEE!! There was a lot of single track, roots, bridges, and twists and turns. Now for the play by play: At the start, my plan was to be at the back going into the single track, being my first cat 1 race I didn’t want to screw anyone up. Soon after the start I was able to pass 3 girls for a little while anyway. The first lap I felt good it seemed to be all coming together and I was thinking dam this is fun!! By the second lap I was slowing down some, but was able to hold off 2 of the girls until the end of that lap, when cramping started to slow me down some more. Going in to the 3rd lap I was starting to really hurt. Still holding off one of the girls until probably mid way through, when my legs and arm started to cramp even more and I had to stop. Then it all fell to shit, I tried to keep it on the bike but, cramps in calfs, feet, adductors and hands slowed me down and at this point I just wanted to be able to finish. Overall glad I upgraded, I may have been DFL but, I finished and had fun. Pain = Fun right? I am very impressed how fast peeps were able to race that course, some very skilled racers out there. Also impressed how kind everyone was, anyone who passed me whether it be the Pro and Cat 1 guys lapping me or the and the girls in my Cat. They all would ask it I was okay or offer words of encouragement. MTB racing is an awesome experience with wicked cool peeps!!! Looking forward to another beat down next weekend.”

Liz Allen:

courtesy of Crystal Gauvin

"It was survival. I felt awful after the first lap and felt like I was barely moving at a slow crawl. My start was a little stressful, but I was able to put that behind me after a bit, but I never really got into a good groove. Racing on the 26 hard tail seemed to take more energy out of me than I wanted. I was constantly out of the saddle. It was tough, but I didn't let myself quit, regardless of how badly I wanted to. Thankfully, the course was fun, and it's about time we see something more mountain bike racer inclined and less 'roadie'."