Back From Butte [updated]

"What a race! Feedback so far from those that did the Butte 100 over the weekend was a general sense of awe regarding the terrain they covered. 40 miles of the course was on Continental divide trail, some of which was older and broken in, and a new 8 mile stretch that was rocky and rough, and 75 miles into the race! The course had all you could want: single track, fast descents, double track, road, sunshine, rain, wild life, and free pizza at the end. And the trail that was part of the course is only a small part of what is available to ride in this area!

Congratulations to Bill Martin, who finished with a heavily damaged rear deraileur in 9 hours, 49 minutes and change. To all that managed to finish the 100, you deserve some accolades for even attempting the course. The overall vertical gain was measured by one rider to be over 13,000 feet of climbing.

The 50 mile course covered the same terrain as the last 50 miles for the 100. Knowing the area and trails, I opted for the 50 rather than spend 10+ hours in the saddle. 5+ hours was more than adequate time to get some discomfort in the general area of the saddle. I'll post the GPS map of the 50 mile course later this week on mapmyride.com and you can see the profile.

Of course there were some troubles with people getting lost, as is expected in a race of this length. It is hard to mark a course that long, but the organizers and helpers are learning in the second year of the race. We'll have a better handle on it next year, just stick with us!

Thanks go out to all the support volunters, and of course thank you to all those who made the trip and put in the effort to cover the course. Some time this week I'll get the results and post them here. Happy recovery to all..."