AUGUST 1st 2010
STEWART STATE FOREST
NEW WINDSOR NY

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

8th annual Darkhorse 40 in the books!!

BEST 40 EVER!!!
so the 8th annual Darkhorse 40 is in the books and i have to say i think it may have been our best one yet. the weather was perfect, the course was awesome, the racers were awesome, the BBQ was killer.....etc

the course
we moved the start to the other side of the park this year and i think it really upped the ante. i wasn't sure at first but it really worked out well. George and I had been doing course recon ever since singlespeed-a-polooza was over. we went thru various option and finally settled on the course we ran sunday. i realized about 2 weeks ago how awesome the course was when i was out putting up arrows. i had George's daughter Sara's old school backpack filled with big yellow arrows that didn't quite fit in it, an industrial staple gun that weighed about 10 pounds, a pile of extra staples, a bow saw, spray paint and a couple pairs of clippers all bouncing around on my back. the temperature was just below 800 degrees and the fly's were apparently on a feeding frenzy. i was riding along with all the gear stopping to mark intersections and fill in were George hadn't yet put an arrow and i realized i was having a blast. ripping the singletrack. i ran out of arrows at about mile 14, ran out of water at mile 17, and still ripped the last of the course and rode back to the shop smiling!! just that awesome!

the racers
i think every year we get the best group of racers who come out for our event. we sold out early. people jumped at the chance to get in for the lower price and then even when it went up people jumped to get in before the 400 racer cap! awesome!
our philosophy has always been to give as much back as possible and i hope it came off that way. i believe it did. we want everyone to go home smiling. from the rocking fast pro's to the guys and gals finishing in the 6th hour!

we poured a lot of our blood, sweat, and souls into this years race and its nice to see all the supportive comments! thanks!!

i think i am still decompressing and haven't really let it all sink in yet.
the post event hangover.

thanks again and congrats to everyone who came out and gave it their all!!

2 comments:

dougyfresh said...

I was skeptical at first with the new start/finish but once the race was over I immediately realized how much better it was. More room. Easier to get to (didn't have to walk as far from parking like SSAP). All around good stuff.

While I did feel like it was one of my worst performances on a bicycle in recent years, it was still enjoyable when looking back on things. Great day!

megA said...

Super fun, flowy course. Great chicken after, nice people throughout.

Thanks for a wonderful time!

xo
m