The AES Kaibab Monstercross race hadn’t been held for
several years until this year when Chad decided to bring it back to life. As you might imagine, it’s difficult for an
underground bike race, at the far northern extent of state to have a huge
turnout. But c’mon, riding bikes on the
Kaibab Plateau? Views of the Grand
Canyon? Ribbons of singletrack that thread
together one grass covered meadow after another? I’m IN!
As it turns out, there was nine of us that showed up however
only Caroline and Mark C opted for the one day KMC125 route, while the rest of
us donned the bikepacking gear and planned a longer 150 mile non-race pace
route over 2 days.
I arrived at the camp spot around 6pm on Friday where I
found Chris (and family) and Mark C. We
chatted and eventually turned in for the night.
Between then and 4AM the next morning, the others arrived and tried to
grab as much sleep as they could.
Everyone rolled out at their own pace, mostly between 5 and 6AM. Chad and I left around 5:30AM and made our
way out the network of forest roads skirting the west side of the plateau. Fighting some brutal headwinds the entire way
was definitely taking it’s toll and we finally arrived at Parissamwampitts
Point, the northern terminus of the Rainbow Rim Trail, some 44 miles in.
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| Start of the Rainbow Rim Trail |
We cruised along the 18 miles of singletrack that offered
stunning views as it contoured along the 5 points of the trail. Finally, we reached the end were Mark C,
Caroline, Chad and myself stopped, had a snack before we pressed on.
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| Looking to the west from the Rainbow Rim Trail |
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| Me, resting... |
By this point, we were about 62 miles in out of the 95 to
the north rim…so only 33 more miles of easy forest roads right? Wow, as we later found, those 33 miles were
not easy…mass destruction ensued. The
route turned south towards Point Sublime however, it’s roughly 90 degrees to
all the Plateau drainages…what did that mean? A never-ending climb-descend
pattern that tenderized the legs better than a meat hammer.
But hey, we’re riding through beautiful country! Luckily,
that helped mask the pain.
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| Point Sublime |
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| Point Sublime |
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| Point Sublime |
All this time, Chad and I were racing the clock; not the “race
clock” but closing time for the deli at the north rim where pizza and beer awaited. After arrival, we claimed our prize, pulled
up chairs on the patio, and proceeded to annihilate a veggie pizza and
hefeweizens.
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| This view did not suck |
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| The pizza didn't have a chance |
The next morning, the five of us that made it to the north
rim the night prior, packed our gear and converged at the camp store, where we
grabbed a few supplies and readied for the 50 mile journey north along the Arizona
Trail back to the cars.
We rolled out of
the north rim at about 7:30AM and made our way to the AZT.
A good night sleep, plentiful calories, and
50 miles of upcoming singletrack made my legs come alive.
Almost as though the prior days damage to
them was non-existent, I pressed on at a good pace, like horse going back to
the barn.
The views….well, utterly
incredible…pictures will have to speak.
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| I get to ride this? |
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| View off east rim |
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| I was almost laughing at this point... |
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| If you look on that far hill, you'll see the little ribbon of trail |
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| Snow on the left |
At 2pm, I arrived back at the truck, still riding an
endorphin high having seemingly “shredded” (at least in my own mind!) those
last 50 miles. Which by the way is so
ironic since the AZT typically shreds people, reducing them to salt-covered
piles of flesh and bones. This day would
be different for me for I had taken a withdrawal from the Bank of the AZT… and
it was about time after all my “deposits” !
Many thanks to everyone who showed; it’s always fun to ride
and socialize with such a great group of like-minded people. Also a HUGE thanks to Chris’s family who
chased all of us around in their truck cheering us on. They caught Chad and I late in day 1 as we
were pushing our bikes up out of a drainage. …you guys rock!
Until next time…
R
