Biking the mountain outback

Today the town was chock-a-block full of bicycles. The occasion, the 6th annual Whiskey Off-Road, a trial by elevation for some 7-800 mountain bikers. No, I do not have pictures of all those buff folks as they maneuver up dirt roads and trails through the pines. Instead as befits an 82-year-old who sleeps late, I caught the tail end of one of three races...

(Note: Karoliina is much younger and full of more energy than I -- if you want a picture of the race over some of the rough terrain, her blog is the place to go. Wonderful coverage!

More: another batch of photos from the mountain at The Courier site.)

...starting over at the corner of Gurley and Park, where the right hand turn lane was set aside for contestants coming down from the hills.

Half of Cortez Street was also dedicated to the racers (above and below). Frankly, they looked pretty full of pep as they reached the end of the trail. Especially considering that the 15-mile and 25-mile cyclists probably had a climb of nearly 2000 feet on their course. On the other hand,
the final portion of the course was pretty much all downhill.

This racer, his run complete, takes a spin with his young son.

Here it is -- The End. At the Courthouse Square, of course.

A Must for every event these days -- an official T-shirt. Plenty of fancy bikes were on display (below).

Tired bikes (above) and bikers (below) rest. I suspect that none of the 50-milers were back from Skull Valley, however. I cringe just imagining their long, steady climb up from 4600 elevation to the top of the Prietas.

Some contestants take time out for a beer or other goody at The Palace, while others pack it in.

If you're curious as to the course laid out for the cyclists, full details at the Epic Rides site. Yes, maps are also available. The Courier has a good pre-race roundup of info and tomorrow's paper will doubtless offer more. You know what? Just looking at those racing pictures has worn me out!