French Creek Endurance Race by Dr. Jim

I was looking forward to the French Creek Endurance race of the MASS as a major objective for the year. The course is very rocky with great technical climbs and challenging descents; laps are 10 miles and the Endurance Race translates to how many laps you get complete in a 6 hr window. Due to a last minute mechanical problem with my full suspension 29er (Superfly 100) encountered several days before the race I was forced to use my 2009 29er hardtail (superfly) that Human Zoom dialed in for me at the last minute; thanks Anthony and the guys at the shop.


I was rested and ready to go starting my warm up when the rain started - driving cold rain. We took off in the rain which continued for about 1 hr. The course was as billed - rocks, rocks and more rocks. I started out a little faster than I had planned but kept up on the nutrition and felt great throughout the race. The rain eventually stopped and the wind picked up - with gusts in excess of 50 mph. On the third lap while ascending the long fireroad climb just after the start a huge tree branch let loose and landed on the course just 5 yards to my left. A spectator had been standing in that very spot literally seconds before and fortunately was walking away when the tree limb hit the ground. Falling debris was clearly the most serious objective hazard of the day although the wind and mild temps made for pleasant racing conditions. My hard tail 29er performed admirably although I kept thinking what the full suspension 29er would have been like - being it is made for a course like this. I completed 5 laps in just over 7 hrs and placed 3rd in 45+ endurance category. Today I am clearly feeling the challenge of 7 hrs on a bike at French Creek - more challenging than some of the 100 mile National Endurance Series races.

Jim Wilson