Tatanka 100

Next up is the Tatanka 100, a new NUE addition in Sturgis, SD.   First a word about the travel.  Google maps listed Sturgis as a 19.5 hour drive from Granville.  Usually those estimates are long by 10% to 25%, so I was hoping for a quicker journey.   But alas it was not to be.  The trip was every bit of 19.5 hours, each way.  I drove out in two parts, Thursday and Friday.  I made it to Southern MN on Thursday night and had another 6-7 hours on Friday for check in.  On the drive home, I went about 2 hours on the night of the race and then tried to drive a massive distance back on the next day, Sunday.  I only made it to Indiannappolis.   Then drove the rest of the 4 hours or so early on Monday, making it home by 9am.   It was a friggin looooong drive.   The is subtle beauty to the great plains, but after two long days,  I've seen enough.  I also tried to stop in Iowa to meet Guitar Ted at his shop, but I missed him by about 2 hours.  

Sturgis is really a small town.  Not much there at all.  I can't imagine a few hundred thousand Harleys and their riders in that town.  Not possible.  The place must be a complete mess.   More than half the shops in town sold cheap T-shirts, some bars and not much else.   Wall Drug was a better stop.   I also learned at check-in that our mountain bike race would run concurrently with the Black Hills 100, an ultra endurance running event.  That was cool because the number of registered cyclist was small (about a 100?) and so having the runners around added to the prerace energy and vibe.  

The course was hard.   106 miles meant the time would be longer.  But the climbs were steep and difficult.  The terrain wasn't super technical, but it wasn't easy either.  I crashed twice, both times just as I was starting to get a groove on.   First was when I was dismounted to cross a creek and slipped on wet rock.  I sprained my ankle badly.  The second was when I tried to avoid a mud hole and slipped.  I got soaking muddy wet all over (the only mud on the whole course) and went flying off into the woods in dramatic fashion.   I also got off course once in the middle, losing about five minutes in the process.  

Otherwise the race was marked by those darn cramps.  I just don't think I was drinking enough for the dry conditions.   Once I got hydrated again, I had a good last 15 miles, cramping badly only as I was 100 yards from the finish.  I passed about 10 people in those last 15 miles.  Good fitness, bad drinking.  The course had a "Colorado feel" to it, only with a bit more vegetation and less altitude.  Very beautiful!   Just wish I was faster.