Race Report: 2012 Draper Fall Classic 50

Single-Speed Podium. Corey Larrabee 1st, Me 2nd,  Elden Nelson (The Fat Cyclist) 3rd.

Just when I thought I'd had enough singletrack  racing in Park City two weeks ago I had a chance to put the cap on 2012 racing in my back yard at Corner Canyon.  This was the last in a 4-race series organized by Bob Saffell of MTBRace Productions.   I have done most of my riding on these trails all year and pretty much knew every inch of the race course by heart.  Corner Canyon has a reputation for fast winding singletrack and tamed trails.  It also has the tendency to be under-estimated in terms of difficulty.  There is some serious climbing to be had on these quiet trails and I knew better going in so I was ready for a complete beating.  To add to the punishment, I decided to race single-speed for this one given I had already done one other race in the series on single-speed earlier this year.  Besides, Corner Canyon is prime single-speed riding.

Here is a little look at the elevation profile. The rest of the ride can be found on Strava HERE.

The race course was 2 25-mile laps. See the SkidMap.com map for details.

We lined up at 8am at the Corner Canyon trailhead equestrian center.  When I saw Corey Larrabee line up also racing single-speed I knew it was going to be a race for 2nd place.  Corey left me in the dust at the top of the Canyon Hollow climb on lap 1 and I rode in 2nd place for the next 3 hours to the finish. The trails lived up to their reputation and the scenery was a pleasant distraction from the constant mashing of the 32x19 I was running.  I felt pretty good all day with a few cramps showing up late on lap 2.  I haven't raced a single-speed for this long since March when I race the True Grit 100 and my legs were begging me to shift the last hour especially climbing Clark's Trail the 2nd time.  It was an awesome day riding and a perfect way to end my MTB racing season.  Thanks again for all of the support this year.

Epic Endurance Cycling Team
Infinite Cycles
Cannondale
Stan's Notubes
Ergon
CarboRocket

Chasing 1st down Ann's Trail on lap 1.

Upper Corner Canyon Road still chasing 1st on lap 2.

Riding blind through the dark tunnel by the equestrian park.

Obligatory post-race steed photo.  Man I love this bike!  I also love Grizzly Adam's bike rack that I more or less assembled for him earlier this year.  But that's another story.