Note: I’ll start by apologizing for neglecting this Substack. I have a few excuses. Everyone does. In part, I haven’t had a ton of strong takes about MTB or gravel lately, so it didn’t seem worth my time. Anyway, I appreciate the support you’ve all voiced for this Substack since it began. I’ll try to get it going again. Here’s something I wrote when I was at Breck Epic this past August:
I tried something different this year, at Breck Epic. When it was time to register, I didn’t choose the biggest, longest, hardest race. Instead of the six-day route, I signed up for the three-day race. This goes against every fiber of my being, every inclination I’ve had as a bike racer, since I started tying on number plates in the late ‘90s, hastily upgrading through the NORBA categories. I’ve always wanted to do the “premiere” race.
Maybe that was the wrong approach.
So, for this Breck Epic, I exercised tremendous restraint, and to a lesser extent, indulged my curiosity to see what might happen if I just chilled the eff out a little bit.
I had a frame of reference, having raced the entire Epic in 2018. I remembered the highs — Guyot, Wheeler, the relief of that final finish line. I remembered the lows — how shattered I felt in the final two days. Plus, this was five years ago, when I was far more diligent about training and preparation. Perhaps I’d be a liability if I charged headlong into an unforgiving six-day mountain bike race.
The gun went off the first day, and, despite my reservations when I clicked that three-day category sign-up, it felt essentially the same. That is the nice thing about one big mass-start. You’re all in it together. Race with the six-day folks if you want … or not. Throughout my three days, I was often going back and forth with friends who were in it for the long haul.
I indulged my curiosity to see what might happen if I just chilled the eff out a little bit.
Despite halving my racing distance over the last go-round, the pacing felt pretty similar as well. Maybe this was just my lingering emotional trauma, suffered in the old Firecracker 50 race when I absolutely fell to pieces on Little French. Or it could be the fact that I was months away from my 40th birthday and not feeling as zesty as I did when cross-country and cyclocross were de rigueur. Whatever the case, my race was half the distance, but the pace certainly wasn’t twice as fast. I settled into a nice, all-day, hard-but-not-too-hard pace. I say let those showboats at the very front of the race enjoy their hypoxia.
I had a hunch that the day-to-day racing would feel right, that I wouldn’t be cast off to some three-day exile, like the cheap seats of a RyanAir plane. The real question would be asked on day four: Would I have FOMO? Should I be out there forging onward to finish all six days?
Yes. No. Maybe? I’m sure I could physically make it through the back half of the six-day. But given my state of preparation — both mental and physical — I’m not sure it would be much of a value-add.
It depends on what sort of fix you’re trying to get from the Breck Epic. Some want the three-day experience, some need all six. After a full week of racing, the utter exhaustion mixed with the feelings of accomplishment and camaraderie are pretty hard to beat. It’s not for everyone, but there’s something magical about it.
Bigger isn’t better, better is better, right? True, but it comes down to what’s better for you.
The feeling after three days is absolutely rewarding too. You’re not as shattered and drained, though. Maybe that makes it easier to access the blurry memories of amazing moments, like cresting Little French beneath the massive, scree-covered mountain, or flying down the West Ridge section of the Colorado Trail, or the world’s tastiest Skittles on top of French Pass.
We packed a lot of riding into those three days. The margaritas at the finishers’ party were well-earned. And the others, who carried on into stage 4, they packed in plenty more riding in the final three days. Bigger isn’t better, better is better, right?
True, but it comes down to what’s better for you.
This year, the three-day was better for me. But there will be other years. I’m pretty sure that I’ll return to Breck Epic, and I’ll likely race the six-day again. After all, I have unfinished business on the Aqueduct stage; I love the taste of PBR midway through the Gold Dust stage; and I really, really like Wheeler, no matter what everyone says about it.