May 22nd is the date, there are two races to choose from. The 12 Hours of Tsali put on by the folks from Gone Riding. The other is a new race on the horizon called the Night Owl held on the trails of Hungry Mother State Park just an hour or so up the road from me. Both I'm sure are races I would like to attend. The 12 Hours of Tsali was already penciled in on my schedule. Now all I need to do is figure out if I need to erase it and write in the Night Owl.
Whenever I find myself in a situation like this I like to make a list of pros & cons to help me decide.
Pros: Tsali
1. It's a fun course to ride, & a great trail system.
2. It's a 12 hour race in which I really wanted to push myself to see how far I could go.
3. I really enjoy the camping and the other trails there are to ride before and after the race.
4. It's the only 12 hour race I have on my schedule.
5. Although I don't agree with the promoters fees and lack of swag, it makes for really good blog material.
6. You can drink beer and play music past 10pm.
7. The majority of this race is during the daylight hours.
Cons: Tsali
1. It's a further drive which is more expensive to travel to.
2. The race fee will be higher & the swag is skimpy.
3. The spaghetti is watered down.
4. Alot of my friends are leaning toward the Night Owl.
5. The crappers in the pits smell terrible in the summer.
6. Alot of racers who think they are better than everyone else show up for this event.
7. No free beer
Pros: The Night Owl
1. It's closer so the travel expenses will be lower.
2. It appears to be the race a majority of my friends will be attending.
3. It's a local promoter not some cat from Florida.
4. The race fee will probably be alot cheaper.
5. First year for this event so it will probably be a small turnout which about half of the participants will be my friends.
Cons: The Night Owl
1. The race is a night race only. (I haven't decided if this should be a pro yet)
2. The race will be alot shorter.
3. The course reminds be of the Bays Mountain race course minus the ruts.
4. The venue is held in a VA. State Park which I have had bad experiences in under certain situations. We mountain bikers just like to have a little fun after the ride.
5. No free beer
I guess I really don't have to make my decision yet so I'll probably continue to add to my lists as pros & cons come to mind.
I'm gonna shoot for the Night Owl, but won't camp. I got to work the next morning. I did'nt even have Tsali on my radar for this year, so my choice was easy.
ReplyDeleteI’m curious to see how the park handles all those mtn bikers over night. The local club does a night ride there about once a month, with a cookout and beer afterward and have not had any problems…but that’s a week night with no one else around.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the Night Owl is very convenient. We have free granny-daycare just up the road.
Daycare? Does that mean Joy is actually going camping with you?
ReplyDeleteThey have done some trailwork up there and the CCC trail isn't so bad anymore. The climb is more manageable. Bays has lots of fireroads, HM is mostly double track.
ReplyDeleteI'll probably do it, as long as I don't get into the beer too early before the start.
fireroad, doubletrack eh, not much difference
ReplyDelete