The Burn MTB Time Trial

Having raced mountain bikes for the better part of the last decade, its not often I get to go to a race I've never attended and roost some trails I've never seen, but that's just what I did last weekend at The Burn MTB Time Trial in the Buffalo Creek area.

Because The Burn is a time trial there was no real saucy passes or slicing and dicing with other racers, just internal monologue and a lot of heavy breathing. That said, here are a few things about the course. Parts of it were through the Hayman burn area, so the scenery was a a good way to stop thinking about the pain in my lungs and legs. The burned out forest now looks like a lush high alpine area, with 20 foot burned out snags scattered throughout the wildflowers and grasses.

Being my first time to this race and my first time to ride in the area, I wasn't sure what type of terrain to expect, but was reassured to hear from a fellow competitor that there was a lot of gravel and decomposed granite on the course. Having ridden Cheyenne Canyon for more than half my life, I feel pretty comfortable on that surface. Once I got out onto the course, I realized that the trails I was riding were very similar to those 60 miles east in my own back yard. There was a lot of drifting through corners with one leg out, just in case the corner had an acute, unanticipated apex. I think I did pretty well, finishing seventh in my first race of the year on a course I had never seen before.

All in all The Burn was a hoot. They had a fun, fast course in a beautiful setting, and there were even burritos and adult liquid refreshments post race.