Copper Mtn En Fuego - my first snow mtb race

Demi lying next to the Rotundcycle in the back of the Fleetwood.

Earth rotation and the last of the sun hitting the Sky couloirs south of Copper Mtn.

Snow MTB race OTC (Off-the-couch).  I think I've ridden at most once a week for a couple of hours (usually with a beer in the middle) and even considering, my first snow mountain bike race last night at Copper Mtn (the "Copper Mountain El Fuego" put on by the Cloud City Wheelers) was a total blast!  It was a much harder 10 miles than it should have been!  Five steel*wool riders and Demi the dog headed up in BobB & MT's Fleetwood coach. That thing is plush! I wish I had one of those for when I was doing the National's and CORPS series'.  We arrived an hour before the start of the race to register and watch the sun (and temperature) go down.

Group shot, minus Toopa.

There was a huge group of racers - 160 or so!  The racers were collecting at the propane-burning fires that encompassed the start area. There were three race categories - men's, women's, and singlespeed.  The vast majority of people were on regular mountain bikes, but there was a cool variety of fat-tired bikes - from 9:Zero:7's to Surly's to Salsa Mukluk's, to a sweet Ti Fatbike with the biggest tires you can get (Big Fat Larrys which are around 4.5" wide).

The mandatory bike shot as the sun's goin down.

 A quick shot of some scotch at the start "line" (in the dark, it's hard to tell where you are and aren't), followed by a big bang (literally, fireworks marked the start of the race), followed by mass chaos of slipping and sliding out cyclists heading south out on the snowpacked course.  The crew I was with all neglected to pre-ride the course, so were going in blind.  There were red pin-flags marking the sides of the course but in the dark they were just getting run over and buried.  It was pretty much a free-for-all -- take any line on which you can stay afloat and upright!

The Copper Mtn base area with all the racers waiting to get warmer.

The race start area

The event started and ended with fireworks.

I spent the first 300 yards of the start trying not to run into anyone or get run into.  I remember MT passing me on the right, seemingly entranced in the dude on the fatbike with a boombox strapped onto his rear pannier rack blasting some indecipherable music.  Then I remember passing him as he went into the soft shoulder and had to stop.  A regular MTB was the better bike to have for some parts of the course, but not overall, as those riders were flailing in the softer snow spinning out and running, the guys and gals with fatbikes were able to roll on through.  But even on the back-stretch of the course where it wasn't very well packed down, everybody was walking or running.  We must of all run about 2 miles of each lap.  So anyways, after a few minutes which felt pretty sudden, and I was strangely near the front of the pack in the top 10.  The fastest guys were off the front immediately, smart to 'exit-stage-left' that mass start hysteria.  There was even a dude on a cross bike...! Not a great call.

The course was 2, 5 mile laps at the base area of Copper Mountain.  It incorporated some of the nordic trails on the southern side of the mountain, and went up north of the base area.  It took us on some bridges, across an ice rink, up a flight of stairs, and through the frozen cobblestone base area.  It had a feel of a cyclocross race that mated with a night snow MTB race.

There was a great group of people at this event. Lots more spectators than I'd ever thought would show up for the sub-20 degree temperature night race and cheering at all that passed.  This was my initiation into another sub-culture of mountain biking and I have to say, I was happily surprised. I will be back.  It felt like how the Fruita Fat Tire Festival singlespeed race used to feel, where you couldn't point out a top pro if you tried but there was no lack of fast riders present.  The 'locals' were on full fatbikes and costumes, ranging from blue tutu's to wigs and more.  The whole event had a laid back feel and I know I was one of many that were just 'trying it out' for the first time.

In the end, no matter how un-fit I am, I have a hard time turning my motor off, even off the couch.  My heart rate hasn't been that high in...a long time.  I ended up somehow pulling an 7th place OOMA (at least that's what some dude told me as me and 6th place were trying to out sprint each other on bikes that just do NOT like to sprint).  This guy was in blue jeans and passed me before the last stair run-up and got me by a bike length.  Too fun!

Heyride and MT were themselves in a dual, and it's all hearsay but Heyride apparently pulled a full 360 on the sledding hill descent - foot out and all - to avoid a bail! I wish I could've seen that.  Shortly following that maneuver, he put in a fierce attack on the last climb getting MT in the end.  MT won the women's race, which is great since it was also her Birthday! BobB and Toopa followed not far away and beer drinking was commenced.

 Oskar Blues was again sponsoring the event and had free Pale Ale and Pilsner to those hanging out by the fake fires and heat lamps outside the bar.  Some ball-game was on the tv's inside but the wheeled-ones were outside sharing war stories and having a pint or three. 

The race was the start of the 4 race Leadville Winter Mountain Bike race series.  Next up is Tennessee Pass on Feb. 4th where they'll use the nordic trails on Ski Cooper.  Then there are two races in Leadville later on in the winter. 

Here's a link to the video someone made of the event.