Race Report: Monarch Mindbender - When The Result Is Minor Compared To The Experience
This past Saturday I took part in another Colorado Endurance Series race, The Monarch Mindbender. Not all bike races are created equal and this one definitely left it’s mark. This race has been on my bucket list for a few years and now that I live only 2 hours away it seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a go. The MMB is 84 miles long with 10,000ish feet of climbing and 15,000 feet of descending, mostly above 10,000 feet elevation and comprised of 90% of the sweetest high country singletrack this state has to offer. Typically for a race with this much climbing a lighter full suspension XC or marathon bike would be the best tool for the job, but with 15k of rugged descending, many riders opted for longer travel bikes (160-170mm travel) and wider tires (2.6-2.8s).
The rowdiest bike in my quiver right now is my 2020 Trek Top Fuel which has 120mm up front and 110 in the rear. I ran the Bontrager XR 3 2.4s with 18psi up front and 19 in the rear. This setup worked well for most of the course and I was pleased with the way the Top Fuel performed for the majority of the track.
One of my athletes and I drove down to Salida Friday night and set up a tent down in the lower elevation outside of Salida. At 4:30am my alarm buzzed and I stumbled out of the tent to pack up and drive to meet Daniel and Scott so we could shuttle Daniel’s van to the start of Monarch Pass (11k). I would leave my truck down at the finish so I could shuttle Daniel back up after the race to get his van. Logistics! Josh and I drove to the visitors center to meet the boys who unbeknownst to us were still sleeping. We banged on the van and they finally stumbled out as their alarm didn’t go off. We rushed to get our bikes and bodies ready for the big day ahead. I scarfed down some yogurt and granola and cold brew coffee and we piled the bikes in the back of the van and headed up the pass. We were the last ones to arrive and hustled to finish getting ready. I signed my name in the sign in sheet and hammered off about 5 minutes behind the official race start. Chase mode engaged! After flying by the first singletrack (my first of many wrong or missed turns of the day), I looked back and saw Josh making the appropriate turn on Monarch Crest Trail. I quickly turned around and descended back to the trail. Sweet, flowy, hero dirt awaited us as I passed Josh and told myself, “don’t panic, it’s going to be a long day, just ride steady and smooth and don’t go too deep too early”.
After about 10 minutes or so I started to catch some riders in the slower technical climby bits. One after one I chipped away and started counting each rider since I knew from the start list that there were 27 riders total. I passed 17 in the next hour on the climb to Fooses and passed a few on the North Fooses descent. The North Fooses descent was incredibly sick with mostly hero dirt, a few technical creek crossings, and some slick off camber root and rock gardens. I made it down unscathed and started the nasty 1,700 foot climb up South Fooses Creek road which included a few hike a bike sections. I caught a few more riders at the top which put me right outside of the top 5 as I rolled into the first aid station stop (not without making another wrong turn at Marshall Pass and had to stop and ask a few bike packers which way to go). I saw the rider behind me make the correct turn and followed him to the aid. I swapped out a bottle of Carbo Rocket 333 and pounded a mini coke and shoved a Perfect Bar down my throat. Since I didn’t sleep very well the night before my stomach was uneasy and not wanting to put down much food which was not ideal for a race of this caliber. Luckily the Carbo Rocket was easy to drink and digest and kept the engine running.
The next loop had a decent climb up and over to the Silver Creek Trail which was a bomber descent. Everything from wide open ripping singletrack to tight and techy steep creek crossings and chunky sharp shale rocks. The Top Fuel ate it up! I was starting to feel a little better by this point as the caffeinated Raspberry 333 was starting to pulse through my veins. At the bottom of the Silver Creek descent we connected to the Rainbow Trail which I’ve always wanted to do. The Rainbow Trail lived up to it’s name as it was one of the highlights of the course for me. Fast, flowy, tight, rollercoaster style trail with fun steep little climbs. The dirt couldn’t have been any better! After a never ending descent down to Highway 285 my Garmin told me to turn right and start climbing up the highway. I climbed about a 1/4 mile up until it chirped at me telling me I was off course again. Damn it! My Garmin then read Calibration Error so I restarted it in order to get a proper navigation calibration. After about 10 minutes of messing around I saw a rider coming out of Rainbow Trail and followed him down the highway to Marshall Pass Road. A few flat easy road miles and then we took a right and started the Marshall Pass climb. My Garmin read 10 miles to the top and I almost fell over! This is where the lights started to go out a bit. I started climbing up the road into a 10mph headwind and caught the rider ahead. We were both hurting and motivated each other to eat and drink. I was running low on water so I conserved the best I could until I was able to get some extra water from a few campers about halfway up the climb. I’d been hearing the thunder rumble now for the last 20 minutes and sure enough it started to rain. I pulled over and threw on my Sportful rain jacket which is super light and breathable and does a killer job at keeping moisture on the outside. Lifesaver! I hopped back on my bike and went to work turning over the pedals slowly but surely as there were only a few more miles to the top of this never ending climb. I made it back to the aid station, stopped and swapped out bottles and pounded another coke. I knew it was going to rain so I brought an extra pair of gloves and a warm skull cap and had to have one of the aid station guys put my gloves on for me since I couldn’t feel my fingers. This is when survival mode started. Riders 3 and 4 were leaving the aid when I showed up and I wish I could have gone out with them but I had to swap out my clothing for dry gear. Then rider 5 showed up and quickly left so I went out with him but made it about 1/4 mile down the road when I realized I forgot my hydration pack back at the aid. Ugh. I was so cold and slightly hypothermic that I forgot my pack, so I turned around and rode back to get it. They were waiting for me with it in their hands so I only lost a few minutes, but now I was alone again in the pouring cold rain with little motivation to chase, shifting with the palm of my hand, and unable to completely grasp the bars. Epic!
This was the start of the Starvation Creek loop and I missed that turn too as it was overgrown and sneaky and apparently many other racers missed it as well. I rode an extra 1/4 mile or so until the road dead ended and realized the turn was back down the road. I found the trail and started one of the sickest descents of quintessential Colorado loam! Unfortunately, I couldn’t feel my limbs and my thumb was too frozen to hit my dropper post so it was more survival mode to limp down it rather than rip it. Need to go back! I made it to the bottom and began the 4.5 mile slog up a 2,000 foot muddy, rocky, jeep road climb back to the aid. This is where things got super dark again as I crawled in my 50 tooth chainring for the next hour going what felt like a snails pace. The rain continued to bear down and I had to dig extremely deep and focus on positive self talk to keep me moving forward. One of the darkest moments on the bike for me and one that I will continue to pull reserves from in years to come. Focus on what feels good!
I made it back to the aid completely frozen and hurting. I pounded a full carton of coconut water and drank some more coke and they fed me a piece of bacon. That little bit of fat got me back on my bike and I had one more major climb on the Crest Trail. It was roughly a 2,000 foot climb of muddy, slick, techy, rooty/rocky trail above 10k vert. My breathing was so labored by this point just spinning the easiest gear. After what seemed like an eternity I made it to the top of the climb and took one last wrong turn down Agate Creek trail and then my Garmin chirped at me signaling me to turn around and climb back up to the Crest Trail. Ugh. Finally, I made it to the infamous Greens Creek Trail which was the final 10 mile descent to the finish. I’d been hearing about this trail all day from the aid crew as apparently it is pretty gnarly. Yup. It is. The next 10 miles was the most focused I’ve ever had to be on a descent. My thumb was still too frozen to drop my post, so I high posted down one of the roughest, rockiest, and slick trails. What a way to end this thing! Mile by mile I watched my Garmin go down as what seemed like time was standing still. My upper body was getting wrecked and my bike felt like it was completely locked out even though it wasn’t. I was getting pulverized by this trail! A few miles later I made it out and onto a smooth downhill fire road which felt amazing! Only 5 miles of mostly downhill road to go and I’d be done! I pushed as hard as I could for those last 5 miles since I could see a rider behind me chasing me down. I was able to hold him off and made it to the highway which was the official finish. 9 hours and 4 minutes later! I pulled over on the side of the road and laid down. I was completely empty and ecstatic to be done. 2 more miles of easy downhill pavement back to my truck where cold beer awaited. What a day!
It’s easy to have a good day and feel strong when the pain is on your terms but when things get tough, that’s where the real magic and resilience lie. This race will stand out for me as one that pushed me to my mental and physical edge over and over. It taught me to dig deeper into my reserves than I thought possible and that sometimes it’s more about the experience than the result. This type of challenge is what keeps me coming back, over and over, and I’m grateful for that. On to the next!
Thanks for reading!
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I was too cold and fatigued to take any photos but my phone decided to take some random pictures while in my jersey pocket. This photo sums up my experience- cold, dark, and blurry.