SSUSA 2012

SSUSA 2012 was held in beautiful Stowe, Vermont this past Saturday. This was an anti-race event in which we were prepped well ahead of time that it would be a fun ride amongst friends and we were even requested to leave the race kits at home and "wear something a little more appropriate." Though Rob and I didn't wear a costume, we certainly embraced the spirit of being a single speeder and fully immersed ourselves in the revelry of the weekend.
Friday night started with a leisurely ride on the Stowe recreation paths up to the Matterhorn where we registered and were offered a number, "if we wanted it". The two options were 666 or 69 for everyone. The evening was filled with live music, too many good brews, and a crazy late night ride back to hit the sack after 1:00.
"Race" day came and so did the hangover, but we persevered and rode to the start in our silent misery. I think this crowd did a little more "training" for the race than we did. The ride started with very little pomp and circumstance and we were sent straight to climbing hell from the very beginning. The trails were an awesome mix of tight technical single track, ridiculously long climbs, and really fun descents. Our Garmin gave us around 30 miles (there were a few wrong turns) and about 4000 feet of elevation gain. Though it was hard, we had some great liquid "aid" stations along the way. I'm not sure if the booze made it better or worse, but we both finished and no one got carted off on a gurney. Success! There was an after race bike derby for the belts, a maple syrup drinking competition for hosting rights in 2013, and a party at the Rusty Nail to wash away our pain with even more liquid refreshments.
Anyone up for a drive to Minnesota in 2013?