Nate Smokes Torture Test 2009!

James and Nate did the 2009 Torture Test (official name Excruciation Exam) on January 3, 2009.  This is a mountain bike marathon race that combines approx. 30 miles of single track with 50 miles of rural country roads in a grueling test of endurance.  The race starts out at Bluff Creek ranch in Warda, Texas (about 30 miles south of Austin). You do a loop of the Bluff Creek single track, then hit the back roads for a scenic 30 mile ride to Rocky Hill ranch in Smithville, Texas. Then you do two ten mile loops of the famous Rocky Hill ranch single track, then head back up a big hill for the 20+ mile return to Bluff Creek via a different route.  Once back, you aren’t done!  You still have to do a partial loop of  Bluff Creek single track. Believe me, it’s really tough! There was a great turn-out this year, over 130 racers.  Hannah came along to be our “Pit Crew” Her help was invaluable!

Poor Hannah had to get up at 3:30AM to come help us.  She had some trouble waking up!

Nate rode the 29R with Dugast MTB tubulars – the perfect machine for the Torture Test.  The Dugasts roll fast and smooth on the washboardy dirt country roads yet are still quick on the single track sections.  They are also very reliable.  It’s a good thing, because I forgot the backpack with the spare tire and sealant!

I rode Nate’s 26R with all his new birthday components installed. The tires were 1.95 IRC Seracs mounted on Easton XC-1 wheels, which worked well.  They rolled pretty well on the roads and were nice on the trails.  I missed the smooth ride of the Dugast’s handmade cotton casings though!  The new SID team fork was awesome! The new El Camino disc brakes were great also.

Hannah had fun driving the EVO on the country roads.  How fast did she go?  She wouldn’t tell me!

A Dugast tire after 80 miles of hard racing – no appreciable wear.

The machines are all assembled and tuned – we’re ready to go.  Notice it’s still dark out – the Torture Test starts early – about 7:20 AM.

Nate’s back pockets were stuffed with many Cliff bars, gels and shot blocks. You have to eat continually during the Torture Test.  He had a pump but no spare tire since I forgot it!

The pre-race meeting at the barn.  It’s just getting light out!

I’m all nice and clean and rested, giving Hannah a thumb’s up before the start.  It will be a different story after 5 long hours in the saddle!

The Start. You can see Nate in the center of the front line of the Open Class – most of the fastest guys in Texas, except for Lance – he was wimping out in Hawaii, training for the Tour Down Under!

And their off!  Nate said the pace was ballistic right from the start – no conserving energy for the fast guys!  I’m somewhere in the back taking it easy.  Nate went into the single track somewhere in the top 20.  Last year they used a running “LeMans” start that gave him more of an advantage with his fast running. He was first into the trails then!

Here I’m coming through by the finish line after the first Bluff Creek loop, about mile 6 or 7  -  feeling good and racing fast at this point!

Here I am after riding to Rocky Hill and completing the first 10 mile loop.  I was fast on the roads to Rocky Hill, even beating my arch rival Tanya Woody by several minutes.  Once I hit the trails at Rocky Hill, I “Hit the Wall” really bad and had to slow way down.  It didn’t take Tanya long to come flying by me!  We raced together in the 2007 version and I ended up beating her, but not this year!

After my first loop, I tried to recover with a banana, but the race officials had set a difficult time limit that only left me 40 minutes to complete the second loop or be cut and not allowed to start back to Warda.  Since only maybe Julian Absalon could do a 40 minute lap, I had to pull out.  I was disappointed to not finish, but it would have taken me probably 9 hours! I had completed about 50 miles in 4 hours and 30 min.  Many other age group racers also got cut – the time limit was too strict!  Hannah and I loaded up the EVO and headed back to see if we could see Nate finish.  He was having an excellent ride and left Rocky Hill in about 10th overall.

Nate was so fast, we didn’t get back in time to see him finish!  He ended up 8th in open class, 10th overall with an excellent time of 5hrs 25 min.  He averaged 14.5 mph for the 80 miles of racing. He was the youngest racer in the top 10. The race was won by Trek/VW pro racer Scott Henry with a time of 4:51.  He was the only rider under 5 hours. Here we are at the ranch house at Bluff Creek trying to recover!

Nate looking good after the tough race!  He had a great ride, no crashes or flats.  His only mishap was losing his water bottle on the first Bluff Creek loop and having to ride about 30 miles with no water.  Luckily, Hannah was able to make it to the first check point in time to hand him up a bottle – good job Hannah!

Here’s Nate receiving his award check.  We had a nice time after hanging out at the ranch house.  I had a burger and 3 Corona’s – boy did they taste good!

Great job Nate!

Baby D was there to congratulate Nate when I dropped him and Hannah off in Spring. It was a long, hard day – I was up at 2:30 AM and didn’t get to bed until after midnight, but it was great fun.  This is a great race, we can’t wait until next year.  Hopefully, Matt, Dave, Hannah and Bo can make it then!