The Huracan 300 MTB ITT route is hosted by
Singletrack Samurai and makes for a nice early warm spring ride when your from the northeast. So I decide to head down again this year after having done it last year and really liked it. Justin made the trip with me last year, but really didn't like these types of rides as much as I do, so he saves some vaca time while I head down alone. This year the route is basically the same loop, although evil route organizer worked in some changes and the start was at last year's midway point due to easier logistics for everyone.
We grouped up at Santos Campground/Greenways Bikes (this year's start/finish), which was a great organized place to gather. The shop was super helpful and they sell beer, and the campground staff was really accommodating to the group....great idea to set up there.
This year there were lots more folks compared to last year's skim 13 riders. Antsy to get headed to the sun drenched desert-like Ocala, we took off promptly at 0900 and straight into what I call 'jungle bliss' (one reason I like this route is that I like jungliness, NOT reptiles, but the rest is so cool!). This is scenery at the beginning of the route:
Even though we hit it early, the red clay, dirt, gravel rollers, and eventually deep sandy walking, getting up and over the Ocala is hot and dry. But we all know it's better to take this than hit it at night.....when you are most likely going to run into some peeps that you would rather not. Even though there is a water pump up here, the heat and eventual sand walking due to the extreme dryness this year take a toll and people are dying to get to an initial store once we exit the Paisley singletrack which leads you out of Ocala, when we get that far....a few hours later. I decide to bypass the store, anticipating a water source in a bit but my memory served me incorrect, the water was extremely not safe to use, and a few other riders then beared witness to my near hands and knees crawling and disoriented grumpiness. As they were ooogling a croc, I lost all ability to comprehend conversation and start down the road still thinking water was ahead. I don't fret about water or heat as most times it really doesn't change my pace much or feel that bad, but right now it was putting me at a snail level. Some trail magic ensued, and I got enough to get me to the gate on time (a big gate into the next section shuts at 6PM to keep bears off the roads, this gate really has no optional go around and is quite big to get over with a bike so it was a landmark to make on time for everyone) and then shortly after to the river crossing in which we could fill up water and rinse some of the days gunk away. Approaching the river was different this year as well.....SO DRY! As the sandy and often unrideable roads had already shown it was super dry here this year. Last year, the approach to the river was with the sound of flowing water all around and the swampiness had been up to the edges of the dirt path. This year, the channels on the side of the path were bone dry, as was the approach to the river which last year was a swampy shin deep bushwack. The river was not as clear as I remember, and the knee length seaweed took me by surprise, and even though low, the water rose well over my waist for several steps. To my surprise, as I got to the river, there were a lot of peeps still on the other side.....I asked if they had done a THOROUGH croc check....they said yeah....hhhmmm...not sure if I believed them but just dove right in.
After a water fill up, short rest and chit chat everyone was rushing to the sweet jungly singletrack coming up. Someone had mentioned that Schultz (rider from my hometown, pittsburgh) wasn't feeling good and just left the river, it was still daylight so I picked it up a little thinking maybe if Schultz was moving slower we could hit up the next Apopka Preserve section together in the dark as it was something I was dreading. Coming up on Schultz a bit later, he was in no shape to ride on, so I made sure he had a phone and knew where he was and continued on. Big fence up ahead, trail magic to get over and then some blinkies up ahead on the road!!! OOOOOh...people to ride with at night!!! By the time I caught up, the group was taking a break at a store. I hung out and hoped they might want to ride Apopka with me, then I could get to Minneola before thinking about having to stop again. Little did I know, the women's leader Keri Lindner, was ahead and had entered Apopka bravely alone probably between 1-2 hours ahead of me. She would continue her brave night riding and fast road riding completely alone to end up with a great finish and a new women's record on the course---kudos and way to solo it compared to a lot of girls entering these with plans to ride in groups.
The guys thought a bit then decided yeah. So we trudged on, Dave Muse and his two friends and I. To my surprise this section was very toned down compared to last year, we didn't have to enter a covert fence crawl straight into some gator lounge area.....instead we entered into and stayed on a wider gravel road with the gators all hunkered down in the deeper channels and much easier to move through here! Apopka ends with a sandy hike a bike, then a tricky barbed wire fence crossing. All was good, from here it was the biggest hills I think FL has to get us to Minneola (one road is actually called 'Sugarloaf Mountain'.....LOL).....one thing really noticeable here and I was anticipating is the blooming orange trees....it smells like sweet perfume when you get a big wiff and motivating during the climbing.
On to Minneola, the guys opt to stop and get a hotel. I would like to keep going but it's 2AM, and next up is back to some forest roads which if sandy could be slow going and again, sections of peeps that I really don't want to see at night by myself. So, I chip in on the room. In the AM, this delays my start a little, but I finally get going and head to Lake Louisa. This part is different from before, and some how the name brought to mind a crystal blue lake with manicured lawn all around and felt safe and comfy. NOT. This was a dried out orchard and the lakes in FL are ALL swamps as I should know by now.....I try to hoof it through here, over two big gates with my loaded bike, around 2 snakes, and I keep my eyes on the dirt, as I notice both sides are wet ickiness in between the walking sand sections. Finally out of this and onto the Richloam forest/dirt roads. A mix of riding/walking, but happily not in the blistering sun today. But instead, a short downpour keeps the sun hidden, and wets the sand a little. Some chain noise bothers me, but once I get out of the rain and the terrain starts to dry the bike is happy again.
Sandy roads very dry & not all rideable this year.
Past here, some road takes us into the Croom singletrack. This year, it's different with lots of trail intersections, navigating was sometimes tricky but rolling fun and fast trails with a little bit of technical in it seemed to go on for a long time. Then straight onto the Withlachoochee rail trail.....10 miles to Inverness with a supply stop and I get screwed ordering a cheesesteak that take 45 minutes to get for take out....wth.....
I hesitate here......for a LONG time...debate on how far I will get riding alone as it's dusk. If I ride straight thru I would have an early Sunday AM finish at best, but I wonder if I can be brave enough to do all the woods/swamps sections in the night or not. I wait a little, hoping maybe someone would be coming up the rail trail soon, but eventually call it a fruitless use of time (esp since there are 2 women probably somewhere right behind me as Lynne and Chris were busting a move and riding late Friday too, but I hadn't seen them today yet.....) and decide to grab an extra sandwich, snacks, etc and plan to head on and just see how far I can get before I cave...or run into some of the forest night peeps.....
Potts Preserve is next. While on the sand road, I hear a quad not too far away, decide to kill the lights and walk the sandy bog a bit to avoid them coming my way. The fence entry was a breeze here, the wire fence was ripped down and just some rocks to hop over now. Alligators galore in the canal, as you ride through the grass gets a little taller and I keep a watchful eye just in case. It seems longer than last year, but eventually I am to the road.
Moving on to the Florida Greenway....a twisty turny long foresty like little used doubletrack that is fast and fun, a few dry sandy pieces, but for the most part fast rolling....not TOO scary in here in the dark alone, some swamps are just off the trail and at times you enter in and out of parking lots, but it was a lot longer than I had remembered. Eventually to the road and this time I am feeling some stress to enter the next woods section. I know rather soon I will be at the outer edge of the actual Santos bike area of trails, but I seem to recall some bit of forest road yet and some nav issue there and in the twisty intermingled singletrack for me last year.....so when I get to the trailhead parking lot it's 2AM (not realizing I was actually already AT the edge of Santos because I didn't go close enough to the trail to see the sign....duh...) I decide that if I have ~30 miles to finish I will eat the extra sandwich and keep going. If I have more than 30, I will take a rest first and finish later than I planned. We were ending with the Vortex, a little technical stuff and I didn't want to be super tired getting through that and wreck.
And here is a hiccup that really only if someone tells you or you know the area or you use an odometer, you can know for sure (or maybe some aspect of gps I just haven't learned yet?). I knew the gpx was only 289 miles, but assume this is gps flattening and the route is really more than the 289. My gps says I am at mile ~245 or so. I assume I have near 50 to go....much more than I can do right now without a break in the night. So I bivy out in the lot, get woken up at 7AM by the maintanence man, and move on. Pretty sore and tired, and using emergency stashes of food, I turtle move it thru Santos and Vortex, taking until 11AM to the finish, which surprisingly was only ~30 miles from where I had slept!! Darn dumb gps....(total mileage was actually ~275ish on most gps this ride).
At the Finish.
Surprisingly, all the finishers ahead of me were still at the campground which was cool because usually at these things everyone takes off asap. But with the far travel for most peeps, people had hung out for a night of sleep before hitting the road. I had really wanted to eat and stretch out, sleep for a bit before jamming myself in a car for 2 days eating on the road, but with carpool buddies that had already waited a day and were well rested, I decide better to just hit the road and get napping in the car instead. It was a rough drive home after they got me to my car in NC.....trouble drinking enough, stopping to get my feet up as they were swelling, and napping along the way took up most of my time....happily now a few days later I feel almost back to normal just still a little tired quickly and, most thanks to Justin, my MTB is all revamped, packed and shipped far west for my next early spring soul searching 'adventure'.....
Official results have been posted in private emails, TBD/posted by the Samurai.
Out of 4 women, I was a long 2nd behind Keri, and just a bit before Lynne and Chris.
Nice ride to everyone that finished or even attempted this year's Huracan!!
