12hrs of Tsali

Lets see how to describe the 12hrs of Tsali this year.........AWESOME! To start with the accommodations, we stayed at the Nantahala Resort Cabins this year very nice. We had a Jacuzzi on the deck and a two person jacuzzi tub in the bedroom very nice and secluded area.





As for the race accommodations the setup of the transition/feed zone was idea for the race right in the parking lot off of the county line road so that we didn't have the 1/2mile hike up the hill to set up the pop up.






Next the weather was looking rough for the day prior to the race overcast and rainy, locals said it had been raining the previous three days as well. However when race day came it was clear, blue and 72 degrees out, perfect race weather. Trail conditions were as good as could be asked for it was pretty dry for the most part, with some low spots that held water that made it just sloppy enough to cover the bike in mud each lap.



So to the race start, we had the typical Le Mans style start so I did the stroll up the hill to the bike and headed out just about my typical dead last. I did notice at the start that the participation in this years event didn't seem to be as large as the previous year but it was a pretty good turn out. So for the first lap I did the typical catch and pass until about 6 miles in were I hit that spot between casual rider and serious racer were I was pretty much riding by myself for quite a while. it was pretty uneventful at this point with the occasional pass and getting familiarized with the trail so I could get the flow down. With the first lap down I settled into a pretty good routine with about a 10min pit stop in between laps and back out to the trail about lap 3 the knee started to let me know it was going to let me know it was there so I popped a aleve in between lap 3 and 4 and away I go. Anyone who has ridden Tsali knows the last climb starts with the climb up the steep V shaped cut with a large tree to the left of the trail and pretty good roots. I almost managed to clean it on the second lap got 90% up and lost traction, that was pretty much the only area I couldn't clean on the entire trail. By lap 5 Granny was getting rode hard on the steep parts and some of the not so steep parts as well. About 8:45pm I started my last lap with the lights ready to go, the combination of the NiteRider Tri-Newt on the handle bar and the Flight HID on the helmet lit up the trail like it was day, for the combined cost of the lights it should but if your looking for a night riding setup that is a sweet match. Anyway on lap 8 the knee was letting me have it I could peddle up the hills but the slightest resistance and I was feeling it, if I stood on it I was feeling it, and if I tried to race it was screaming at that point I realized this was the last lap for the evening. So even though I finished in time to start another lap I had to call it a night conditioning wise could have made another lap but the knee wasn't going to allow that, plus I have the GSC race this weekend so all told I had the 8 laps for about 85 miles in about 10hrs and 45mins which I considered pretty good for Tsali. Based off of what I saw at about 10:30pm had me 11th place in the combined 12hr Solo male, female, and single speed riders. The plan is to take it easy enough to recover from this race while still do enough riding to keep me ready for the race this weekend and not aggravate the knee anymore than it already is. So if your out at Thompson this Wednesday I Will See You on the Trail!