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Carrabassett Valley’s backcountry cycle challenge is probably the greatest mountain biking event in the state of Maine in my opinion. It is also probably the most challenging, hence the name. This was the second time I’ve done this race and it did not disappoint. Here’s my experience racing the CBCC 100k on a rigid single speed.

We had gotten a good amount of rain that morning a few hours before the start. I am grateful that’s mostly all it was because the forecast was predicting something far less desirable. By 8 am, however, it had already reached the high 70s and humidity was steadily climbing. The starter loop went smooth and conditions seemed decent. Although, once we hit that first big climb things got muddy. Like insanely muddy. It was a thick, pasty, yet soupy kind of mud and it made up the entirety of that first big climb. I managed to be mindful enough to let myself walk a couple sections of the climb rather than exploding my legs in a stubborn effort to complete the climb with no dabs. Frankly I had no choice. The descent after was less apocalyptic mud and much more manageable. The rest of that first half lap was dry in spots but mostly wet and slippery.

Once we crossed the road into the second half of the course things started looking up. The way up was looking good and I was able to just cruise my way up the climb passing the granny gear riders. The descent after the second aid station was a different story though. The trail was so waterlogged that it had turned into another mud pit with some big ol’ rocks all over the place. They had warned us about this but my imagination didn’t really do justice to what was actually to be encountered. The river crossing at the end of all that was refreshing and offered a brief reprieve from the crushing heat and humidity. The rest of the lap was running smooth and fast and was so much fun.

About the second lap. I wasn’t sure I had it in me to keep going but like I said before, I’m stubborn and I’ll be damned if I end up on the DNF list. So away we go. The muddy climbs seemed to be drying up a bit which was nice but at this point my legs were pretty spent. Anyway, conditions were drying up a bit and my ol’ pugs was trucking along pretty good. I was feeling good and confident even though I was tired. I guess this was the second wind. The section with the mud and the ruts after the second aid station was so much worse this time around. The mud had turned into slop and all those huge rocks loosened up to make for a very difficult descent. On my way back down toward the narrow gauge trail I nailed a rock in a turn and my front tire started losing air. I wasn’t worried though because I can usually fix a flat pretty quick. Whipped out a tube, installed and this is where trouble began. I made a crucial mistake by bringing a pump/co2 adapter combo that I hadn’t used before and it proved to be a gimmicky garbage piece of equipment. The pump is so small it barley pushed any air into my 3” 29rs and the co2 option just simply didn’t work. Not only that but the tube I brought was was faulty and had a tear at the base of the stem. Fortunately a kind hearted teammate rolled by and spotted me a tube but that didn’t help my equipment issues. Shortly after a volunteer rescued me by throwing me a Co2 and inflator. Thanks to you both.

I finished the race in a curmudgeonly limp but I crossed the finish line after roughly 8 hours. I was desperate for water and in a sour mood but some friends nearby and a well deserved downpour lifted my spirits. I was about to clean my bike and myself up when my wife told me I finished 3rd. I couldn’t believe it! Still can’t believe it! Turns out sometimes it pays to be hard headed. More so it pays to never give up. I really had a great time that day. It was truly a backcountry challenge and I loved every second of it, even when I hated it. Looking forward to next year! Cheers