2010 Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race (PMBAR)--Finisher!!!

May 2nd, 2010
Soul Cycles Hooligan SS, 32:20 gearing, Kenda Nevegal DTC 2.1 tires.

My first PMBAR, what a ride.  My partner Jay and I had each only been to Pisgah once, so we were real newbs, and we were both on Single Speeds.  Many thought we were crazy, and they may have been right, but that is the only bike Jay has, so I was not about to show up with gears and full-suspension.  The pre-race check was done, we were all gathered trying to hear the pre-race talk, the passports were handed out, then GO!
We decided to look at the map first and figure out our route, until we realized we were the only ones left.  We changed strategy and decided to ride up with everyone else and figure it out at Pressly Gap.
We got caught in a backlog of walkers, heading up Black Mountain, but there were plenty of people at Pressly Gap with Maps out when we arrived.  We decided on a CCW direction for 4 checkpoints.  I wanted a 2nd opinion and asked a fellow Triangle rider whom I knew.  Unfortunately, he refused to help.  He said I was the competition and that he can't help me.  Another rider (I did not know) overheard and said, "Hey, that is the same route we are taking...follow us." So we headed down, down, down, and then up to Buckhorn to Squirrel.  By the time we were on Squirrel we had left behind the nice guys that helped us out and made it to the first checkpoint.  There, we caught up to Camye and her partner who told us they were also going the same route as us and invited us to to follow along as long as we could keep up.  We followed them to Checkpoint two and Checkpoint three before they started to pull away.  We made it to Checkpoint four with another group before navigating our way back.  After flying down 477, we met a few groups getting ready to climb up Clawhammer and Maxwell, including Camye.  Unfortunately they all left us behind as Jay was struggling from poor nutrition and ended up with plenty of walking.  Still, we made it up and then down Black Mountain and across the line in 11:36.  We had done it.  First timers, on Single Speeds, with four checkpoints.  We were wiped out but stoked about our accomplishment.  Don't know if I want to do it again though. ;)