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Vapor Trail 125

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  Within the past several years, I had this race pop up on my radar. It was far from here, in Colorado. It was much higher than here, coursing through and above the high alpines of the Rocky Mountains. It sounded really hard. And it just seemed a bit out of reach. It was the Vapor Trail 125. And now I know it was just what I was looking for! The Vapor Trail, in Salida, CO, is put on by a seemingly awesome human named Mike Franco. It's 125 miles of largely single-track riding with a mix of easily ridable railroad-grade dirt roads and blown out rocky roadbeds rich with gold and silver mining history in the late 1800's, as well as several steep, technical hike-a-bike sections. And the climbing is served up on a giant-sized platter as the elevation gain totals a little over 17,000'. The course takes you through sections of the Colorado and Continental Divide Trails, over Hancock, Tomichi, Monarch, and Marshall Passes, and up and over Canyon Creek Trail with a 45-minute hike-a-b...
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Huracan Lite 300 Race Report

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  Hey friends! Thanks for stopping back by to read about my Huracan Lite 300 race. It was a doozie I tell ya.  The Huracan Lite is a 322 mile mixed surface loop out of Shangri-La campground situated on the Santos Trail System in Ocala, FL. There's also the OG route, now nearly 400 miles with a lot of the same dirt roads but also with nearly 100 miles of singletrack and some awesome water crossings that is more suitable for mountain bikes.  I raced it last year, finishing in about 30 hours straight through, with a little too much stopped time. My goal this year was a slightly easier pace with less stopped time. In my prep, I planned to tackle the race on a titanium hardtail instead of my gravel bike, as I felt pretty beat up on the gravel bike last year. But, true to form, I decided to change to my gravel bike the week of the race. I kept it super light with only a top tube bag and two feed bags. I carried a Nathan trail running pack with no bladder but instead, warmer glo...
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