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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 gloves, arm w

Trans-North Georgia Adventure (TNGA)

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  Well, it had been a while since a real adventure, and, in a moment of weakness, I apparently put my name on the Trans-North Georgia Adventure (TNGA) start list some time last year. This race is mainly off-road and usually ridden on a mountain bike and runs east to west, from Clayton, GA (at the SC border) to the Silver Comet Trail where it crosses the AL line. It's 355'ish miles and has 40,000+ feet of elevation gain using forest service roads, gravel, single and double track, pavement, and whatever Honcho calls that shit at the top of Hickory Nut. Just kidding, I like that section. And if the route itself weren't difficult enough, the event is held the second weekend in August every year, meaning, essentially, the worst time of year imaginable in the Southeast.   After switching jobs in June, life hadn't afforded me the time to ride as much as I typically would. I completed a whopping two training rides the two weekends prior to the race. Oh well, the mind is strong.