GG5K on the Not-So-Distant Horizon

March 9, 2010 on 3:00 pm | In Mountain Biking | 19 Comments

Defending Growlers Gulch 5,000 champ Mike Van Hoose once said, “At Growlers, the dumber the event, the more people show up.”

Here’s your chance to prove him right. Sign-up begins now for the storied GG5K, the first event on the 2010 ride circuit and what some believe is the toughest wheel in the quest for Fist of Five status. The date is Saturday, May 22nd. Start time is 9 a.m.

What to Expect: Prepare to be on your bike from 3.5 to 7 hours. You can view all 2009 GG5K times and check the details at http://writeteknorthwest.com/archives/941/van-hoose-takes-5k-title. 

I have tried to tell the slackers that this is a ride, not a race, but no one listens to the Voice of Reason. Everybody pushes the envelope on the 5K. That said, the most important thing is to ride at a pace you can sustain. Your chances of winning are slim to none; the real goal is to finish.  

We have a 35-rider max. First priority to regulars and those who have worked on trail at GG.

In the coming weeks, we will be offering tours of the ride route. Make sure you get involved. In the past, we’ve had a few people sign up for the 5K but not come out to nail things down. This resulted in ugliness. If you are telling yourself that you will simply ride on someone’s wheel for 25 to 30 miles, get this idea out of your head now. You have to know the entire route. On race day – okay, I should have said ride day – you will be on your own. Do not expect anyone to serve as your personal caddy.

2010 Ride Route: We have taken steps to head off complaints that the 5K is too easy. Last year, we racked up about 28 miles. The good news is that this year’s 5K will be slightly shorter! The bad news is that the route will be steeper.

Instead of that miserable gravel climb up the Lament, we will substitute Bitter Bitch, a new piece of single-track that lives up to its name. Tack on a few climbs up Jekyll and your quads will be talking to you. BTW – The switch from the Lament to Bitter Bitch is the only change from last year’s route.

New Riders: We had 24 riders last year. We know a number of other people are ready to step up. Special call-out to Carol Mathre, Tonya Breedlove, Sam Loney, Ryan Hicks, Jeff Lipton, Brian Butler, Aaron Dennis and others. Now is the time to push your game to the next level and get yourself in shape for those big summer rides.

The 5K is doable. You just have to prep for it and believe that you will finish, despite the pain.

Former Champs and Contenders: If former participants attend, favorites include defending champ Mike Van Hoose, two-time GG5K king Lance Brigman, and 2008 winner Bob Stanton. Cage Aaron, Eric Loney, Al Hansen, Ryan McMaster, Ken Pearson, Dennis Veatch, Thomas Mueller, Aaron Althaeuser, and Paul Norris are among the other top contenders.

Four-time women’s champ Susan Martin should be back to defend her crown against a strong group of challengers that includes Melanie Norris, Denise Vernon, and Dara Hartman.

Training: I know this will come as a shock to you, but it appears that some of the cheaters have already started training for this event.

I will have the complete ride route for you soon but it’s not too early to get started with your preparation, particularly if you haven’t done the 5K before. It’s not the Cascade Creampuff, but you would be foolish to treat the 5K as “just another ride.”

You can start by practicing the first leg, which is the most difficult. This represents approximately 1,700 feel of ascent:

• 465 to the Big Wow and down
• Up Ridge
• Down Rush and over to Bitter Bitch
• Up BB to gravel/Lament
• Gravel (with right turn up the hill) to Upper Jekyll
• Upper Jekyll to gravel at RR grade
• Gravel to top of 313 hill
• Stop to throw up

Memories: The highlight of the ’09 5K was the gut-check ride turned in by Melanie “The Hammer” Norris. After breaking her shoulder seven miles in, she sucked it up and completed all 28 miles – and beat her time from the year before along the way!

S0, who’s in? It’s not even 30 miles. How hard can it be?