Last Man Standing race report by Stephen Edmondson

We left Virginia on Wednesday and went from 70 degrees and sunny to 20 degrees and snowing in Texas. Because of the weather, a lot of riders were late in getting to the race and they canceled the qualifier so we just got to do some practicing on the qualifier track on Friday. The terrain on Friday was the exact opposite of what we raced on Saturday.

The race started off with me kicking my bike twice and I was pretty much last off of the start of 137 riders. I tried to pass as many people as I could right off the bat. The first few miles were pretty chaotic with bottlenecks around every turn, even on the down hills. I worked my way through most of them fairly easy and made my way up into the top 25, maybe 3 miles into the race. We then came to a real bad rocky, switch back hill, where me and a few other riders had to team up to carry our bikes through since no outside help was allowed this year. After that, it was pretty much one hill after another. It really took a toll on everyone and their bikes. People were dropping like flies. I made it to the first gas which was just 17 miles in and stopped to fill up my camel back, bike, and radiator. By the time I made it to Joshua tree, which was the first spectator point, I think I had made it up to around 11th place and I was still feeling pretty good, considering. However, my bike was taking a beating and I had no rear fender at this point from launching my bike up the hills and watching it land. The next 5 or 6 miles were pretty demanding, with lots of gully's and drop offs. I made it with no real problems to the next gas stop which was around 27 miles. I stopped and took a break for some water and talked to a course worker. I did not need gas to get to the finish so I took off for some more fun.

Bills woods were next and this was the easier part of the trail, I guess. it was 6 miles of good tight enduro trail. I started to get my second wind at this point, which I realized I needed when I arrived at the triple threat. It was tough. I could not even attempt the first hill until I helped a guy on a Honda get to the top and then I made it to the top of the first hill. I'll be honest, after that its all pretty much a blur. It must have been a good 30 minutes of pushing and pulling to make it through triple threat. All I really remember is the spectators screaming and the cameras flashing.

Next up was Texas stadium which was not quite as bad, but still took a lot of pushing. After that there was maybe 2 miles to the finish. They had a helicopter there to shoot video of us and it felt like it was 10 foot over my head right until the end of the first lap, which I managed to finish in 5th place. As soon as I finished I crashed to the grass until I was told to go into the motor home to stay warm and change. My pit crew jumped on the bike and took control getting it ready for the night. At this point, all I wanted was a full body massage, but I settled for a hot shower, dry clothes, and lots of blankets. I had an hour and a half to recoup.

So many people pitched in to get me ready for the night, I honestly dont even know who to thank.

The night race started with 11 riders and I was lucky enough to be one of them. We ran in reverse this time and everything was going fine until I arrived back at triple threat. The triple threat was at the beginning this time because because we were going backwards. Pretty much everyone was stuck, so I left my bike a the bottom of the hill and went to help others. After I helped get everyone else going, only Nick Fahringer, and Chris Smith left. The other riders went on so it was just us three left behind to fend for ourselves. By this time the clutch was slipping really badly in my bike, but we all made it to the gas stop which was at about the 8 mile mark. When we got to the check, we were advised by a course worker to go back to the pits. Our race was over and that was the end to a long long night.

The worst part? Having to wait a year to get another crack at the course.

I can't wait.

Stephen