Well, we had our Tombstone 600 this past weekend and my buddy and I failed to finish. Actually, any time you learn a few lessons in the process, it may not be a failure.
In any case, we started out in Tucson under a steady rain and temps in the low 50's. As we climbed into the Santa Rita Mountains between Sahuarita & Sonoita AZ, the rain continued but now there was hail, ice and even a bit of snow. Have you ever gone downhill with hail bouncing off your face? That happened on at least three occasions. We also had to change two tubes. One, when we arrived in Sahuarita and the other, about 10 miles outside of the same town. I knew it was cold when ice failed to melt as it landed on my rain gear. It just sat there - taunting me.
Technically speaking, we didn't quit but rather ran out of time into the Sonoita checkpoint by 30 minutes. But, to be honest, I was pretty much done anyway. The winds were relentless - steady at 30 mph with 45+ gusts. At one point, I watched my friend get blown over laterally by 3 feet. We were getting pounded.
I was so cold upon arrival in Sonoita that holding a drink was hard - from the body shakes.
I think that 12 signed up. Two didn't start. I think they may have been the smartest. One dropped within the first 30 miles due to the cold, another dropped at the 50 mile point and then we dropped in Sonita. One more dropped at some point - five much hardier & stronger riders finished the event.
We'll give a 600 another shot but this time, we'll drive over to Orange CA for their triple loop 600k. Thank God for randonesia...it'll help me forget the bad weather on this particular rando.
