This is my "home" course so to speak since it less than an hour drive. I've ridden there 4 times this year about 2 laps each time. I've only been back into biking since I bought my mountain bike earlier this spring. The bike is very budget oriented so I am on inferior equipment. It is a 2011 GT Karokoram 1.0 29er. All of the parts are lower grade like the X5 shifters, Shimano hyd disc brakes, X7 RD, and Alivio FD and crankset, Rock Shox Recon Silver TK fork, Alex rims, etc... I had a pretty tight budget at the time for bicycles, until I loosened the wife up and recently bought a Specialized Roubaix. I would put my skill at beginner at best. I used to ride BMX when I was a 8 to 13, but that was a very long time ago. I'm a big fat pig now with numerous nagging injuries. I am down a few pounds and 6 pants sizes so far. I have been road riding about 300 - 400 miles per month this summer. I am very slow on the road bike. I average about 15 - 16 mph on the centurys. In other words I suck pretty bad at this stuff. My goal is to finish and not die trying. I would also content that my abilities probably still exceed my bravery. I am afraid of trees.