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El Paso Puzzler Endurance MTB Event - NE
El Paso, Texas, February 7, 2009
2008 Results Results
Local female pro wins overall Endurance MTB Event
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The second El Paso Puzzler mountain bike event saw almost 60 riders line up for what turned out to be a much longer event than anticipated. The Puzzler, in its second year, circumnavigated the northern portion of the Franklin Mountains with a 35-mile loop plus another extra 15 miles of rocky singletrack on the west side of the mountains. Most of the race's trails were located in the Franklin Mountain State Park, the largest urban state park in the United States.
Local Titus/WTB pro Jennifer Tribe-Wilson met her goal of a sub-six hour finish and en route defeated all of the other men and women in the race. Many were pulled from the course at several check points, and the final finisher came in after over eight hours of riding. Due to the tough course, Wilson rode a 27-pound full suspension bike despite the fact that she only weighs 120 pounds.
"This course demands it," said Tribe-Wilson. "You've got to be able to relax on endurance courses, but this course is so damn rocky you can't settle in to a groove without a big bike."
Tribe-Wilson rode the first 27 miles in third or fourth place overall, about five minutes behind eventual fourth place men's Category 1 finisher and local El Paso roadie hard man Henry Swinty (Rica Burger), who traded licks on the first lap with eventual Category 1 men's winner Keith Ashmore. Tribe-Wilson, who usually hits the big climb on her training rides at least once a week, reeled in the two leaders up Mundy's Gap. Swinty cracked during the singletrack climbing, and Ashmore had trouble maintaining traction at the bottom of the steep jeep road climb to the top.
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The course had a total of 8,000 feet of climbing with an agonizingly slow 1,600-foot grind to the top of Mundy's Gap to cross back over the range.
Race director David Wilson (Tribe-Wilson's husband) called the Puzzler course the most difficult 50-mile course in the country. "Having ridden a couple hundred milers, countless traditional cross country courses including Snowshoe, West Virginia, in axle-deep mud, and trails all over North America, I'm pretty confident that this is the toughest marathon length course currently available in the US.
"Canada might have some tougher stuff, and there are some courses that get tough when they get muddy, but we never get mud and our riding season is best during the winter," said Wilson who conjured up the event with his wife several years ago, but could never get enough people interested in riding some of the trails circumnavigating El Paso's Franklin Mountains until last year.
The top three in each category walked home with a Paris-Roubaix style trophy consisting of a jagged piece of "Franklin Red"…the granite rock characteristic of the course.
The event served as the main fundraiser for the Borderland Mountain Bike Association.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by David Wilson
- El Paso road honch Henry Swinty (Rica Burger) leads at mile 26 on the short stretch of levee marking the south east border of the largest state park in the United States.
- Jennifer Tribe-Wilson (Titus/WTB) exits the eastern side of the Franklin Mountains at mile 26 with a mouth full of food and some comment about a downed course marker.
- Jennifer Tribe-Wilson (Titus/WTB) enjoys a smooth patch while heading to the feed zone at mile 27.
- Mike Rossen (The Bicycle Co.) takes a pit stop at Heinrich Park and lets his wife know that he's feeling okay.
- A contingency of Mexican riders raids the aid station. Ediberto Legaspy (206) and Luis Gutierrez (220) of Team Intense Chihuahua refuel as Juan Hernandez tinkers with his bike.
- Jennifer Tribe-Wilson (Titus/WTB) exits the west side of the range with a two minute lead at the 34 mile mark.
- Henry Swinty (Rica Burger) negotiates some off-camber rockiness on the west side of the Franklins.
- Jennifer Tribe-Wilson (Titus/WTB) is all smiles as she hammers the last 100 meters of pavement to the finish.
- Men's winner Keith Ashmore exits the dirt for the last mile and half of pavement to the finish with a some sort of comment about the difficulty of the course. (photo by David Wilson)
- The winner's bike boasts some big meat up front and good knobs in the back to help muscle through the loose rocks of the Franklins and the surrounding Chihuahua desert.
- Javier Solis gives the "I'm done" signal as he opts out on the additional 15 mile loop.
- Second-year competitor Ryan Cody dismounts at the end of 50 brutal miles while event promoter Brent Sanders (pink jersey) recaps some of the action with volunteers.
- Henry Swinty (Rica Burger), who dropped to sixth overall (fourth in Cat 1 men) is spent. Rumor has it that he rode his bike home after refueling.
Images by Priscilla Rossen
- Keith Ashmore accepts his winner's check from race director David Wilson.
- Jennifer Tribe-Wilson (Titus/WTB) with a jagged piece of the Franklins for her sub-six hour effort.
- Event promoter Brent Sanders hugs his wife Susanne "The Dane" Rasmussen (second female finisher seventh overall) at the awards tarp.
- Another Denmark native, Erling Brabaek, shows his gratitude to his 5-inch travel Lenz 29er while his daughter admires her dad's incredible efforts.
- Cat 1 women's winner Kim Bear (Team Santa Fe) hoists her piece of the Franklins.
- Brent Sanders (left) and David Wilson (rright), two of the sick minds behind the Puzzler, are all smiles after the completion of their second effort at managing an endurance event.
Results
50 mile event Elite women 1 Jennifer Tribe-Wilson (Titus/WTB) 5.58.00 Men Category 1 1 Keith Ashmore 6.12.00 2 Mike Rossen (The Bicycle Co.) 12.00 3 Ryan Cody 14.00 4 Henry Swinty (Rica Burger) 17.00 5 Jan Bear (Team Santa Fe) 36.00 6 Juan Hernandez 47.00 7 Michael Mangan (Big Wheel Racing) 58.00 8 Dave Kraig (Rattle yer Dags) 1.03.00 DNS Alan Rishel (Zia Velo) Women category 1 1 Kim Bear (Team Santa Fe) 8.16.00 DNS Karen Rishel (Zia Velo) Men category 2 1 Brent Sanders 6.25.00 2 Juan Salaynadia 44.00 3 Luis Gutierrez (Team Intense Chih) 45.00 4 Ediberto Legaspy (Team Intense Chih) 46.00 5 Gustavo Fierro 1.02.00 6 Richard Rose (Terminator) 1.29.00 7 Erling Brabaek 1.42.00 8 Logan Ross 1.47.00 9 Raymond Padilla (Dirt Bitch) 1.50.00 10 Cameron Bailey 1.58.00 DNF Jorge Sandoval DNF Ayden Hibner-Hereford (Active Knowledge) DNF Andre Graefe DNF Yonathan Hernandez DNF James Inzer DNF Michael Orendorff DNF Javier Soliz DNF Bruce Wacker DNF Kareem Hager DNF Jaime Kuehnel DNF Abram Diaz DNF Alfredo Nunez DNS Jose Molina Women Cat 2 1 Susanne Rasmussen 6.29.00 2 Ciara Cusack 1.12.00 Unknown category 1 Chris Hereford (Big Wheel Racing) 7.00.00 2 Matt Killeen 1.18.00 35 mile Men category 3 1 Blain Freestone 5.17.00 2 Patrick Amy 3.00 3 Felix Hernando 26.00 4 Mike Johnson 27.00 5 John Duffy 28.00 6 Bobby Weathersby 36.00 7 Jaime Midez 43.00 8 Luis Martinez 1.06.00 9 Cole Phillips 1.14.00 10 Joel Delgado (Ciclismo Juarez) 1.18.00 11 Joze Gonzalez (Satelite Team) 2.02.00 12 Manuel Pardo 2.08.00 13 Syed Yusoof 2.09.00 14 Tom Benson 2.38.00 14 Adrian Urias 15 Luis Dominguez 2.40.00 DNF Martin Sotero DNF David Villegas DNF Marcus Brown DNF Jeff Bero DNF Jesus Palma DNS David Steyer DNF Roberto Abbud DNF Humberto Gonzalez DNS Joe Oker DNF Ana Paulo Duran
