Vague Idea Racing: Breck Epic '25: Lessons, Regrets, and Reflections

I've had more than a week to come out of the general brain cloud that comes from doing something as life-affecting as a mountain bike stage race can be. I'd forgotten to share some tidbits, so here goes.

Lessons.

Take care of your body, even on Day Zero.

I did a pretty good job listening to my body's needs during the race, but I made a stupid mistake before getting to the start line on day one. I ate my normal breakfast on Saturday at the abnormal time of 4:00am before heading to the airport, one slice of bread (half organic peanut butter/half strawberry preserves/folded over), 16oz of milk, and 32oz of coffee. My next "meal" was the first class breakfast which was rich people food (salmon, capers, fruit), but in normal people quantities. Yeth, first class because the bump-up was worth the two free (up to) 75lb bags, priority luggage, meals and bevvies. Then it was the wait for the shuttle, the three hour ride to Breck, and by the time we were settled in an I desperately paid $20 for a bag of chips and a slice of pizza at the Sky Market in Breck, it was too late. My body was already in sad shut-down mode, and that set me up for a rough night as my stomach did not return to normal until the next afternoon.

Adding insult to injury, I started impatiently eating the meaty pizza as soon as they handed it to me... standing up and thinking "this is not smart." Of course I dumped some of the meaty bits down my chest, so now there's a permanent grease stain on my HandUp rain coat to remind me that I was a double idiot on Day Zero of the 2025 Breck Epic.

Although Chamois Butt'r was handing out free samples like they were candy, I was using my private supply sparingly, like I was just going out on a usual weekend ride. I woke up on day three with some major rubbage in my cheek fold zone. I had no decent excuse, so I loaded up on samples, and doubled up with a VERY thorough application every day after. No problems the rest of the week. Butt'r that muffin.

Take care of your bike.

I was headed out the door for Stage One on Sunday morning, and I kinda dropped my bike on the ground in the hotel hallway and heard a strange jangle. A noise a single speed shouldn't make. Chain? No. Cables? No. Bottle cages? No. Rear wheel?

Dammit.

In my hurry to build my bike, I'd forgot to thread the rear thru-axle all the way in... because it requires just a bit of attention when the chain is properly tensioned. Note to self: If any component requires reassembly when taking it outta the travel case, double check it. Everything. Stem bolts, rotor lock rings, pedals... axles. Mebbe even triple check it... before relying on it for six days.

Regrets.

I felt like I was the worst descender I could ever be. Not one to be mentally aware of my environment, I didn't recognize that the conditions were probably the driest I'd ever seen since I did my first Breck Epic in '09. Where I'm from, dry is good. But up here? No bueno. Loose. Anti-hero dirt. I saw more carnage than usual every day, riders wrecking in front of me, busted humans showing up bruised and battered to the start, medics and evacuations... it wasn't just me. I guess I wasn't really slow, just respecting the conditions because my ultimate goal was to finish.

I was kinda hard on myself in the moment, but I'm gonna stick with the "discretion is (was) the better part of valor" theme on this one.

I wished I woulda looked around, smelled the roses, got lost and all caught up in it at once. If you know something is gonna be your last ever, take... your... time. I was so busy tryna do this stage under five hours and that stage under three hours, I missed the point. I was in my favorite place in the world, and somehow in a hurry to... get back to my room... to eat sad tortellini... to wash my kit in the tub... to take a nap... to get in my squeezy leg bags?

Dumb.

If you ever get the chance to do Breck Epic, make sure you appreciate all the things. It's big. Like King Kong big. You're gonna need to step back so you can drink it all in. Also, make sure you get the chance to get yourself your very own BMF belt buckle.

Reflections.

Ever since Mike Mac announced back in '08 that he intended to put on a stage race in Colorado, I pushed all my chips to the center of the table with my eyes closed. The gamble paid off, and I fell madly in love with quite honestly the hardest, most rewarding thing I've ever done... so many times. It's taken years of looking back at all the things, but nothing has challenged me as much nor gave me such a feeling of "I did a thing" as the Breck Epic (or such a feeling of "I didn't do a thing" when I crashed out in '21... real tears). I've got ten finisher buckles, but I have ten times as many memories to reminisce on when I'm a real "old" and can no longer do things. Hands down, some of the best riding I've ever had in my thirty five plus years on a mountain bike. I'm proud of the things that I've done there... aside from a few moments at the awards banquets (sorry I threw so many various projectiles)... and mebbe a regrettable act or two (probably a half dozen) reveling my balls off at the Stage Seven Gold Pan afterparty. It pains me so much to think I'm not going back that I'm even considering flying back out next year on vacation to volunteer?

Nuts, right?

Well, in closing...

I've... had... the time of my life... and all that.