Tinley's was wet, muddy and at times scary. I remember the lactic acid burn hiking up 1000ft with a bike on your back! I remember rain and sun alternating the trails between mud and mud slides. I remember useless glasses, useless brakes, useless bike. I remember seeing Tinley's Toughest doing it again & again; seeing only 2 colors on athletes, brown and red; seeing Todd & Kurt determined to the end; seeing groups DNF off the course; and seeing the bandages and bruises multiply after each race.

And I remember the beautiful views from the high ridges; the raccoons refusing to wait for us to finish dinner; the tenacity the athletes showed; the line of clothes that would not dry; the 60 degree water and those that swam "sans" wetsuit; and, most memorable, the loud requests from the athletes for a prayer before Sunday's race.

Saturday morning I dove into Lake Lopez for the 1/2mi swim, it went great and my wetsuit kept me warm. 10:40 and I headed for my first ever, mtn bike transition.

Putting a jersey and gloves on was a real slowdown and I was anxious to get going as the clouds got dark. Amazingly, as I shoot out on the bike, John K, also transitioning, notices I have no water, "what are you going to drink, Troy?!" "Oh, thanks!" I make a U turn, crash, weave amongst the bodies and grab my CamelBack. Tinley's doesn't have aid stations, 2 hrs without water wouldn't be good.

Onto the muddy, sticky trails. Under trees, over logs, down side-banks, through washouts and up the fireroad. I throw my bike onto my back and jam each foot into the mud for traction. Steep gets steeper, no one can talk over the gasping, the calves are screaming, around each turn it gets worse. The lake drops below as we stagger up to a narrow pinnacle like the crest of the world's tallest roller coaster. As I shoot over the top and see the mountain drop below me, I think I feel "negative G's". Holding on for dear life, through the 'whoop-de-doos', trying to make each hill, pushing through the gooey clay, fighting desperately to get mud-ball shoes attached to cleats before the next drop-off, dirt clods hitting the face. Pushing, riding, and then descending through trees, along ridges, getting faster, brakes hardly working, see a big rock, make mistake of staring at it, blam! In front of the only spectator I pull off a great save and just as I smile... pssss... pinch flat!

I throw another tube in (along with mud and dirt) and fight to pump it up. Everything's slippery, grimy, and the nozzle is now bent. Somehow I get enough air in and continue the challenges ahead: river beds, cement jumps, drop-offs, road riding, singletrack, high speed mud-pelting descents, beach riding, stairs, and sections so slippery you carried your bike in one arm and used the other to keep from face planting.

Now for lap 2! The rains come, the trails are sliding off the mountain, where did these rivers come from? The good part is the wet mud allows for clipping in better. The bad part is the descents are out of control! One leg biking, one leg mud skiing, brakes pinned to the bars and still accelerating. Glasses are history, eyes are closed, mud and rain pelting your face. This 2nd loop is a mess, the bike is 10lbs heavier, break pads are almost gone and the chain sounds like a gravel mixer. Cougar trail is now chocolate malt. You climb with feet buried in the trail, and surf alongside the bike down rivers of mud.

After 2hrs on the bike I get to run which doesn't feel any different at all! (the secret to a fluid bike-to-run transition is a lot of running during the bike) Being on pavement, now I'm making progress. I start chasing down guys. Some places Im doing better than the struggling bikers alongside. After my 3rd GU I pick it up. I change from hot to cold with the sporadic rains but my jersey zipper is clogged with mud. I finally finish with a 47:30 run and total time just under 3hrs. I proceed directly to the lake and throw my bike in.

The Extreme Mtn Bike Race on Sunday was the same 2 loops and I was worried about spending another 2 hrs in the treacherous gunk. But the weather cleared up and, although the searing calf pain of the 1 mile bike-hike was all too familiar, the trails actually were getting good. Since I left most of my rear brakes on the Saturday course, I had to rely mainly on the fronts. Parts I hiked before were now ridable. By lap 2 I was really having fun, praising God and enjoying a totally rad bike course. Curving, undulating singletrack, jumps and drop-offs, and steep hills with great "ride outs" at the bottom. I finished in 1:42 and won the overall Sport division by 3 minutes!

Todd, Kurt, and I all had a blast at Tinley's Dirty Adventures! It was true that it was miserable at times, but at other times it was AWESOME, and we were there to experience riding, the worst and the best, like none that we've ever seen.