Not that I'm attending...

Today I prerode the SSAZ course. What the course was last year I should say. Not the whole course, just the opening 9 mile climb and the first loop. I had intended to do the whole thing but I got lost (again) and by the time I got back to Redington Road the watch was creeping up on 3hrs 30m. With the second loop being about a hour and a half then the 30m ride home I quickly did the calculations and realized I had not enough food or more importantly drinks to continue. No biggie, coming down Redington at mach one was a load of fun also. So much so I got rejuvenated and managed to pull a 30min race effort at the end of the ride surprising even myself.

After a 6 mile neutral start you will be treated to the opening climb of Readington Road...
Don't be alarmed by the gunshots. There are many areas where future assassins get to hone their skills. Worried about taking pictures of people with guns, I snapped a photo of the only vacant target area...
Keep going...

At this point the climb gets less severe... It's not over till after mp12 but it rolls after mp10
Finally the payoff...
The Arizona trail is some of the sweetest single track I've seen out here. Rocky, flowing and loose in sections it can be ridden very fast but takes some steady handling to do so. Unfortunately it's over in just a few miles and after a few fences and an annoying washed out stream bed comes the part of the course I disliked the most last year. The climb to High Chiva...
Watch your nuts while jumping the fence...

Washed out stream bed. I emptied my shoes after this, you of course will be racing...

The climb to High Chiva is best described as the fire road climb from hell. Estimated at 3 miles long, this fire road isn't your typical Ringwood fireroad. There could no truck in the fleet that could traverse this climb. To add insult to injury, The descent is worse. My chest was on the seat many times and the surface is extremely loose. By far the hardest unfun part of the course.

A little more single track then a rocky fireroad climb will bring you back out on Redington. I made a left to head for home you will be making a right to climb back up to the Arizona trail, this time you'll head the other way on the Arizona trail. Your SSAZ experience is about to get a whole lot better.
I'll check that out tomorrow for ya...