The Squealer 2002 Report
On what would turn out to be a beautiful day, 69 riders plus a few volunteers got up well before dawn to get to the start of The Squealer. To get to the start, everyone had to ride up a 1˝ mile dirt road.
I started checking everyone in before there was light. Everyone received a number plate, hand made by some volunteers the night before. Even though I had encouraged pre-registration, more than a few riders just showed up that morning. All were welcome, and soon we had everyone signed in and ready to start.
The first girl started at 6:33 am. Seven more girls followed her at 45 second intervals, one, Risha, on a single speed. Then went the single speed guys, all 16 of them, one after another. In total, single speeds made up over 23% of the bikes.
In their turn, the 45 geared guys started. There were several people from out of state, and two of them made a wrong turn in the first 15 feet. There uncanny ability to follow the other 30 or so riders who preceded them concerned me, but I figured they would have fun even if they got lost. My helpful volunteers Derek and Annie continued sending off the riders every 45 seconds while I went to get set up at the finish line.
About the ride: this is probably the toughest 17 miles of single track in Phoenix. It hits you hard immediately. The first few miles consist of technical climbing. Most of the participants ride this trail in their daily lives, but few have raced it. When your body is already pushed to its limit, the technical sections are much tougher than you remember them.
After riding up to the top of South Mountain, the trail follows the spine of the mountain. It is scenic, but not many people had time to enjoy the view – except the bunnies. Way up in the mountains the egg bunnies did their duties, hiding eggs. When the riders saw the bunnies, they would get off their bikes and look for their egg – the one with a number on it that matches their number plate. Some riders were friendly with the bunnies. They were rewarded with subtle hints as to where their egg might be hidden. Others were not so nice. They didn’t mean to be rude, but some riders let the stress of competition put them in an anxious mood. The bunnies were not so generous with their hints to these people.
After the egg hunt, the riders had to transport their egg to the finish line without cracking it. A crack results in a five minute penalty. This is not so easy since there remain miles of technical trail with plenty of opportunities to crash. Many riders showed forethought in bringing padded containers in which to carry their treasure.
The time trial ends at the end of the National Trail at San Juan. Here the bunny Lisa recorded everyone’s time and inspected their egg. Only three people were found to have been unfortunate enough to break their egg. At San Juan, the group is supposed to wait for everyone to finish before riding to the bbq, but a couple riders were still on the trail when the pack headed out. Hopefully this can be avoided in the future. I strive to make everyone feel like they equally part of the event, regardless of how fast they are, even if it means waiting a little.
The group rode a few miles of road and a couple miles of trail to get to the party at the bbq. Here Scott and I had set up a feast for everyone. I think everyone got their fill of food and beer (which was kindly donated by Rio Salado Brewing and Missing Link Racing), and then we had the awards ceremony. Some generous sponsors, Phil Wood & Co. and Dirt Rag, provided some nice prizes, as they did last year. This year I was also able to give out some of my own socks to top performers, as well as a little cash that was left over from the bbq donations.
There were many outstanding performances. All the previous records were smashed. Troy Nelson, starting from last place, had the best time of 1:32:28, even though he had to pass most of the field. Dara Marks, even with a five minute cracked egg penalty, prolonged her reign as the fastest girl. Her net time of 2:00:09 was only 3 seconds faster than second place Jennifer Anderson. The fastest single speeder at 1:34:33, Jason Spencer, finished second only to the fastest guy. Overall, the single speeds performed exceptionally, claiming 6 of the top 10 times of the day.
Hoss made some silver head tube badges for the three champions: Fastest Guy, Fastest Girl, and Fastest Single Speed. These were in addition to the hand made trophies, prizes, and beverages that they received.
The traditional Bloodiest Rider trophy, awarded by popular cheering, went to Mark Bingham. This was contested by at least four riders. However, I feel that Bruce Hendrickson, who also won a prize for the slowest ride yet had the best attitude, may have been bloodier and would have won if it were not for the location of Mark injuries that drew a larger cheer.
On the topic of injuries, this year we had one serious injury, Kay McCormick. If you know her, volunteer your assistance. I hope she recovers quickly.
After the awards, Eugene, owner and operator of Normal Unicycles, raffled off one of his hand made unicycles. The lucky(?) winner was Tom Brecke. Special thanks go to Eugene for his generous contribution.
After the bbq was over and everything was cleaned up, I headed home. On the way out of the park is a cowboy bar, The Stables. There was a large bike pile outside of it, so in I went. Many of the riders had congregated here afterwards for more beer. After several rounds, the unicycle made its way into the bar. Several people tried to ride it through the bar, including the bartender herself. This bar had a strange mix of bikers, cowboys, and babies.
The point of The Squealer is for everyone to have fun. Again this year, I think it was a tremendous success. This year The Squealer changed a little, and I learned some things to do different next year. I always welcome suggestions on how to make it better.
Some
other notes on The Squealer:
We start the ride early for one reason only – to avoid other trail users. No matter how early we start we can not avoid all of them. There were a few hikers that were on the trail, but not many. I remind everyone at the start to be extra courteous to other people not involved in our event, even if it means losing time. I think everyone adhered to this strictly, but apparently there were a couple women who just didn’t like seeing so many bikes pass them. I don’t like to hear this, but I doubt the blame lies with the riders. There will always be people who you cannot please no matter how friendly you are. But we should let these people be a reminder to continue our efforts to be extremely courteous to everyone.
The Squealer is an event for the riders. It is an event that can happen without spectators, prizes, and teams. It is about mountain biking in its purest form. It is about self-sufficient, skilled riders tackling difficult terrain on their own, and having fun while doing it. Everyone is expected to carry everything they will require from start to finish, without gaining anything or dropping anything along the way. It is not supposed to resemble a NORBA race. Never will it have feed zones, water hand-offs, or team work. If you are a part of a team, you are free to wish each other luck, cheer for each other, and congratulate each other at the end, but that is all. Your friends who spectate along the trail are not allowed to support you. Your team mates riding with you are not allowed to incorporate team tactics. If you encounter difficulties along the way and some stranger comes to your aid, that is fine, because that is part of mountain biking. My definition of a stranger is someone who you did not come to the race with and with whom you have not discussed any strategies.
I hope to always have participants that appreciate such an event. It is these principles that make this event special. I don’t put on The Squealer for profit. My rewards are the smiles and excitement I see from the participants. (But if you want to buy some Squealer Socks, I’ll take your money.)
I owe special thanks to anyone and everyone who helped out with The Squealer. Here is a list of those people (if fear I may have left people out, please let me know if you see an omission):
Alacia Hutto – Decorated plates and numbered the eggs.
Annie Smith – She helped with registration, starting, and finishing.
Beth – The Chief Egg Bunny who earned her ears.
Bev Rogers -- Made number plates and cookies.
Bob Buddecke – Helped me procure food for 100 at Costco.
Dawn – The Egg Bunny with the best bunny outfit.
Derek Hileman – For the 3rd year in a row, he helped start people and swept the course.
Eugene Cathcart – Raffled (for free) his handmade unicycle.
Hollyn Buddecke -- Made cookies.
Hoss Rogers -- Hoss hand-made sterling silver head tube badges for the three champions.
Jim Vincent – Arranged the beer and helped with the bbq.
Lisa Loeffler – The Finish Line Bunny, she recorded times and checked eggs.
Merry Nowicki – An Egg Bunny who is the star of The Squealer video tape.
Patsy Giemsoe -- Brought potatoes and brownies.
Randy Sooter – Number plate crafter.
Randy Zima – He helped make number plates.
Scott from Seattle – He helped start the riders and set up the bbq.
6-Pack – Operated the grill and helped with the bbq.
Rio Salado Brewing Co. – Donated the keg of beer.
Phil Wood & Co. – Donated the single speed hubset and lubricants.
Dirt Rag – Donated a messenger bag, saddle, socks, magazines, and beer glasses.