6 Hours in Frog Hollow // First Endurance Mountain Bike Race

When your buddy, Nate, asks you to sign up for a spring-time 6 Hour endurance mountain bike race in the Southwestern Utah Desert, you recall the minimal amount of miles you’ve ridden this winter and say, “No.” But then, you rethink about it, and misunderstand the request because obviously he inferred we’d be racing as a team, so only required to race for half the time. This gets you more interested, starting to put more miles in on the bike in winter, and even a little excited. Only for him to slam that door and let me know that we’re signing up for the “Solo Category” and each of us would be heading out for a 6hr race. Whelp, at this point, I was already committed and signed up on February 27th, from my desk in North Carolina, for a race 23 days later in Hurricane, Utah. What could go wrong?

6 Hours Frog Hollow is a new race on the calendar that has the participants riding a 14 mile loop as many time as possible in the allotted 6 hour time fame. Far be it from the namesake 25 hours of Frog Hollow which is a staple of the endurance mountain bike events, but will definitely be a punishing race based on the fact most riders haven’t ridden too much over the snowy and cold winter months. Or so I thought would be the case. The course itself was fun, and relatively easy as far as desert riding goes. Following mostly the classic trails in the Hurricane Clifs region, you ride the JEM trail, JEM Road, More Cowbell, and Hurricane Rim. And each lap will have you climbing a total of 1,200 ft with a mostly pyramid shapped elevation profile, giving you a fast and fun descent for the ladder half of the race course. But don’t be fooled, the road climb is as grueling as it gets after multiple laps in a day.

Getting there and setting up for the weekend was a blast. This race cuts through the BLM camping area that we frequented very often through the years. Despite the increased popularity, and the midnight struggle to find a camp spot in the dark, we landed on a site close to the course and stayed there through the weekend! Alternatively, you could have paid a small fee ($5) and got a camping pass to camp near the start of the race and get the benefit of port-a-potties and a food truck. We chose to go with the solidarity especially since we had our dog with us who likes to go exploring. And since we got to camp earlier in the week, Nate rolled in late after work on Friday, only to head to bed right away in the back of his to be as rested as possible for the big ride the following morning. It’s the night before a race, that I really love having the van with our foam mattress rather than camping on a sleeping pad and getting only a few hours of good sleep.

Race Start

Before the sun rose, we scrambled about camp to dial in our tire pressures, shove down as many calories as possible, and try not to freeze our fingers off in the morning chill that hadn’t hit 40deg yet. With our headlights lighting up the dirt in front of our tires, we rode down to the starting area. Waiting around for the obligatory pre-race racer meeting, Nate, Courtney, and I huddled around a burning barrel that absolutely warmed the soul. Fortunately, we didn’t have to move far from the fire while we listened to the ZIA race organizer go through the rules and plan for the race. It was there we found out it was going to be a Lemans Style start, and then we were off to the starting line for a long day of riding. Luckily, the sun just popped up over the sandstone cliffs of Zion National Park, which was very much needed. When the clock struck 8:00AM, we all sprinted the 100yds to our bikes that were layed down in the road, and took off up the gravel road towards the Sheep Bridge Trailhead.

Of the 234 participants, though not all started at the same time due to the team format, I thought I’d settle down somewhere in the middle. Not up with the speedy roadies, and not in the back with casual riders on clapped out bikes. But as I pedaled my comfortable race pace, knowing I had a long day ahead and did not have the legs to keep up, I just kept getting passed by some seriously fit and fast folks dressed in lyrca and on some really pointy bikes. Waiting, and waiting, my group never seemed to come, everyone was just really fast. Definitely a gut check to my ego, I reached the double track on JEM road not knowing where I stood in the overall order, but just knew this was going to be a really painful day for me if I tried keeping up with those around me.

Lap 1

It was all new, albeit, not most of the trail, but the race-day experience. By the time we hit the mixed single/doubletrack on the climb up JEM Road trail, everybody was racing. When the trail widened up, riders overtook, or if someone missed a gear shift on a climb, they were passed by. This whole time, I felt like my heart rate was high, but not breathing through my eyeballs, so I felt very comfortable to sustain this effort and really have fun in this race. Admittedly, I knew my legs would not be able to keep this up for multiple laps, but I knew I’d keep pushing it for just this lap.

The fun really kicked in after we wrapped up the leg on More Cowbell and hit the, surprisingly technical, drop on JEM that starts the second half of the course. Luckily it’s the mostly downhill portion of the race. With gravity on my side, my legs finally got a reprieve and was mostly able to coast and intermittently pedal to keep pace with my group I found myself in. And as we popped off the JEM trail and onto the Virgin Dam road, I got my first visit from Courtney and Gregor rooting me on! Still in great spirits, I pet the dog, kissed my wife, and jumped back into my group to push it to the finish line to start lap 2.

LAP TIME = 1:13 (11.8 mph)

Lap 2

To say that the adrenaline and excitement had worn off and my ego was about to take a big hit. Here come the excuses flooding into my head, “Why I was going so slow?” “Why hadn’t I trained harder?” “If only my new home had hills to ride.” “Was I getting older and not able to keep up?” And this was just the polite things I remember saying to myself as I made the climb up JEM Road surrounded by no other riders. Somehow, due to the race spreading out so much, I saw maybe 3 other riders the entire first half of the second lap. So being inside my head was an understatement.

Throughout the climb, I wrestled with the reality in front of me. It took about 5 miles, until I reached the cliff edges on More Cowbell for my ego to finally dissipate. I was never out here to race, besides against Nate. I was out here to push myself as far as I could go, knowing full well that I had not been training and had a really rough winter. It was difficult, but eventually, as my bike flew down the descent, my ego went with it. And I was happy again.

LAP TIME = 1:30 (9.5 mph)

Lap 3

Seeing that my second lap pace started to drop off, I had little expectations for my 3rd lap, other than to complete it. With my energy depleting rapidly, I made a point to stop after passing through the timing tent to drink some electrolytes from the sponsor tent and down some Stingers before heading out. It was a necessary break because, for the first time in any race, my legs started to cramp. The short climbs that I could do in 4th gear on the first lap now required two clicks down into 2nd to get up. Which was not a good sign of things to come. But one thing that was to come, was an Ice Tea and Jerky. Because at the top, I called my wife to see if she could fuel me up when I passed by camp! And it came in clutch.

Luckily, for my pride, I was not the only one struggling out there. I finally started to pass other riders, and also found another group to ride with as we hit the JEM DH and wound through the BLM campsites. This was the deceiving part of the course each time, teasing you with a mostly downhill flow, mixing in steep, technical rock stairs that would throw the best of riders if they got off line. Luckily, even with my legs being as heavy, I cleaned all 3 sections and pushed through the lap.

LAP TIME = 1:42 (8.4 mph)

Lap 4

To be honest, I was pretty surprised I had finished my goal of 3 laps, and still had an hour and a half until the time limit was reached. And despite my lap 3 taking exactly 30 minutes longer than my first lap, I was determined to knock out one more. Knowing I didn’t need to save any gas left in the tank, I gave it everything I had. Sure, I had to climb everything in my granny gear, but I never stopped pedaling. And this drained state I found myself in was simultaneously pure bliss. Every mile I crossed was a bonus, I had already accomplished my goal, so who cares how fast I go (or slow in this case).

Knowing this would be my last lap of the race, I started to enjoy the course. Noticing the details of the desert that surrounded me. The small scrubby Sage brush, the tracks and holes of the desert rodents, and how the wind always seemed to be a headwind. The bumps in the trail that rattled my hands numb were sandstone rocks that would be here for another thousand years. And with two rock feature climbs to go, I finally bailed in fear of cramping and not being able to unclip, and walked it. With my tail between my legs, I hopped back on the saddle and climbed my way up onto the plateau and pedaled with everything I had left to finish lap #4!

LAP TIME = 1:37 (8.8 mph)

In short, did I win anything, no, not even close. But did I have an incredible time? Hell, yes! 56 Miles, 4,436 feet, in 6 hours and 4 minutes (Forgot to stop my watch). The vibe was amazing, everyone always cheered you on, the other riders were supportive and competitive, and the weather was perfect! Would I do it again, to be honest, yeah! Why not? It’s such a great litmus test to start a season of riding, or just a break from the snow for a lovely weekend down in Hurricane, UT!