Grassroots racing and microbrews—what more could Tucson mountain bikers want from a race? The Dirty Bunny Century compelled more 40 mountain bikers to converge at Fantasy Island for 100 miles of racing on Sunday, November 15. Because of the short 5-mile course, registration was limited to 50 people; “we don’t want a conga line on the course,” said organizer Aaron of Cosmic Races.
The Bunny Trail is a flat fast trip through the Fantasy Island trail system in the east side of Tucson. It’s a popular trail for beginners to learn basic mountain biking skills. There's a stuffed bunny attached to a post along the trail, and riders may see real bunnies dashing among the creosote bushes.
The main challenges are twists and turns through cholla forests and other cacti, and a couple washes. “The washes were really sandy this year from all the rain,” said racer Zoe Cohen. “ But I rode through both of them.” She was pleased with her 50 miles, which was 15 more than she did last year.
Although relatively new to mountain biking, Cohen rides for Giant for Women Arizona Mountain Bike Team. She competes in the Mountain Bike Association of Arizona points series and also does some endurance racing. The next event for her team is the Dawn to Dusk race in Phoenix in December. “The more I race, the better I like racing, especially the longer races,” she said. Cohen first learned about the Dirty Bunny from one of her students; in her day job, she’s a lecturer at the U of A’s Department of Physiology. “The twists and turns were my favorite part of the course,” says Cohen. She credits her teammate Martha Lemen who first taught her how to “position myself on the bike and ride through the sweeping turns.”
Pro mountain biker Krista Park also rode the Dirty Bunny this year. “I’m using events like these to prepare for training for next year,” she explained. She led all women and was third overall when disaster struck. “The leaders tried to pass someone, and she got out of the way, but then she fell into some cholla,” she recalls. “We all immediately stopped racing and tried to help her get the cholla out of her skin. It was everywhere--her face, arms, legs. she was sitting right in it!” The injured rider, Tina Urcadez, told the race organizer that she was okay after the race.
But the race delay to assist the fallen rider meant that the 100-mile event might continue after sunset. So the organizer called the race, with the leaders finishing 15 laps, or 75 miles. “I love my medal,” says Park who was first place among the ten women. “It’s made out of a chain ring, and it has a little bunny hanging from bicycle chain links.”
Park will be in Tucson training this winter as she prepares for international races in 2011. “I’m trying to make the U.S. National Cross Country team,” she said. “And that means I need to race in Europe to earn the most UCI points.” Her next event is the Kentucky Camp Endurance Race on November 20. She’ll be riding on the Arizona Trail, jeep roads, and other trails on the eastern slopes of the Santa Rita Mountains. Park says the Fantasy Island course was “awesome, but the best thing was seeing all the racers stop to help the person who fell into the cactus. That was just really cool.”
Other racers finished between 30 and 75 miles, proving that the Dirty Bunny Century is a race for everyone. After the race, the entry fees (6-packs of microbrews) were enjoyed by all. Times and placing for all racers will be posted by Tuesday evening, November 17, on the results page.
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