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Baja Xtreme November

Bassie Adsett / 08.11.2005

Laguna Hanson in Baja Mexico, is at some 5000 feet and last year the Baja Xtreme race was held in 45 degree weather. This year the weather did a flip-flop and was more like 70 degrees during the day, but dropping to 40 at night. The course was touted as simple with 70 percent being marked for novices.

With a leisurely 10 AM start, a vote by racers had teams start at 1 minute intervals so that there would be no long wait at the rappel which was about the half way point in the race. The course was bike to CP1, CP2 and the TA. Trek to the rappel then get to CP3, trek to CP4 as you went back to the bike (TA) and bike to CP5 and CP6 before the finish line. I do not have my map to tell you exact distances but the entire route was about 40 K (25 miles).

With 33 teams in the race I put my bike on the starting line before the race meeting as the first section looked like single track and I really did not want to be in the middle of a big pack. After the vote to start at different times I got to be first away. Yahoo, I was leading the race. But the pressure was so great that I fell 4 times in the first mile, and the single track had been used by motorcycles and quad runners so it was very sandy and tough to ride.