Dawn Til Dusk Rages on Despite Bad Weather

GALLUP, N.M. – It started out as an idyllic Spring day in the high desert, but before it was done, there would be hell to pay. 

Spring weather in the Four Corners area can be notoriously unpredictable, with changes in the weather and forecast changing by the hour. That unpredictability reared it’s ugly head this weekend as the day started out sunny, but quickly changed to 50mph winds that blasted riders with blowing sand, nearly knocking them off of their bikes.

 “It took everything I had to hold on to a bike out there,” Joe Fortin of Albuquerque said.

Then, scattered rain showers mixed with ice began to pelt riders. That eventually changed to a full-on snow storm that left about an inch of snow on the ground by Sunday morning.

When it was all said and done, the race had to be cut short by two hours, but judging by the euphoric crowd that took shelter under a tent for free beer and post-race activities, you couldn’t tell that anyone was disappointed by the outcome.

“It just made it more fun,” Cody Kukolski said of the weather.

“Lots of people bailed, but I’m like ‘Do you want to go out there and suit up in the mud and wet, or do you want to go home’,” Keith Ashmore said.

In hindsight, the Dawn til Dusk crew probably made the right decision to close the course early; too much water and traffic could have resulted in ruining the tread, which would have in turn ruined the fast and flowy nature that the HDT trail is known for.

“Our trail is unique in that the composition of the soil is clay and when it gets wet, you ruin bike components and you ruin the trail,” Race organizer Lindsay Mapes said.

On top of that, there was the concern of safety.

“We were seeing a number of wind related injuries and people coming in with hypothermic conditions,” she said. “These people want to go out and compete, but they weren’t concerned with their own condition.”

The circumstances were not unlike two years ago, when an early morning snow storm rolled through and dropped enough fluff to cancel the race entirely, but these two hiccups are not enough to make race planners think about changing the date.

“Every single year we talk about changing the race date, and every single year we keep it the same. For a lot of people this is the season opener and that’s our biggest attraction,” she said.

For some people, like 14-year-old Tiziana DeHorney of Albuquerque, the adversity is what pushes her to compete.

“I didn’t feel like I started going fast until the weather got bad. When the wind was blowing and the snow was in my face, it made me go faster,” she said.

Joey Ernst, winner of the Solo Male 0-29 category, had similar feelings.

“I thought it wasn’t that bad, I wanted to keep going,” he said. “It was epic, just beautiful.”

The overall fastest lap of the day went to Damian Calvert with a 51:18 run that set a new course record.

“The weather is awesome because it breaks everyone else down, but it makes me ride harder,” he said.

The top Solo Male finisher for the day was Matthew Perry with eight laps in 9:14:04. Top Solo female racer Melissa Trainer completed seven laps in 8:54:24.

Top Solo Singlespeed Male finisher Michael Melley completed eight laps in 9:00:15. Top Solo Singlespeed Female racer Kara Durland completed five laps in 6:25:35.

A number of people may have been turned off by the raging tempest this year and of years past, but Mapes sees it as an advantage.

“Dawn Til Dusk is making a name for itself as a true grit race. It’s always an adventure and we always have a good time,” she said. “It’s the embodiment of a truly challenging mountain bike race.”

To see the complete results check out the Dawn Til Dusk Results Page.

To see more photos from the event check out Brian Leddy Photography