Riding Bikes in a God Forsaken Land

Tour de Socorro races provide extremes

Race report by James E. Rickman

(April 18, 2010) SOCORRO, N.M.—A hardscrabble wasteland of prickly plants, busted shale and box canyons, the area near the Quebradas Back Country Byway is no country for old men. Nevertheless, the nearby Cerrillos del Coyote mountain bike course lured a handful of hearty codgers and younger folk alike for the second day of the 2010 Tour de Socorro Omnium.

The Cerrillos del Coyote snakes its way through the rugged hills east of Socorro. The area is the northern edge of the upper Chihuahua Desert that extends deep into Old Mexico. Strewn with the cobbles of prehistoric shallow seas that once drowned the landscape, the locale is now arid, mostly home to plants with spines that gather their moisture from the air. Amid the thorns, vivid blossoms of red and purple catch the eye. It is a landscape that is as inhospitable as it is beautiful. Out here among the jackrabbits, lizards, bobcat, quail and occasional outlaw, the land offers up a circuit of fine primitive singletrack—the Cerrillos del Coyote Course. The nine-mile loop is about two-thirds singletrack, relying on old dirt roads to complete the route. The course is fast and not very technical, but sand pits, sudden drops and an endless supply of ever-moving baby heads make the 18-inch wide scrape of trail exciting to ride.

Next time when grunting up the switchbacks, be sure to take a moment to look at the flowers.		Douglas Schneebeck of Albuquerque makes it up the hill from hell that bested most every other rider.

Some 220 people rode the Coyote, about 130 of whom had participated in the previous day's South Baldy Hill Climb, which was particularly miserable this year due to a steady drizzle and cold temperatures. Coupled with a huge snow pack at the top of the mountain, the miserable weather and mud helped motivate race organizers to shorten this year's hill climb to five miles. But the moisture the day before put the Cerrillos del Coyote in prime riding condition. The sandy soil was nicely packed, not muddy. As the sun rose over the starting area, the pungent aroma of damp sage and mesquite slithered through the silent desert air.

The race drew a strange collection of pros, amateurs and the just-plain-curious, all eager to sharpen up their early season skills on the course. Albuquerque racing strong man Damian Calvert had won the hill climb, finishing about 30 seconds ahead of Trek's racer-in-residence and real-world product tester Travis Brown, who seems to be enjoying racing these days in the New Mexico desert—a marked contrast to Colorado's buff high-country singletrack. The women's professional field offered up no racers in either event this year. Some speculated the dearth of female pros might have had to do with Sea Otter occurring the same weekend. But at least one woman speculated that women's racing may be withering on the vine in New Mexico.

Cat 1 winner Josie Jones of Las Cruces, N.M., isn't afraid to get airborne.	Rebecca Menke is having fun.	Some people dream about flying in black and white.	Overall men's professional winner Matthew Beaton finds serenity on the course.

"When I was road racing, I found it very frustrating to be a beginner in New Mexico," said Sarah Fair, an Albuquerque racer who placed third and fourth, respectively, in the Cat 3 women 30-39 category of the cross country and hill climb races. "All categories of women raced at the same time, so you'd get dropped and then it seemed like you were never getting any better."

Rebecca Menke, who recently moved to Albuquerque from Boston, was enjoying the fact that the Tour de Socorro was her first mountain bike race, but she said she noticed the sparse number of female participants as well. Menke placed first among Cat 2 women 30-39 in both events. The cross country race, she said, was a good one because the course wasn't too technical and was lots of fun.

Perhaps due to the rain the day before, the cross country course was relatively well behaved. Riders didn't report any major injuries on the course this year, outside of some nasty scrapes, gouges and welts from ill-tempered desert plants that seemed to jump onto the narrow singletrack at times. Race organizers had plenty of volunteers available, and one sat ready at the base of the second hogback ridge, where one rider broke a collar bone last year after going over the bars.

And so is Trevor Downing of Durango, Colo., who won the cross country race among professional men.	The course takes Martin Naess' breath away.	Cheryl Holloway grinds her way to a first-place singlespeed finish.	Milan Zeman of Santa Fe hits the highest point on the course with the view of Socorro to the west.

Calvert flatted twice during the cross country race. He voluntarily disqualified himself at race's end after admitting to officials that he had accepted some canned air from a friend. Trevor Downing, 23, of Durango, Colo., snagged first place from the rest of the professional men's field, but it wasn't enough to take top honors for the Omnium among Pro Men. Instead, 21-year-old Matthew Beaton from Louisville, Colo., came out on top after scoring second in the cross country and third in the hill climb. Beaton edged out Brown for top honors when Brown finished fourth in the cross country; a third place finish by Brown would have clinched a tie for first place in the Omnium.

Cheryl Holloway of Santa Fe was the sole woman singlespeed participant. She ground her way to the top of the Baldy Hill Climb and finished the Cerrillos del Coyote in prime form, netting a well-deserved first place.

Those who haven't ridden the Cerrillos del Coyote Course yet should consider taking the time soon to give it a whirl. Rumor has it that four-wheel off highway vehicles (OHVs) are burrowing their way into the BLM land where the trail is located like maggots wriggling their way through unprotected flesh. Scars like that don't easily heal, so it may be just a matter of time before the narrow singletrack treasure of the Quebradas is plundered out of existence.

For complete results, please visit CCR Timing

For complete information about the race, visit the Tour de Socorro website

For more race photos, please visit James Rickman Photography

Sometimes being a little guy on a big-guy's bike isn't everything it's cracked up to be, but Ohlin Skeen of Alto, N.M., never let on during the entire race.	Ediberto Cobos of El Paso has some fun on the "clavicle breaker" at the base of the hogback.	A little tongue English does the trick every time.	Nils Eng of Silver City snakes his way out of the arroyo.