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Whiskey Off-Road 2011

(May 3, 2011)

PRESCOTT, ARIZ.- Just like the liquor after which it was named, the Whiskey Off-Road keeps getting better with age.

Having the dual reputation of being as much of a party as it is a challenging mountain bike race; Epic Rides upped the ante on this year’s event and introduced a Pro category with a total cash purse of $20,000. 

Generously donated by the City of Prescott, the cash purse meant that a slew of pro talent showed up to vie for a $4000 reward for a first place finish. Also on the table for the amateur category were tickets to the Singlespeed World Championships in Ireland later this year. The talent field in all categories was impressive, and racers spat out equally impressive times all weekend long.  

Well known pros in the men’s field included names like Carl Decker, Tinker Juarez, Dave Wiens, Andy Schultz and Mark Weir. Big names in the womens lineup included Rebecca Rush, Catherine Pendrel, Gretchen Reeves, Pua Mata, Kelli Emmett, Sonya Looney and Zephani Blasi.

“There’s great competition here, and when you have the best riders it brings out the best in everybody,” top pro finisher Chris Sheppard said.

The weekend kicked off with the 15 Proof Fun Ride on Friday, followed by a separate men’s and women’s Pro Fat Tire Criterium, held just as the nine-to-five crowd was getting off work. Pro rider Catherine Pendrel dug the scene, and was game for an unconventional race.

“It’s always fun to try something new,” she said. “It was cool for the community to come out and see the party.”

Both Sheppard and Pendrel took tops spots on the podium for the criterium, which allowed them optimal positions in Sunday’s cross country race.

Saturday saw a thousand-plus amateur racers compete in both the 25 and 50 Proof categories. Both courses offered racers a challenge, especially in the climbing department.

“It’s incredibly challenging, the climbing outdoes anything I’ve ridden in AZ so far,” Ken Koch of Flagstaff Ariz. said.

Some of the big climbs saw many a rider off their bike and pushing their way to the top, especially the final leg after the Sierre Prieta overlook, which earned the dubious nickname of “bonk hill”.

“It was beautiful, that’s what I loved about it. The climbing part, your legs are cramping, but you just gotta go for it,” Riley Post said after winning the 25 Proof Singlespeed category.

“I actually thought it was awesome, but I geared right for it,” Carly Watson said, who also won in the 25 Proof women’s Singlespeed category.

There was much speculation as to the times that would be clocked in the pro races, especially with the impressive numbers seen the day before in the amateur competition. The pros rode the same course the 50 Proof-ers did - 47.6 miles with 7180 feet of climbing. In the end it was Chris Sheppard in the men’s division that dominated the day, coming in over four minutes ahead of his nearest competitor with a time of 03:05:06.

“I took a big risk and it paid off; I attacked on the last five miles of the climb and dropped everybody,” he said. “I was the only racer on a full suspension bike in the top 10, and it paid dividends on my body. My back isn’t sore and my hands are ok.”

In the women’s race, competition was expected to be tight, but it was Pua Mata that disposed of Catherine Pendrel on the last few miles of pavement to bring home a victory. Her time of 03:30:11 was just under a minute ahead of Pendrel.

“At first I was feeling achy and flat and getting discouraged,” she said. “But climbing is my forte and I kept Cathy in my sights. Then I started to bridge the gap on the last 10 miles.”

In the amateur men’s 50 Proof it was Kenny Wehn of Durango, Colo. that rode away with the best overall time at 03:24:43. Equally impressive was Evan Plews time of 03:29:01 in the Singlespeed category.

The amateur women’s 50 Proof saw Windy Marks with the fastest time of the day at 04:34:35, and Eszter Horanyi killed it with a time of 04:03:14 in the Singlespeed category.

As the event was winding down on Sunday, Prescott Mayor Marlin Kuykendall highlighted the positive impact the Whiskey Off-Road has on the town.

“It has a major impact on our community, it reaches into the millions of dollars,” he said. “We’re very thankful to the biking community that they have chosen us to be a part of their lives. Someday we’d like to be known as the best mountain bike community in the country.”

Check out the full results here.

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