• Rider Diaries

Fresh ‘Korn: Ai Chihuahua!

by VeloNews.com

• October 17, 2007
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By Will Frischkorn, Team Slipstream-Chipotle

There are countless ways to end a season. The most direct is wrapping up the last big race of the year followed by a huge night out. The opposite end of the spectrum is filled with the crazies that decide they’d like to keep it rolling with track or cyclocross and never really end it at all. Ouch. Six of us on Slipstream this year decided to go for the moderation method and head south of the border for the 2nd Vuelta Chihuahua, starting in Ciudad Juarez and finishing in Chihuahua city, seven days later.

While a couple of the boys kept it rolling pretty well after Missouri, a few of us took a little break. For some reason we thought that with a solid season behind us and a slightly off the map race ahead we’d be fine to take it easy. Oops. We quickly realized this race was not going to be the cakewalk we’d expected and just finishing a couple of these days will go down in the epic books.

Upon arrival, we were whisked away from the El Paso airport, across the border and into the heart of Ciudad Juarez. For those who don’t know, it’s not generally regarded as the safest spot in Mexico. Some might say it’s the polar opposite.

When we decided to build up bikes and head out for a little spin just before the sun went down, we started noticing the looks that the local guys were giving us, and then finally somebody came over and told us that it was not a good idea to head out there without at least a car behind us. Aw…couldn’t be that bad…can it? Thirty minutes later we were back, alive, and decided that the pool was a far better place to be than out on those roads. Fortunately the next day we had a “scheduled training ride” at 11.

Eleven rolls around and all of the foreign teams get ready to roll out of the hotel. We’d all heard that there would be a police escort, you know, a car or two… Instead there were probably 10 cars and 50 motos, and we had a full rolling enclosure through the heart of downtown and then out into the desert! Pretty wild.

There was not one single incident the entire ride. People just don’t mess with the cops down there. I figure any cop dressed in solid black, kitted out with a bullet proof vest and three guns loosely hanging off of his belt pretty much gets what he wants, and this day he wanted us to make it through that ride without getting creamed (and maybe rally the moto a bit whenever the chance presented itself).

Two hours later we were back safely and shortly afterwards off to a real-deal team presentation in a local auditorium packed with press and local dignitaries. This, and a good look at the start list, well stocked with a selection of the top Mexican squads, a couple from the U.S. and Canada and a healthy European contingent, was the uh-ohhhhh moment when I thought maybe I should have ridden a bit more in the weeks prior…

Racing started up the following day in town with a circuit race, uneventful, big split in the field, Saunier Duval won and then we were off for the airport for a transfer south, courtesy of Mexicana Airlines. The following day we did some more biking…and then the next day more too…and the same… Everybody raced hard, damn hard, at courses that were largely over 7500 feet and included some serious climbing. We had a cerveza or two every evening and kept things fun, but it was real racing and exciting to have yet another quality race pop up in North America. The race organization did a fantastic job and it’s an event I’d happily return to in years to come.

What I’ll really remember, however – other than the fact that the racing was hard and that I delayed getting my off-season-fat for another couple of weeks – was the incredible countryside. Like a good American I hadn’t realized that our Grand Canyon is actually a baby on this continent and that the Copper Canyon area near Creel, Mexico, is the daddy

It’s an understatement to even say it’s HUGE! The thing is four times the size of the Grand. And, as most things that scale happen to be, is stunning, high desert country with all of the typical gnarled trees, rocky vistas and clear blue skies, but with unreal, crazy-vast stretches of canyon around. I’ve already bookmarked the area in my head for a future trip, sans bike, or maybe via enduro moto like most of the Americans we met in the area.

It’s very cool, very cheap, and well worth an outdoor oriented trip.

Now that I’m back in the Boulder Bubble, staring down some serious work in the yard, it’s fun to look back on a successful season, but even more exciting to ponder the year ahead. Slipstream has made a big jump and with some serious changes in the works for 2008 we’re looking forward to filling the spot that Discovery has vacated.

After a short break from the bike at home the first camp of ‘08 starts in a matter of weeks and then it’s back into the “grind” for what looks to be a great year ahead. Thanks to all for the support this season and as things get going again here shortly I’ll do my best to continue sharing a snapshot into the wee world of life on a bike.

Happy Off-Season to all!