Bailey Hundo – Bailey, CO

Zach Guy and Brenda Simril Win a Flood Damaged Bailey Hundo

Written by: Marlee Dixon

This was the year of the Double-Dito! The Bailey Hundo, in it’s 6^th year, for the first time was forced to change course due to heaving flooding on part of the original Hundo route. The race is a fundraiser that supports local non-profits and is Colorado’s only NUE event. It consists of a 100-mile course – the Hundo and a 50-mile course- the Hundito. This year, two days before race day, race director Austin Smart was told that some sections of singletrack on the traditional Hundo course was a no go. Luckily he was able to work with the US Forest Services who granted an exception to let riders on the Buffalo Creek trail system longer than the 12PM cutoff. This meantt the race didn’t have to be canceled and ended up being a blessing in disguise for racers. With the new route, the amount of singletrack was dramatically increased as a huge road section was cut out, changing the course to two 30+mile laps on the Buffalo Creek Trail system.

Race morning starts early at 6AM and with a forecast of sunny, 84 degrees, and little wind, it was nice to start while it was still cool out. Although waking up at 4AM in the dark is always tough. The course begins in downtown Bailey where all racers start together at the sound of a shotgun. It’s a road ride for the first eight miles with several large climbs. From the road it’s left onto the Colorado Trail and down into the Buffalo Creek trail system. After riding in Buff creek for ~30 miles it’s back on to a dirt road climb up steep hills back to the Colorado Trail for the second round of the Hundito route.

The course hits some of the best riding in Buffalo Creek including Charlie’s Cut off & Homestead, The Colorado Trail and Sandy Wash. It also tests riders’ endurance and strength with over 10,000 feet of elevation gain in 85 miles.

For the Pro men, Zach Guy won the Hundo in 6:14:59 with Josh Tostado in second place with a time of 6:16:11 and David Krimstock in third with a time of 6:20:19.

Tostado was ahead for the first lap but when his drop bag wasn’t at the final aid station on the first lap, he said he had to ride the second half of the race without his nutrition and stopping to fill up with water at the aid stations. Zach Guy pulled ahead at the final aid station of the first lap and Tostado rejoined Guy at the end of Shingle Mill but Guy pulled away again on the final road climb.

For the Pro women, Amanda Carey and Marlee Dixon battled the beginning eight-mile road section onto the Colorado Trail. At the start of the Colorado Trail, Dixon could tell Carey didn’t seem to be riding as strong as usual and was able to overtake her on one of the early climbs.

Dixon stayed in the lead, seeing only one of the Hundito women until Liz Carrington started to reel her in around mile 70.

Dixon reported that she had been feeling amazing the entire first lap and into the second, but hit a wall on the second Gashouse climb and “just couldn’t push through.”

Dixon had been having stomach issues before the race even started and was forcing herself to drink CarboRocket endurance mix and gels but on the second lap she felt like throwing up and was barely able to stomach anything.

The last road climbs out of Buffalo Creek were dark for the race leader who said she felt like she was spinning backwards as Liz Carrington, Brenda Simril and her husband and Amanda Carey passed by.

Defending NUE champion Simril was riding very strong and passed Carrington on the road to take the win with a time of 7:36:58.

Carrington came in second place 7:40:07 with Amanda Carey third with a time of 7:43:27 and Dixon finished fourth at 7:48.

Dixon was disappointed to lose her strength at the end of the race but it had been a great day on the bike and as always a learning experience. At the finish the Pivot/Epic Brewing rider had this to say about her experience.

“The Double-Dito course was epic. The entire first lap and most of the second lap until we hit the Gashouse climb and I bonked, I was singing to my iPod, smiling and loving the long, flowy-fast descents. We are so lucky to have such great trail systems in Bailey and this race is a great way to help fund the local youth initiatives as well as the trail building work of the Colorado Mountain Biking Association.”

: Open women’s podium

: Top overall race results from all categories

Preliminary Results

Open Men

1,	Zach Guy		6.14.59
2,	Josh Tostado	Swiftwick/Santa Cruz	6.16.15
3,	David Krimstock		6.20.19
4,	Scott Leonard		6.22.07
5,	Brian Jensen		6.25.11
6,	Mark Currie		6.38.16
7,	Nathan Collier		6.58.56
8,	Jonathan Modig		7.07.51
9,	Scott Engstrom		7.16.20
10,	Adam Lieferman		7.31.55