Team Lupine Racing, USA
Rick & Beth
The 2015 Death March Ride 3-14-2015 directed by
Brian Holzhausen of D.IN.O. Series was
a nice way to kick off the 2015 year of events. Stuck up in Wisconsin, our
riding time outdoors was little to none and it seemed like a great idea when we
signed up in January. We had second thoughts driving 6 hours in the rain
to the event, but that quickly cleared as we geared up for the race start at
the Midwest Trail Ride Horseman’s camp in Hoosier National Forest in South West
Indiana.
The event was similar to a Rogaine with bicycling
to 5 mandatory cemeteries and 10 other optional cemeteries. A digital photo of
yourself and your teammate in front of the cemetery sign was the proof we had
navigated to each cemetery correctly.
The race started about 9:30am Saturday and concluded promptly by
6:00pm. There was some strategy involved and time credits were awarded for
going after some of the more difficult cemeteries to find. Beth and I
looked at this as training and our objective was to get to as many cemeteries
as possible in the time allowed. We spent 50% of our time on gravel roads, 30%
on pavement, and 20% on trails, which involved bushwhacking and crossing a
rain-swollen creek carrying our bikes.
Navigating was pretty straight forward if you used a Nat-Geo map of the
Hoosier National forest. We finished a little after 5:00pm, and left 4
cemeteries unvisited. We probably would have completed more, but Beth got
some pretty viscous cramps in her quads that left me pushing her up
hills. This was a great race and we are looking forward to next year’s
event.
