The Barn Burner

Endurance mountain bike racing at it's Western best. The Barn Burner is an endurance mountain bike event with 50-mile (two loops) and 100-mile (four loops) distance options. The course is a 25-mile loop on Coconino and Kaibab Forest Service roads. The course is not technically challenging, and is considered a "roadie" mountain bike course, meaning it is beginner friendly(ish) and fast for those with more experience. There are a few sketchy spots to keep you honest and climbs to make your lungs hurt a bit. All in all you are riding at altitude, in cooler weather, with cool people and camping out — what more can you ask for?

With all that beig said everyones journey on two wheels is different. There are so many different reasons why you might ride. Some want to get in better shape, others want to produce captivating content, and there is a select few of us that want to push there body's to the absoulute limit. PNG ambassador Mike Green is one of those riders who will test himself time and time again just for the adventure. There is no purse money, no TV interviews, just a finsh medal and the story of a great day testing your body. The bar We are very proud to be able ot support Mike and his two wheel adventures. Below is a re-cap off his Barn Burner advernture.

We drove out to the Barn Burner 104 event location just north of Flagstaff AZ on Thursday. Upon arrival we found a lot of mud and standing water from a rainstorm that passed through.

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We pre-rode 1-25 mile lap on Friday to get familiar with the course. Saturday morning came fast with an early breakfast and some PNG Hydration. The race started at 7am. I was about mid pack in the starting corral which made for a very interesting 1st lap due to the 400+ riders, the mud, the rocky technical climbs and fast rocky descents. I completed lap 1 in 1:47:20 with no mechanical or physical issues. Lap 2 was another good lap finishing in 1:53:40 with no problems and still feeling strong. Lap 3 started good but got a bit tough in the steepest climb on the course around mile 65 but I pushed through and completed the lap in 2:10:34. As I started lap 4 I had many thoughts of how to manage myself through this final lap. The first half was not to bad and I was able to control my body and mind. As I approached the last big steep climb, the fatigue was really setting in. I grabbed the easiest gear and spun my way to the top. With roughly 8 miles left including a high speed descent and a long fire road gradual climb to the finish. I was able to dig deep controlling many negative thoughts and feelings finishing lap 4 in 2:15:06.

Total race time of 8:06:39 for 100 miles 7189 ft of climbing. Every lap consisted of 1 bottle of plain water, 1 bottle of PNG Hydration, 1-2 PNG Refuel Gels and a couple snacks. 

Follow Mikes adventures on Instagram - @MGreen2001

Mike's Bicycle Shop of choice is also - Incycle  if you want to support them