The first time I heard of the Vapor Trail 125 was about ten years ago when I first moved to Salida, CO. I raced downhill back then and spent most of my time at bike parks. Trail bikes were just becoming a thing but my biggest rides were 8-10-mile loops at best. However, I was oddly intrigued by this crazy through-the-night race they called Vapor. I remember thinking how insane it would be to ride 125 miles in general, but how actually crazy it would be to do it through the night and over 13k foot mountain passes. Although Vapor Trail was not in my wheelhouse back then, there was always something so magical and cool about this race. Year after year, I would watch as the whole town came out to cheer on people who came from all over the country as they set off on what seemed to be a death march.
For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, Vapor Trail 125 is the most challenging mountain bike race in the United States. It’s 125 miles long and involves a brutal 17,000 feet of climbing among some of Colorado's highest peaks. For a good portion of the race, you ride close to or above treeline, and you are treated with some of the best views (when its not pitch black out) and singletrack Salida has to offer, which is saying a lot because Salida is jam-packed with excellent trails. All of this alone would make a hard race, but the icing on the cake at Vapor Trail 125 is you start the race at 10 pm in downtown Salida, making almost half the race done in the pitch black of the Colorado backcountry.
Now you can see this race is crazy but in the best possible way. As my years went on living in Salida and my biking focus was more and more on endurance and high alpine riding, my interest in racing Vapor Trail kept growing. Finally, this spring, I bit the bullet and decided that I was going to race Vapor Trail! I knew this race would be even more fun if I had some other friends doing it, so I eagerly called my brother, Ryan, to tell him the news and convince him to join the fun. He immediately said no, but knowing that Ryan has more biking FOMO than the average rider, I knew it wouldn't be long before he also committed to the race. And like clockwork, by the end of the week, Ryan was also signed up for the hardest, coolest mountain bike race in the US.
Now that I have a lot more endurance in my legs and with a (mostly) willing riding partner (Ryan is easily convinced) I knew this was my year. To train for Vapor, Ryan and I just tried to ride as much steep vertical as we could find. We aimed for big days on the bike, and I tried to get into the high alpine as much as possible (though not always easy for sea level Ryan and my summer of travel). Vapor Trail takes a good amount of training, but come race day, the mental game is what gets you through this tiring long course. We prepped lights, food, and the tools we needed and added new Kona Hei Hei's to our fleet. The Hei Hei was the PERFECT vapor race bike. Light, agile, comfortable for long miles, and most importantly, still shreds the downhill.
After a summer of prepping, it was suffering time! Before we knew it, we were lining up with 95 other maniacs in downtown Salida to take off into the night. We had an amazing pit crew of family and friends who would help us at the two aid stations along the way. Along with CCMR the local moto crew who was sweeping trails and making sure everyone stayed safe through the race.
Ryan and I's plan was to not ride too fast, especially in the beginning, and to ensure we ate enough food throughout the race. Ryan followed this plan well, rode constantly throughout the entire first half of the race, and picked up the speed for the second half, earning him a 12-place spot at the end of the day. He had zero mechanicals and used his DH background to make up a lot of time on the rocky descents. I, on the other hand, decided that plans are more like guidelines, and after a derailer mechanical in hour two, I decided to ride as fast as I could without stopping to eat until the first aid station at almost 2 am. This caused me to have trouble eating most of the first half of the race. After a long first half and about 8 hours of single speeding, I got my fixed and ate some food just as the sun was rising over Canyon Creek trail. From then on, I felt fueled and was cruising, making up time and finishing 4th overall in the women's category.
As I rode into town to finish the race, I had such a sense of awe about how spectacular this race was and how lucky I felt that I was capable enough to even try this race after years of wanting to participate. I was also in awe of how so many volunteers and supporters came out to make every aid station a little oasis for us. Before you could even get off your bike, someone had your water bottles filled and a burrito or slice of pizza in your hand. Everyone involved in the race made it a truly special experience. Mike Franco, the race director, didn't miss a single detail and I can't recommend it enough to anyone who wants to push their limit. If you’re interested in finding out just how far you can ride, give Vapor Trail 125 a go! Ryan and I will be back!
