I remember hearing about the Flight of the Pigs and thinking "Those people are crazy!" It was a near 70-ish mile MTB ride with more than half on trails. It also included one of the toughest trails in town (National Trail) on South Mountain. On top of that, there is a time cutoff an hour in so you have to go out hard right at the beginning to make that - and then be prepared to ride all day long after. My Birthday Challenge was a gauge for me to see if I was anywhere near up to this challenge - but that was only 42-ish miles. At the last minute I signed up for the FOTP not really sure if I had a chance of actually finishing. I knew I could handle National Trail end to end (as long as I made the cutoff) and could make it to lunch...but I wasn't sure from there what would happen...
6:30AM Weigh-in: The day after Thanksgiving, it's time to see who's the largest piggy. The weigh-in included all your gear and your bike. I came in at 234 LBS. The biggest piggy -Aaron- came in at a husky 275!
And we're off! We started rolling around 7:30AM. It was a beautiful sunrise. Little did I know that I'd still be riding after sunset! (I did bring lights just in case)
While many riders took the optional Mormon Trail, I thought it was only fitting that I ride National end to end. National is shorter but A LOT more technical and it actually took me longer to get to Buena Vista (the time cutoff spot) but I made it by the cutoff time! So now it was time to ease up and enjoy the rest of the day! Now I could take some pictures!
I was able to ride with the organizer of the ride - Jim Wilcox. As I followed him towards Telegraph Pass on a technical ledge, he suddenly went over the bars and his bike tumbled down the mountain! Fortunately he was able to catch himself and wasn't badly hurt. I was able to climb down and retrieve his bike for him some 15-20 feet below but it shook me up a bit.
After Telegraph Pass it was a nice hike-a-bike up National to near the top of South Mountain.
From here it was pretty much an undulating ridgeline with plenty of ups and downs...
Even though it's pretty tiring at this point, I just love the ridgeline. The views above the Valley are spectacular.
Today we had a rare treat as it was an unusually foggy day. The weather was perfect for riding!
What goes up must come down! The west end of National Trail just drops off the face of the earth. It's a very loose and steep trail that requires a lot of rock surfing. You basically have to use your body to make the turns and manage your braking very diligently. With the recent rain the trail was in the best condition I've ever seen it and it was the first time I've ever ridden this whole section without dabbing (putting a foot down or stopping). It was SO nice!
Finally at the end of National, we took a break at the San Juan Trailhead. You can see downtown Phoenix in the background. We'll soon be rolling out to a series of roads and canals and finally north on 7th Ave through downtown and to our lunch spot - Zoe's Kitchen.
Lunch was fantastic and I needed the break. I was a bit concerned about how the rest of the day would go... After refueling we headed to the start of Trail 100.
After a series of climbs and tunnels I was back on the part of trail 100 I know.
At around Mile 48, I started to get my second wind. It was also the 1st time I really thought I could actually finish this thing!
But there was still some more climbing to do first. I started flying along Trail 100 feeling pretty good!
At the end of Trail 100 we all took a needed break. Even so we all knew that we were burning daylight. Soon we were off again. On to Papago Park and then to the Phoenix Zoo.
We all did our victory lap around Hunt's Tomb! But the day wasn't over. We still had to get back to Jim's house...
We rolled out of the Zoo on the canal and then over the Mill Ave Bridge into downtown Tempe. As we rolled the final miles the sun set quickly...
I cruised along alone but happy into Guadalupe. I was only a few miles away from the end. It was a LONG day. 70-ish miles later - It was a great day.... After that big day it was time to party!
Jim & Kim put on one heck of a post-ride party and Kim did an amazing job of supporting the riders throughout the ride. Hoss Rogers made the fantastic medals for the finishers that he & Jim handed out at the awards ceremony.
What a great event! I hope to do it again next year and I plan on wearing my new groovy socks!
Here's a close version of the route we did - minus the ride to & from Jim's house and the couple of additional "detours" I took as I got lost a few times out on the trails. Good times!
I remember hearing about the Flight of the Pigs and thinking "Those people are crazy!" It was a near 70-ish mile MTB ride with more than half on trails. It also included one of the toughest trails in town (National Trail) on South Mountain. On top of that, there is a time cutoff an hour in so you have to go out hard right at the beginning to make that - and then be prepared to ride all day long after. My Birthday Challenge was a gauge for me to see if I was anywhere near up to this challenge - but that was only 42-ish miles. At the last minute I signed up for the FOTP not really sure if I had a chance of actually finishing. I knew I could handle National Trail end to end (as long as I made the cutoff) and could make it to lunch...but I wasn't sure from there what would happen...
6:30AM Weigh-in: The day after Thanksgiving, it's time to see who's the largest piggy. The weigh-in included all your gear and your bike. I came in at 234 LBS. The biggest piggy -Aaron- came in at a husky 275!
And we're off! We started rolling around 7:30AM. It was a beautiful sunrise. Little did I know that I'd still be riding after sunset! (I did bring lights just in case)
While many riders took the optional Mormon Trail, I thought it was only fitting that I ride National end to end. National is shorter but A LOT more technical and it actually took me longer to get to Buena Vista (the time cutoff spot) but I made it by the cutoff time! So now it was time to ease up and enjoy the rest of the day! Now I could take some pictures!
I was able to ride with the organizer of the ride - Jim Wilcox. As I followed him towards Telegraph Pass on a technical ledge, he suddenly went over the bars and his bike tumbled down the mountain! Fortunately he was able to catch himself and wasn't badly hurt. I was able to climb down and retrieve his bike for him some 15-20 feet below but it shook me up a bit.
After Telegraph Pass it was a nice hike-a-bike up National to near the top of South Mountain.
From here it was pretty much an undulating ridgeline with plenty of ups and downs...
Even though it's pretty tiring at this point, I just love the ridgeline. The views above the Valley are spectacular. 
Today we had a rare treat as it was an unusually foggy day. The weather was perfect for riding!
What goes up must come down! The west end of National Trail just drops off the face of the earth. It's a very loose and steep trail that requires a lot of rock surfing. You basically have to use your body to make the turns and manage your braking very diligently. With the recent rain the trail was in the best condition I've ever seen it and it was the first time I've ever ridden this whole section without dabbing (putting a foot down or stopping). It was SO nice!
Finally at the end of National, we took a break at the San Juan Trailhead. You can see downtown Phoenix in the background. We'll soon be rolling out to a series of roads and canals and finally north on 7th Ave through downtown and to our lunch spot - Zoe's Kitchen.
Lunch was fantastic and I needed the break. I was a bit concerned about how the rest of the day would go... After refueling we headed to the start of Trail 100.
After a series of climbs and tunnels I was back on the part of trail 100 I know.
At around Mile 48, I started to get my second wind. It was also the 1st time I really thought I could actually finish this thing!
But there was still some more climbing to do first. I started flying along Trail 100 feeling pretty good!
At the end of Trail 100 we all took a needed break. Even so we all knew that we were burning daylight. Soon we were off again. On to Papago Park and then to the Phoenix Zoo.
We all did our victory lap around Hunt's Tomb! But the day wasn't over. We still had to get back to Jim's house...
We rolled out of the Zoo on the canal and then over the Mill Ave Bridge into downtown Tempe. As we rolled the final miles the sun set quickly... 
I cruised along alone but happy into Guadalupe. I was only a few miles away from the end. It was a LONG day. 70-ish miles later - It was a great day.... After that big day it was time to party!
Jim & Kim put on one heck of a post-ride party and Kim did an amazing job of supporting the riders throughout the ride. Hoss Rogers made the fantastic medals for the finishers that he & Jim handed out at the awards ceremony.
What a great event! I hope to do it again next year and I plan on wearing my new groovy socks!
Here's a close version of the route we did - minus the ride to & from Jim's house and the couple of additional "detours" I took as I got lost a few times out on the trails. Good times!
