June 1, 2019: DAKOTA FIVE-O
June 1, 2019: DAKOTA FIVE-O | Spearfish, SD
The Dakota 50 turns 25 years old in 2020. It is a 50 mile mountain bike ride through The Black Hills starting in Spearfish, SD. 2019 was a heavy snow year in this area so the higher in elevation we went.. the more soft and muddy the terrain. About 2/3 through the ride we made a left turn on the trail to the lodge where we could get a bite. Amazing to believe we actually found it; burgers were so damn good they couldn’t have tasted better (yeah I know I say that a lot)!!! A couple of tough climbs and a killer downhill full of rollers finished off the day. If I ever have the opportunity to sign up for this race (sells out within the hour on April 1), I certainly will!! Challenging, tons of climbing, technical segments, but oh so worth it.
total climb: 5925 ft | distance: 44.28 mi