The wife pointed out an ad for Fakt during Men's Volleyball on Versus. She LOLed and I realized it perfectly described how I felt having just finished the inaugural Crusher in the Tushar.

The event was great, beautiful course, well ran and the competition was excellent. However, I think it would've been better to just ride so I could enjoy the views and the great food at the rest stops.

Unfortunately I was racing, so I was watching hubs and blowing through rest stops. After a long day of suffering, I finished 5th, a bunch of minutes back. I'm pretty happy with that, but it wasn't a perfect race for me.

Mainly, I didn't eat nearly enough for the 4.5 hour ride. When do you eat during a mountain bike race? I was never comfortable enough to take my hands off the bars and not get dropped or crash.

For two, I think my bike wasn't ideal. My Cannondale Flash 29er was fun to ride, but not to win. I didn't have the gears to keep up on the false flats and I wasn't experienced enough to take full advantage on the decent. I recommend a cross bike. Any time you'd lose on the gravel decent you'll make up on the road section right after.

I finished up the last 15 miles solo and was totally spent. The problem is you finish at 10,200 ft and you're supposed to recover. I sat at the finish line in a half daze for a while before my wife convinced me to get moving and get some lunch.

The catered lunch at Eagle Point was gourmet, but the mood was mellow. There wasn't a whole lot of extra energy in the room. I'm guessing that makes Burke a very happy man.

Overall, the Crusher was a challenging event that offered a bit of everything. Plus it's great prep for Leadville, if you're into that sort of thing. I hope to make it back next year.

Credit: Thanks to Chris See for the awesome photos.