how to beat a train

This weekend, we Outlaws got a special invite to SW TriGal's place out in the woods. This invitation was a special event on account of a spectacular bike ride: Us vs. the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Narrow Gauge train. My spouse accepted the invitation before I even knew about it. The promise of beautiful scenery, a bike ride for me, a chance to be in the great outdoors in one of the prettiest parts of the State including accommodations for our little people was just irresistible to him -- and me. One e-mail and we were in!

Seriously - who the hell races a train? Doesn't this whole 'race the train' thing seem a bit, well, crazy? You would think so. However, having already missed out on one train vs. bike race this year, I'd have to say no, not so crazy. It was really not hard to talk me into a match with a train, especially if Colorado is involved. Everybody knows the train is bigger, the win is really not part of the equation. It's the contest that is the point.

Even so - people on bikes in spandex versus a train? The train is how many horsepower? Seems kind of a lopsided match. You would think so. It's a big train, and people can only go so fast, right? Well, that theory proves incorrect. Only a few years after the race was first started the first rider beat the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge train (now called the Iron Horse bicycle classic). That race is even more lopsided in favor of the train - which takes a shorter flatter route. And now people beat the train routinely. Iron Horse is such a popular race that it sells out now, long before the race starts. Go on, ask me how I know that...It may seem impossible. However,with a little preparation, it's possible to outfox that big ol' steam engine.

Six of us Outlaws came for this first time, experimental event. I think this one is destined to be a real event in the future, though if it takes off, I suspect it will be more of a Big Deal.

So you'll know it can be done, I'll publish a few tips here on how we beat the train. If we can do it, I feel confident that anyone can, with careful planning.

1) Pick a race nobody knows about. This race was only published to local people in Chama. SW TriGal knew about it because she's a local. There was no entry fee, no sign up, no awards, no t-shirt, no nothing. Just show up, the train will be there. The race coordinator I spoke with later said he was "experimenting" to see how this would go. They counted maybe 15 people who showed up with intent to race the train. I told him that if he charged money, he'd have more people than he knew what to do with. I'm quite happy to see this one stay small - I loved the un-pretentiousness of the whole thing. Nonetheless, with only 15 "racers" we Outlaws had a really good chance of good results.

2) Go with a good support crew. There's nobody better to race with than your own club, and my club is full of outstanding athletes. I had 6 awesome friends who were great company the whole day. I sent my spouse and kids on the train, and told them I'd see them at the end.

3) Leave Early. None of us were completely sure what the terrain would feel like, and knowing that we wanted to even out any horsepower favorability the train might have over us, we didn't want to take any chances: we left about 15 minutes before the train, just to make sure.

Before you point out that this could be construed as cheating, I'll mention that the train took a break along the way, and so did we. We still made it up in less time than the train with our early takeoff time including breaks.

4) Pick a really old train. The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railway boasts that it is the oldest and highest of its kind in the country. It's an antique. No really, it is. The track was laid in 1880, and the engines themselves were constructed in the 20's and 30's. In case it seems unfair to anyone to be racing against a senior citizen, I'll point out that the train had two engines. I only had one.

5) Pick a really short course. The "race" went from Chama to Cumbres, for a total distance of about 12 miles as the bike rolls. This increased our odds of being able to accelerate faster than the train, since our average speed could be greater over a short distance. In the future if they make the Chama race a real thing, I think they'll extend the course to Antonito, some 50 miles from Chama with a heck of a lot more terrain for cyclists. Should they go with that course, the race will favor the train far more than the cyclist, I think.

6) Pick a really steep course. Trains prefer flat ground. A large part of the Cumbres and Toltec's tracks are laid in the flattest part of the valley. The road seems to intentionally ignore the flat spots and rolls over all the hills in the way of the destination - not fair for the cyclist. The very last bit that goes over Cumbres pass, however, favors the bike since it features a rather steep incline for the train. In fact, this part of the train track looks a bit steeper than the road. Oh, poor train. Did the hill get steep? Are your tracks slippery? Aww, too bad. Our total incline from Chama was about 2000 ft of climbing in those 12 miles.

7) Haul Ass. OK, so, we were all pretty beat up. Half the crew had done a race the day before. I myself had suffered a huge nasty bonk whilst on a run the day before, probably because I'm still recovering from Vineman (yes, I think I'll hang on to that excuse for awhile). We were full of reasons why we might all be struggling on the day - but we all got out there and did our best. And you know, we did pretty great. The course was short but steep, and everyone did their best. It helped that it was unbelievably gorgeous, and a perfect day for riding. I was shocked to be cresting Cumbres Pass hearing the train whistling down in the valley behind me.

All of us were there in time to see the train arrive at the station.

Train time: 1hr 10min
Outlaw Rider times: between 1:01 and 1:10.

...and then we hauled ass back down.