The 2016 Sturdy Dirty Enduro
This past Saturday 175 women tackled the 3rd annual Sturdy Dirty Enduro on Tiger Mountain, outside of Issaquah, WA, a women's only mountain bike race. Naturally, Mother Nature in all her glory did not play nice. A “Junuary” forecast resulted in a high temperature of 55-ish F degrees, way more rain than anybody at the race wanted (with short windows of pellet-sized hail to make it even more "interesting"), and 15 plus miles of mud covered roots and rocks. This was my third year racing the Sturdy Dirty and despite the weather, this was by far the best edition to date. One thing of note: while most regional mountain bike races in the US are still struggling to bring in more than a dozen female racers in any one category, the 2016 Sturdy Dirty saw 26 pros, 44 experts, 102 Sport racers, and 60 Beginners registered. And while we weren't hammering through muddy knee-deep ruts like the racers at the Crankworx Les Gets DH race, the wet course did provide a challenge that pushed most of us outside our comfort zone. But despite the weather, "Rad was Had!"
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 The pre-ride meeting went down under deceptively mild skies. There was even the odd patch of blue sky as riders were read their final instructions and then set off. |
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| Shimano was on hand lending neutral tech support to all racers, from beginner to pro. Mechanic Peter James Lucas, a notorious singletrack slut, was no doubt crushed to be trapped in the pits, but then again, the mildly awful, to full on horrific weather likely made him a bit more stoked to be holed up in the pits. |
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| Adam Andrade of Liv and Giant was at the Sturdy Dirty to support the event for the third year in a row. Andrade was joined by both Liv pro riders and coaches to lead clinics. Lindsey Voreis, for example, spent hours coaching riders over the infamous 'V-Jay' slot on the Fully Rigid trail that was stage 2 for the Pro and Expert fields, and stage 3 for the Beginner and Sport fields. She was joined by Leigh Donavan, Katie Holden, Kat Sweet, and Ash Bocast. "We (Liv) are doing as much as we can to support the event. We started 3 years ago and the event has just grown better and better every year. It's just been awesome to see." |
A bit of background: Registration for the Sturdy Dirty opened this past February and the race sold out in a record 28 hours. To say this is a popular race is an understatement. I was nervous enough about claiming my spot this year that I made sure to set a timer well ahead of the registration day as a reminder to sign up. A twenty-eight hour sell out is definitely not Downieville All-Mountain Classic ridiculousness, but filling all the allocated spots of a women's only race within such a short window shows just how much enthusiasm and support the race has garnered in its brief history.
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| Yeah. Congested trails for sure! This is the mob of beginners and sports waiting to drop in on stage one. |
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| Jaimie Didier of Hood River, OR in the queue to drop into stage one of the Beginner/Sport track, Lower Predator. |
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| This may have been the "Beginner" track-Lower Predator but it was definitely a challenge for many of the Sport and Beginner riders. |
The race organizers, the Sturdy Bitch Racing team, are a Seattle, WA-based mountain bike race team comprised of 5 dedicated women who donate gobs of time that they probably don’t have to make this event what it is: an amazing and fun day for all the participants, both racers and course volunteers. They, along with the title sponsors, Liv Cycling and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, deserve a big thank you for putting together one of the most well-organized and popular races of the PCNW race season. By far, the one thing participants comment on as setting this race apart is that it brings together such a diverse crowd of female mountain bikers, from first-time racers to seasoned veterans. And more and more, the reach of the Sturdy Dirty is expanding, with racers coming from as far away as Big Bear, CA, Flagstaff, AZ, and Calgary, AB. As Liz Cunningham, a pro from Breckenridge Colorado noted, "Typically we (women) are in the minority at a race... when I'm at an event, there are often times only 10 women in my category, if that. Here there are sixteen pros, but there are so many beginners.... It's awesome to feel this level of support."
Who races the Sturdy Dirty? A cross section.
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| Sarah Bender of the Women's Master Expert division won the "Liv for a day" contest leading up to the race. What does Liv for a day entail? An essay contest written by each entrant and then judged by their peers. What do they win? A Liv bike of their choice to use for a week leading up to the race and on race day, a full pro-pit, coaching from a Liv athlete (in this case, Katie Holden), as well as accessories for racing (which the athlete gets to keep). As part of the contest, Sarah raced on a LIV Intrigue SX for the day. When asked why she races? "My family. My husband got me into racing and now my boys race and I love riding my bike. Racing has evolved over time for me. Trail work and coaching has really been higher on the priority list over training as that work for me is more rewarding. I've had to let go of results and just embrace the journey of getting to the start line. If you put on a number and show up to race, that is winning to me." |
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| The Sturdy Dirty was Emma Osborne's first race ever. No XC, no DH, no road cycling... just straight into the fire of Enduro racing at Tiger Mountain. "I was attracted to the idea of racing at an all women's event. It seems to support the (female) community. It made me want to come out here and do it." |
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| Jenny Lancaster on entering and racing her second sturdy dirty. "I want to meet more female mountain bikers and I just want to come out and have fun. I had a blast last year so doing it again this year was a no-brainer." |
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| The "rookie": 11 year old Callah Robinson. "I think it's really cool that this is a women's only event. I wanted to race because I hadn't done an enduro before and it sounded fun. I'm so excited." Robinson took second in her division, junior beginner. |
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| Pro racer Liz Cunningham traveled all the way from Breckenridge, CO for this race because "I saw last year's recaps and it looked like a lot of fun. I was living in SoCal, and recently returned to Colorado, so I connected with my SoCal ladies and they flew in from the south and I flew in from Colorado and it's a great opportunity for a reunion as well as a lot of fun. The trails are a little more gnarly than what I expected, but I'm really looking forward to participating in my first women's only event." |
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| At the summit, all the racers were greeted with a kick-ass feed/aid station that offered music, hot chocolate, smores, waffles, and bacon before dropping them into the longest stage of the day: East Tiger Summit to Off the Grid. I really have no idea what the PNW fascination with bacon and bike racing is, but I personally have no complaints about this bacon hand up station Dee-lish! |
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| Race winner Jaime Rees of Spokane, WA charging into the Pro/Expert Division's stage one: Off the Grid. |
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| Third place Expert finisher Amanda Bryan turning her Kona loose on Off the Grid. Her time of 14:31.36 would have placed her fourth in the pro division. Solid. |
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| Twelfth place pro finisher Kjersti Christensen charging hard. |
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| Michelle Warner coming off of her NAEC expert win to place second in the Expert Division of the Sturdy Dirty. |
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| Over the roots and into the rocks... Karaleen Gioia on course. |
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| Andi Zolton railing a berm on Off the Grid. |
This year’s race had two-course flavors, a slightly less technical four-stage course for the Beginner and Sport categories, and a slightly longer four-stage course for the Expert and Pro categories. The Beginner/Sport racers started their day with a short pedal up the access road to Lower Predator, their stage 1, which dropped them back down to the staging area at the base of Tiger Mountain. Immediately after, they climbed 1700 vertical feet in four miles to the summit of East Tiger Mountain to drop down the East Tiger Summit trail and the Off the Grid trail, followed by Fully Rigid and Joyride trails, and then capped it all off with a romp down a new, and as of yet unnamed (and NOT open to the public) trail. Meanwhile, the Expert/Pro ladies started their day by punching right to the summit of East Tiger Mountain, tackled all the trails waiting for the Beginner/Sport riders, and then climbed almost all the way back to the summit to take on the steep and technical lines on both Upper and Lower Predator.
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| Why Hooters Guys? Because this stage also had a hot wings' station to greet racers coming in from Off the Grid. Mud spattered and grateful racers could do nothing but grin and dig in. |
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| Jaimie Didier after 22 minutes and 18 seconds of mud filled racing, with two stages still on tap was nothing but smiles. |
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| Kat Sweet dropping in on the "Joyride/Fully Rigid" stage of the Sturdy Dirty. And yes, the Hooters Guys chased every single racer down the trail as far as they could. |
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| Linnea Rooke, the fifth place expert rider, dropping in with the Hooters Guys in tow. |
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| The final push up to Predator, the capper for a day that saw the Pro/Expert racers climb 4000 feet. |
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| While the weather had been moody most of the day (understatement), as the day wore on, it became progressively worse, with dense fog obscuring the upper sections of Predator, the final stage for the Pros and Experts, and frequent rain and hail showers. The PCNW's Junuary was in full effect. |
I have to admit I was a bit nervous about racing "Predator" in the rain - we apparently have a deficiency of roots where I live in Oregon. And while I had pre-ridden the trail the evening before the race, I was not feeling super confident on one line in the wet weather. Specifically, a steep, technical, root-choked section somewhere near the middle of Upper Predator that was as slippery as a fish in water. I'd like to say I greased it, but when I finally got to this section on my race run, I just didn’t have it in me. Erring on the side of caution, I opted to jump off and run it vs. ride it. And of course, where do you think the photographer decided to shoot everyone? Yep, right there. Luckily, as one of the first ones down, he missed me on that section, but not everyone was so lucky. With that in mind, I had the chance to scan through the photos and was happy to see that:
a) I wasn’t the only one who walked that line, and
b) walking it might have been the better choice, but
c) some of the ladies cleaned it making the rest of us feel slightly inadequate.
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| Tara Walmsley of Calgary, AB dropping into Predator. |
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| Expert Master winner Cristine Smith dancing through one of the most interesting sections of Predator. |
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| Leana Gerrard kept a perfect fifth position all day long, coming home on this final stage at 08:18.55. |
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| Lindsey Bolivar is no stranger to roots and rocks, the Brackendale, BC native puts in plenty of time in this kind of terrain. |
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| Expert Master racer Elaine Bothe tip-toeing over yet another line of greasy roots. |
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| Laurel Peak on a mellow part of Predator-only a few greasy roots on tap here vs the all out chaos of some sections of the stage. |
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| Emily Sabelhaus rallied this root line on her way to second place in the pro division. Sabelhaus was one of the few to send this line with absolute confidence... |
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| ....others, however, did not. |
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| And still others chose caution over valor on this particular bit of nastiness. |
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| Expert Winner Delia Massey charging home for a total time of 32:04.43 on the day. Not too shabby. Local knowledge is priceless. |
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| Lisa Hong and Laura LeBlanc comparing notes on the day. Red Tent timing was able to provide instant printouts when racers handed in their timing chips. Pretty trick. This was an upgrade from last year when racers had to be scanned at the start and end of each stage. |
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| Seperate from the race, there was a costume contest. Yes... a costume contest that ran the gamut from downright frightening, to a bit weird, to winner winner chicken wing dinner. You should all be jealous of the amazing costumes, the food, and the smiles that greeted us as we passed through each stage drenched to the gills and covered in mud. |
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| Bryan Connolly (Evergreen - lead trail builder) was presented with a "check" for Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance as a way to give back for the wear and tear the race placed on the venue--200 racers going full tilt will put the hurt on trails when they're this wet, no matter how well built. It was great to see the Sturdy Dirty giving back to the trails that have shaped so many of the rookie racers who were out there for the race. |
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| Everybody loves a Raffle! There were prizes on hand from thirty-six different sponsors, including Bell, Crank brothers, Liv, G-Form, Stevens Pass Bike Park, and Swagman Racks. |
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| The grand prize of the raffle was a Liv Intrigue SX that went to Christine Fonner. STOKED! |
At the end of the day the pro winner, Liv’s Jaime Rees completed the four stage course in 30:21.13 followed closely behind by Juliana Ambassador Emily Sabelhaus with a time of 30:21.36, a mere quarter of a second behind Jaime. Or to put that into perspective, 2 pedal strokes behind Jaime.
Pro Top Five:
1) Jaime Rees
2) Emily Sabelhaus
3) Tara Walmsley
4) Andi Zolton
5) Leana Gerrard
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| The women's pro podium (L-R): Leana Gerard (5), Tara Walmsley (3), Jaime Rees (1), Emily Sabelhaus (2), and Andi Zolton (4). |
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| There were nine podiums in all. They were (winners listed L-R): 1) Beginner Junior podium Autumn Parham (3), a stand in for Torrey Lind (1), and Callah Robinson (2); 2) Beginner Master podium Paige Anderson (3), Kindahl Reed (1), and Jenn Jones (2); 3) Beginner podium Andrea Mayes (3), Katie Sox (1), and Liza Bee Hodgins (2); 4) Sport Junior podium Alli Gaertner (DNF and not present for the podium), Elena Runyan (1), and Nyla Stephens (2); 5) Sport Master podium Kathy Salisbury (3), Nathalie Mikinka (1), and Hidi Cramer (2); 6) Sport podium Kathryn Irish (3), Selina Miller (1), and Jessica Hatch (2); 7) Expert Masters Amy Josefczyk (3), Cristine Smith(1), and Elaine Bothe (2); and 8 ) Expert Amanda Bryan (3), Delia Massey (1), and Michelle Warner (2). |
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| A big shout out to the Sturdy Bitch racing team: Katie Jackson, Julie Crittenden, Alison Angione, and Ady Bee Lane. Absent was Angela Sucich. |
What do I find so inspiring about this race? The fact that there were 35 beginners and 91 sport racers who completed the course on Saturday. They made up more than 50% of the field. What drew them to this race? For many it was the desire to find other female riders. There were two organized pre-rides scheduled this year on top of a day before the race clinic for up to 100 ladies put on by Liv Cycling. The biggest fears I hear from women about why so many women won’t race the co-ed series is because they don’t know what to expect of the course, and they are intimidated by the large quantity of men that are typically pre-riding and racing alongside them.
 | It's going to take a long time to wipe the smile off my face (and the mud off my clothes...) from the Sturdy Dirty. Inspiring lady riders, super supportive atmosphere, and crazy energetic volunteers... Oh, and there's bacon everything (bacon smores, bacon waffles, bacon bacon). It's a whole lot of awesome. - Leslie Oley |
Last? The volunteers, the photographers, and the race organizers all deserve a high five and huge thank you for braving the piss poor weather (particularly those in semi-naked attire) to cheer us on. And a shout out to all the sponsors who made this fantastic event happen: title sponsors Liv and Giant and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance; race sponsors Shimano/Modus Group, Sugar Wheel Works, and Mudd Bunnies; service sponsors Andrew Dayton, Cascadia Dirt Cup, Chris McFarland Photography, Dumonde Tech, Evergreen Crank Sisters, Greggs Greenlake Cycles, MDJ Racing, Pacific Bike and Ski, Tacoma Acupuncture, Health & Wellness, Woodinvillle/Westside Bicycle; and Prize and Raffle Sponsors Bell, Biker Chick, CDC, Clif Bar, Club Ride, Crank Brothers, Cycle Dog, DHaRCO, Dirty Jane, Dumonde Tech, EVO, FOCF, G Form, Girlz Gone Riding, Hero Kit, Industry Nine, iSSi pedals, Jessica Crump, Liv Cycling, The Lumberyard, Nuu-Muu, NW Cup, NW Riders, Outdoor Research, Pedal Power, Platypus Hydration, Race Face, React Mobile, Rocky Mountain Bicycles, Shimano, SRAM, Stevens Pass, Sugar Wheel Works, Swagman, The Undress, and Zoic.
You can check last year's recap here.
Final Results.
Video from the event here.
Words by Nikki Hollatz
Photos by Colin Meagher
MENTIONS: @meagerdude / @EvergreenBryan / @giantbicycles / @shimano / @muddbunnies / @CascadiaDirtCup / @chrismcfarland / @BellBikeHelmets / @CLIF / @crankbrothers / @DHaRCO / @Industry-Nine / @olympicdirtsociety / @raceface / @RockyMountainBicycles / @SramMedia / @StevensPassBikePark
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