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> So what's the big deal about Tevis anyway?
>
> ...mostly single-track trail, no place to pass. If you
> are in the back of the pack, that's where you stay with little
> hope of moving ahead.
Maybe 60% of the 100 miles is single-track, but the rest is graded fire
roads, for the most part. Even in the single-track sections, most
riders will let you by if you ask, and there's a safe place ahead.
> Little opportunity to move out at a nice
> working trot
There are more places along the course to trot than what most riders are
willing to take advantage of. The challenge is more about holding a
workable pace and saving your horse.
> ...and you're eating dust the whole way.
Yes, the trails are dusty at that time of year. No getting around it.
The good news is that after Robinson Flat (1/3 the way into the Ride)
the riders are spread out enough that the dust has a chance to settle
between groups of riders.
> From what I
> get out of this is that a small percentage of riders go to win;
The number of riders each year who "plan to win" (i.e., try for top-ten)
probably number only two or three dozen.
> ...the vast majority go to say they rode the Tevis.
If "To finish is to Win" ever applied to any endurance ride, it
especially applies to the Tevis. The completion rate is consistently
about 50%, sometimes even less. Anyone you talk to who has finished
will grumble about how tough it was, but they do wear that buckle!
> Can I get another perspective on this? I'm planning on riding
> Tevis is '99, but should I not bother unless I have a front
> runner?
Again, don't make too much of the dust factor. It's part of the deal,
but not a showstopper.
> Moving in the back of the pack is no guarantee that
> you will finish in time, basically through no fault of your
> own, simply by default.
Far and away more (over 98%) of the horses pulled are pulled at the vet
checks along the way. Less than 2% are disqualified for overtime at the
finish line. The prospect of being caught behind a slow group, and not
being able to finish as a result, is not likely to happen.
All this is not to say that you needn't plan your pace or follow a
strategy about being ahead/within/behind the "pack," --especially at
the start. So much depends on your own style of riding, your horse's
best pace, your combined level of conditioning, your attitude and even
dumb luck.
One of the improvements coming soon to the Tevis web site is more along
the lines of how to plan your ride, what to watch out for, etc. Those
who have tips and advice along these lines, please pass them along.
I'll do my best to fold it together and get it out there for all to
read.
/richard (Tevis webguy)
-- Natalie's Barn & Breakfast -- a B&B for horses ...and their riders Visit us at http://www.foothill.net/natalies (916) 637-4644 Also, the OFFICIAL TEVIS SITE, http://www.foothill.net/tevis
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