The Race Whip
Well, I said it would be part of this project. I said I'd strap a number on this bike and take it out on a proper race course. Mission accomplished, but not entirely successful.
I found a race I thought would suit this bike, the Barn Burner 104 in Flagstaff, AZ. The course was all service road, mostly pretty tame, but also home to some pretty rough and rocky sections. Trying to knock down 104 miles at race pace on what amounts to my commuter, touring, and adventuring bike was for lack of a better word - stupid. Okay, perhaps not entirely daft, but sweet fancy Moses did I feel like a whipped pig after the first 50 miles. The Fargo is a wonderful machine, don't get me wrong. She loves a good challenge, but I think she's best left unadorned with race digits. Ultimately, the Fargo can handle the task of racing, but it's just not designed for fast performance riding. Maybe an ultra, ultra race with a tempo more akin to an epic saunter. Putting it on a start line and sprinting it to the front of a group of hot-bloods, it was just out of place. Like a Defender 110 on a WRC rally course, it was just begging to get off into the sticks where it could slow the hell down.
But, it was worth a try.
Commuter? Check.
Daily singletracker? Check.
Touring bike? Check.
Race whip? ......semi, sorta, kinda check.
