Misery loves company bike race

So, yesterday I had an event notification pop up on my facey page reminding me of the Misery Loves company bike race in the yankee springs rec area. For those of you unfamiliar, there are miles and miles of back country 2 track over there that are seldom traveled, never maintained, and therefore prime for biking. The event was put on by the western chapter of the MMBA to rally membership. Basically, the race was free for existing members and if you wanted to join in the fun all it cost was a membership. The race venue was the Blarney Stone Bar & Grill and they were very hospitable. I decided to do this race literally at 12:00 noon and the start time was to be 2:00 pm. I think all told there were about 45 people that signed up. Temps at race time were in the mid 80's with bright sun and high humidity. Right from the start we were funneled OFF the road into a 2 track that paralleled the roadway. approximately 1/2 mile into the race the 2 track ascended what can only be described as a redneck hill climb. A washed out hill about 50 yrds long that I have no idea how you would ever ride. Shortly after we turned off on a sandy 2 track that was deep and soft with a steady climb that seemed to go on forever. After about 3-4 miles of this we turned out onto some decent gravel roads to finish the race. The total mileage was reported to be in the neighborhood of 13 miles. All in all it was a fun event and a good workout. Later this summer they are planning another that is reported to be 25 miles in length.