Eleven riders showed up to the Pantoll trailhead at 6:15am on April 25th. The fog was burning off the ridge. Nobody said much.

How it went

The start is deceptively casual — you’re on pavement climbing toward East Peak, legs still cold, brain still catching up to the fact that you’re actually doing this. By the time you hit the first switchbacks above the visitor center, the whole bay is below you and the day starts to feel real.

East Peak to Middle Peak is a short connector, maybe fifteen minutes if you’re moving. The descent into the saddle between Middle and West is where the first separation happened. West Peak is the highest of the three Tam summits at 2,576 ft, and the last push to the top on loose fire road is where you find out who did their training rides and who didn’t.

The traverse from Tam out to Pine Mountain is the longest sustained effort of the day — roughly 90 minutes of rolling ridge singletrack with no real recovery. If you haven’t eaten by then, you’re already behind.

The FKT

Jack set the pace from the gun and never looked back. 3:47:22 total, with the fastest segment times on both the Tam cluster and the final push to Barnabe. His setup — a Santa Cruz Megatower with 2.4" Maxxis Assegais up front — was perfectly dialed for the conditions.

Sarah K. came in second at 4:02:11, fastest among the women and honestly one of the cleanest rides of the day. She was the only one who didn’t dab on the rock garden below Barnabe’s summit.

What we learned

A few things were obvious in hindsight:

• Water: the two creek crossings on the Barnabe approach were running, but don’t count on it. Carry 2L minimum and plan to filter if needed.
• Nutrition: 60–80g carbs/hour is right. The riders who bonked all said the same thing — they felt fine until Pine Mountain and then they didn’t.
• Tires: grip mattered more than rolling resistance on this day. The riders on aggressive tires spent less time thinking and more time going.

Full bike specs from everyone who submitted are on the bike check page.

Next group attempt is tentatively planned for October — prime season, good visibility, and the trails should be tacky rather than dusty. Watch this space.