My first (mini) ultra! Baby Dagger 2026. Such a hard course!

Baby Dagger 2026. My first attempt at a longer distance unsupported event. Brutal course with constant climbing and a lot of steep climbs. First in the pairs category with Noah. Over 20 hours total. Really tough day! Thumbnail photo courtesy of Midwest Ultra Cycling. 0:46 Chestnut Mountain MTB trails 3:08 Missing the feature bypass and blocking everyone behind me 3:44 First (of many) short punchy climb 5:24 Beautiful Driftless rolling terrain 9:25 Punchy gravel climb 11:38 Apple River bridge (with a few missing planks) 12:45 Cheered on as we pass the house 13:23 Galena Territory trails 14:07 Fueling strategy discussion 14:38 Super steep Galena climb 17:27 Rolling into downtown Galena 18:58 Steep climb into an East Dubuque neighborhood 19:33 First Mississippi crossing 20:26 Dubuque, IA winding trails 21:08 Hilken Hill Road climb 24:14 Driftless Dagger rider encounter 26:06 Iowa B Road 31:39 Sun setting, lights on! 31:59 Broken derailleur story and light setup discussion 36:17 Iowa C road in the dark 38:20 First (of many) hike a bike section 39:30 Second Mississippi crossing 39:54 Climbing out of Savanna, IL 40:15 Grass trail to Mississippi Palisades park 41:42 Two deers jumping out at us in the dark! 44:53 More walking the bikes in the dark 45:23 Riding through Hanover, IL and racing a train on gravel 46:01 Finish video 46:18 Pairs winners photo and race stats