Racers from nine states and Canada took to the roads of Southern Utah August 28-30th, at the Fourth Annual Hoodoo 500 Ultra Distance Bicycle Race. The Hoodoo 500, held annually the last weekend in August, follows a course starting in St. George, and traveling through Hurricane, Colorado City, Kanab, Carmel Junction, Bryce, Tropic, Escalante, Boulder, Torrey, Loa, Panguitch, Cedar City and back to St. George. While testing their mettle over 517 miles with 30,000+ feet of climbing over mountain passes above 10,000', solo, tandem and relay-team racers enjoyed awe-inspiring scenery which varies from  majestic cliffs, striking red rock hoodoos, aspen and pine forests and high mountain meadows.

It started out as a perfect weekend for racing in Southern Utah. Saturday daytime temperatures were low for Summer in St. George, strong tailwinds blew racers for over 200 miles, and not a drop of rain or hail or snow fell in the high mountains. Overnight temperatures were in the 40s and 50s. Mother Nature had other plans for Sunday... Headwinds were relentless, and racers suffered from sun up until sun down. The howling wind slowed racers to a crawl and added a whole other dimension to this already super-challenging course. While all of the relay teams toughed it out, the winds literally shredded the solo field to pieces. Only the toughest of the tough - five of nineteen solos and seven of nine solo Voyagers crossed the finish line in St. George. Champions all.

The 2010 Hoodoo 500 was an incredible weekend of super-fast relay racing! Veteran 4-man Red Rock was victorious yet again at the Hoodoo, taking an early lead and never looking back. Two of the four Red Rock members, Colt Albrecht and Scott Smith, have raced the Hoodoo every year: Three times on 4-man teams (winning twice), and they also hold the course record in the 2-man relay division.

Team Ranchos, which included 2007 solo winner Ton van Daelen, took home victory in the 2-man division after battling for over 400 miles within minutes of 2nd place Team OC Quattro.

Relay records were set in three divisions. Team JDRF was the first 4-tandem team to race the Hoodoo; and as expected, proved that the "tandems can’t climb" presumption is pure fiction! 4-women Hammer Frogs crewed by Lee Mitchell, set the bar high. Lee commented he has never seen a team sleep more during a race! Maybe they were on to something? Big thanks to Lee for all of his support for ultra cycling. Team Turbodogs set both the 2-mixed and 2-mixed 50+ record in a time which bested the current 2-man 50+ record. Congratulations to all relay team finishers!

The solo divisions of the Hoodoo reversed course this year – with more successful Voyagers than Solos!  Only five solos reached the finish in 2010. Defending Champion David Holt repeated as solo overall and 50+ winner. Not only did the 58-year old Holt beat out riders half his age, he also set a new 50+ record with his impressive time of 34:00. Veteran racer Dave Elsberry, Holt’s senior by a year, finished a strong 2nd, improving upon his 3rd place finish in 2009. Twenty-nine year old rookie, James Good, rounded out the podium.

The ultra-tough Voyager division had seen a very low finishing rate in the previous three years. Voyagers race without support crew, entirely on their own. But in 2010, the trend was broken, as seven of nine Voyagers finished. Continuing on with the theme of “old guys rule,” veteran Joel Sothern, the former 50+ solo record holder, not only won the overall Voyager title, but shattered the record by over eight hours! Joel simply had an incredible ride. Despite his slender build, the wind did not faze him one bit. It is hard to imagine anyone will challenge Joel’s record of 34:21 anytime soon. Fifty really is the new thirty! Jared Fisher, 2nd place in 2007 in the solo division, returned as a Voyager and bested his time by 28 minutes! Jared arrived at the finish looking great and in the best cheer ever displayed by a Hoodoo finisher. Russell Stevens rounded out the Voyager podium.

Note: Voyagers must race the entire 517 miles without any outside support other than sending drop bags to four time stations and scavenging along the course. Just finishing the Voyager division within the 50 hour time limit is a tremendous accomplishment - achieved by only five racers in the first three years of the race. Voyager finishers are a very select and special few incredibly strong, highly motivated and determined ultra cyclists. In 2010, an amazing seven of nine finished. These seven men exemplify what the Voyager division is meant to be: An extraordinary physical and mental challenge- which, when conquered, is no doubt a cherished lifetime accomplishment and memory. Congratulations to all!

This year demonstrated once again that, the harder the race is, experience, preparation and perseverance are often the greatest assets. Five of the six podium places in the solo divisions were taken by veteran Hoodoo 500 racers. Five of seven successful Voyagers had previous solo Hoodoo 500 experience.

Monday morning, racers, crew and Hoodoo staff all enjoyed the post-race banquet breakfast which included a full buffet of eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, waffles, fresh fruit, yogurt, coffee and orange juice. It was a great celebration of the Hoodoo 500 - the most epic and challenging 500-mile race on the Planet. Solo winners David Holt and Joel Sothern each received a personalized plaque with their name and finishing time and a VDO Z-series altimeter/computer. Overall 2-person and 4-person relay team champions took home trophies and prizes from Hammer Nutrition. Record setting team members each took home seat bags from Detours. Tons of raffle prizes were won by racers and crew, courtesy of Hammer Nutrition, Detours, Planet Ultra, Red Rock Bicycle Company, Road ID, and Ibex Sports/VDO.  A huge thanks to all of our sponsors for their continuing support.

For those fortunate enough to help produce the Hoodoo 500, few things compare with seeing the beaming glow of finishers at the awards banquet, especially those who have overcome their previous unsuccessful Hoodoo attempts. The determination to refocus and learn from their mistakes and problems to come back and accomplish their goals is inspiring and reflects the most beautiful aspect of endurance cycling.

Thanks to all of the racers for their support and sportsmanship. The wonderful and inspiring athletes and their support crews make the Hoodoo 500 a special experience for all involved. Our heartfelt appreciation to the incredible, tireless Hoodoo 500 staff: Scott Anderson, Deborah & Brian Bowling, Jann Coury, Kyle Kimzey, Kerry Kimzey, Jennifer Klausner, Jim McArthur, Steve  Prows, Kai Reed and Dennis Wignall.

To see for yourself how exciting and competitive the race was, you can view photos of the race and review all of the time station splits at http://www.HooDoo500.com.  Links to many excellent and entertaining ride reports can be found on the Hoodoo 500 Facebook page. You can also check out all the race chatter on Hoodoo500 Twitter, which was updated constantly throughout the weekend.

The Hoodoo 500 will continue to be held the last weekend in August that is not Labor Day weekend. We're already looking forward to the next Hoodoo 500.

New for 2011 and beyond, racing starts FRIDAY! Mark your calendars for August 26-28, 2011! We hope to see you there!