There was no sophomore slump for the Whiskeytown setting this past Saturday in the 19th annual Lemurian Shasta Classic. In fact, enhanced by temperatures in the eighties, this year's Lemurian, was absolute, total brutality -- just as nature and race director Ron Bresolin Jr. intended.

Which was perfect, because that's exactly what more than 300 tough-ass mountain bike muthas from Oregon to Santa Barbara came to the banks of Brandy Creek to experience.

2005 Long Course winner Tim Olson of Chico put on another clinic, setting a course record of 2:12:21 en route to his second consecutive Lemurian win. On the Sport Course, Chris Coble of Concord also set a new standard, tearing it up in an impressive 2:01:11. Former World Champion Linda Eckhart of Auburn was the first woman finisher on the Long Course, putting up a 3:04:22 on a single speed.

For the rest of the competitors, it wasn't so easy. Across the board, times were about five minutes slower than last year even though the course was actually drier and more manageable. Blame it on the heat.

Along the Long and Sport courses (26 and 20 miles, respectively), cramping and walking were common experiences encountered across all classifications and age groups. Throw in some chainsuck, a sprinkling of flats, a highlight reel of spectacular wipeouts, and lots and lots of pain, and you've got a pretty good portrait of the 2006 Lemurian experience.

Starting en masse from Brandy Creek Marina, the racers were quickly spread out by the first technical climb up to Panther Gap. This climb looked like the Chilkoot Pass, circa 1898. From the bottom all the way to the top, a string of riders slowly crawled their way skyward. Alongside, an equally long string of riders walked their bikes.

If the climb up to Panther Gap was like the Chilkoot, the way down, colorfully known as the Gas Can, was like an airplane crash, with riders, bikes, water bottles, and other assorted gear strewn the length of the two-mile plunge. Steepness plus gravity times adrenaline divided by the square root of huge parallel ruts usually equals trouble. Thirteen riders went DNF in this race; some of them never made it further than the Gas Can.

A short paved stretch across the Clair A. Hill Whiskeytown Dam and down Paige Bar Road gave racers a chance to throw it into the big ring and hit speeds topping 40 mph before dropping into the Canal Trail, a serpentine chute of giggly singletrack in primo condition. Like all the singletrack stretches this year, the racers danced through this part of the course with such speed and precision that nobody could really make up any ground.

Luckily , the Long Course's several distinctive -- and by distinctive, we mean painful -- climbs like the Mount Shasta Mine and the Recliner provided plenty of opportunities for faster racers to make their moves. Mixed in around miles of rolling singletrack that is just shit-eatin' grin fun, these climbs took their toll on the field. The Recliner, which tops out at 2700 feet hit racers just as they were starting to feel the cumulative effects of the course at about mile 17 of the race. All the way up the torturous grind, racers were clipping out in defeat and resignation.

Despite serious hydrating and two well-staffed rest stops, cramping hit racers hard. A short uphill climb after a XXX stream crossing near the Sheep Camp bridge at about mile 23 turned into a Gatorade commercial, with huge numbers of riders forced off their rides with calf and thigh cramps. Some were walking it off, some were stretching for relief, a couple lay writhing in the weeds by the side of the road.

Savvy racers took advantage of a steep 150-foot climb about one-quarter of a mile from the finish to make their final moves. The finish line was mostly anticlimatic. Many racers celebrated with a cooling dip in Whiskeytown Lake.

As with most mountain bike races, the prize money was nominal, even though the winning efforts were nothing short of amazing. The Lemurian doesn't offer much in prize money, but it is proud of the fact that male and female money winners get exactly the same amount.

Representation from the Bay Area was strong, but the majority of racers on Saturday were from the Redding and Chico areas. Makes sense. The oldest rider to finish the Long Course was 73, the youngest was 13.

It may not have been the fabled Lemurian schwagfest of yore, but the post-race giveaway was decent this year, featuring a Bontrager wheel set and a Chris King headset, along with various tires, tubes, pumps, t-shirts, water bottles. Giant raffled off a new mountain bike.

As it goes every year, this race went off without a hitch, thanks to the hard work of the Lemurian non-profit organization. The course was well-marked, the volunteers treated every racer like a pro, and the atmosphere was all about fun. Other than Giant and local component maker Risse Racing, there were no industry booths or product managers to be found.

Cross-country mountain bike racing requires a unique mentality. So does racing in the Lemurian. Through either reputation or personal experience, competitors are fully aware that they're signing up for two to three to four hours of pain, sometimes very intense pain. There is no avoiding it, no matter how fast or slow they go, them hills is gonna hurt. The harder they push, the more it's gonna hurt.

So is the Lemurian enjoyable?

Based on the huge clutch of enthusiastic riders lounging under the schwag tent munching burritos, laughing, and basking in the glory of self actualization, the answer is "hell yeah!".