The whole enchilada sounds like lunch at a Mexican restaurant; and yes, I like a cheese enchilada with mild salsa for dipping.

This food item takes on an entirely different meaning in Utah. Read about it here. The Whole Enchilada ride is far, far  beyond my strength; endurance; skill; and sea-level lungs. I don’t even have a MTB to begin with!

It makes me cringe to look at the maximum grade of that event: 37%! Ay, Chihuahua! Even the minimum grade, 5%, would probably seem quite steep to me. That’s the disadvantage to living where “grade” means a highway overpass. I get very little opportunity to develop climbing legs.

The altitude alone would present a significant challenge for me. The lowest point is almost 4000 feet up, which is very different from sea level. Then the route tops out at over 11,000 feet! If I were to try Enchilada, I’d have to either find a way to go train at altitude; or train with a hypoxic mask. That would not be fun at all. How would I get a drink of water when I’ve got that thing over my face?

OK, that’s my view of this challenge. It’s obviously not for me! If you’re up to it, see here for a more detailed description of the route. The author(s) make no bones about the difficulty involved in riding this trail. That’s only fair; riders who are interested need to know what they’re getting into. 

As for me, I’ll stick with the kind of enchilada that I can eat!