Category Archives: race reports

T minus 2 days until the Furnace Creek 508

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It’s getting closer and closer. Now let’s continue with my mini-series of posts associated with the mistakes I’ve made in preparing and racing the Furnace Creek 508.
San Diego 200km Brevet

Let’s talk about 2007.  During the off-season of 2006-2007 I had this crazy idea of doing something epic on a fixed gear.  My long range goal was to do the Furnace Creek 508 fixed gear.  So I built my second fixed gear bike and started experimenting with longer distances.  I started with brevets (unsupported events) and then progressed onto supported Double Centuries.  My form was progressing nicely in March and then I was thrown a curve ball. 

I was invited to join a 4-person team for Race Across America which left in June.  I had always dreamed of doing RAAM — but as a solo racer.  I knew I didn’t have the time to train properly with family and work commitments so this seemed like a good alternative and great opportunity to experience some of the difficulty of RAAM.  Well the 4 person turned to 2 person and that was even more exciting to me.  I had to change my training completely from long endurance rides to short 2-3 hour medium to high intensity rides because of the demands RAAM relay.    Well after sorting out my training and completing RAAM 2 person in 9 days 18 hours and 55 mins.  A footnote- by partner DNF’d and the last day and half I rode Solo to the finish. It was interesting to do that after 7 days of suffering as a relay team. It actually felt better to just ride until I wanted to stop and rest. With RAAM done now it was time to refocus on my real goal for the year– the Furnace Creek 508 Fixed Gear Solo.
I did a few more climbing doubles multi-speed but would do all my training on my Fixed Gear.  On Wednesdays I would commute from my home in Huntington Beach 74 miles to reach my client’s house in Rancho Santa Fe by 615am.  That meant I would leave HB at 2am.  I would train with him for an 1.5 hours and then be at work by 8ish am.  I would sometimes hook up with our shop ride as it was ending and hold my own in the sprint.  I would report to work with a fixed gear century (100 miles) already done and it was only 8am.  Then I would ride home after work for another 65 miles.  I would only do that on Wednesdays but the other two days I would commute in and get 130 a day. 
Everything was going well until 6 weeks from the event.  I caught a cold that lingered and lingered and lingered.  I couldn’t kick it and I was sick on the final 6 weeks leading up to the event.  You could say I had fresh legs but I know I lost fitness.  In the end it didn’t matter because my goal was to finish.  My goal was to challenge myself and find new limits of my physical and mental toughness.  In the process of finding those limits I became one of seven riders in 34 runnings of the race to ever complete the Furnace Creek 508 on a Fixed Gear (49 x 17). 

So the lesson learned was too much training with too much sleep deprivation.  Another lesson learned  was DO NOT MESS WITH YOUR SADDLE HEIGHT!  I raised my saddle about a 1cm a week before the event.  I had to move the saddle forward so I also raised it and the combination of those two things wreaked havoc on my left knee in the event.  I think I also choose the wrong gear.  I was gearing for the flats and the downhills (35,000 feet of climbing means a lot of descending lol!) but some of the climbs Towne Pass in particular really hurt.  Towne Pass, which comes at mile 199 and after 11k of climbing, is a 13 mile climb with a 6 mile section that averages 9% ouch!  My nutrition was good this time and the only sleep problems we had was the crew couldn’t stay awake through Death Valley so we had to stop in Badwater much to my chagrin. It took me 45:12:45 to finish “the toughest 48 hours in sport”. 

San Diego 200km
Fixed Gear 121 miles and 6600 feet of gain

Butterfield Double Century
Fixed Gear 204.5 Miles and 8300 feet of climbing

Solvang Double Century
Fixed Gear 194 miles and 7200 feet of climbing

Mullholland Double Century
203.7 miles with 17,000 of climbing

Breathless Agony
5:40 72 miles 11,000 feet of climbing

Heartbreak Double Century
Heartbreak Double Century 202 Miles and 17,000 feet

Race Across America
2-Person

Furnace Creek 508
Fixed Gear

T minus 10 days Furnace Creek 508

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The Furnace Creek 508 is 10 days away.  I have an unusual calm as the days tick away.  I am usually a lot more stressed out about my gear or nutrition.  But this year being the fourth year racing the “toughest 48 hours in sport” I feel ready and healthy. Over the next few posts I will recap my experiences from my previous three races.  For new readers it will give you a chance to see that I’ve probably made every mistake in the book 😉

In 2006,  I had incredible form.  I had had a good full season of Ultras.  I had done fast doubles, climbing doubles and climbing centuries and unsupported brevets.  I even had a great month of August training in the mountains with 1650 miles and 124,000 feet of climbing.

January San Diego 200km Brevet 125 miles 6,500 feet

 February I was hit by a car.


February Palm Springs Century weekend   340 miles 20,000 feet

March San Diego 300km Brevet 186 miles 11,400 feet

Hemet Double Century  202 miles 6,000 feet

Mullholand Double Century   202 Miles with 16,500 feet

Breathless Agony  11,000 feet in under 75 miles

Heartbreak Double Century 200 miles 16,500 feet

Death Ride 129 miles 15,000 feet

Everest Challenge 29,000 feet in 2 days

Furnace Creek 2006

Death Valley Northern Route 196 Miles 10,500 feet of climbing

So where did I go wrong?

My breakfast was a bit too heavy (Moons over my Hammy with a stack of pancakes) too close to the start of the event.  Then too many calories over the first five (5) hours.  I was putting in over 350 calories an hour and I hadn’t trained with that much intake.  As many of you know, when you are out training alone you conserve your calories because you either don’t want to stop or the services are few and far in between.  I fall victim to both scenarios because my training routes are very remote.  Well this totally locked up my stomach and my intensity had to drop significantly.  I puked many times on the side of the road until finally my stomach was back in good shape but I was very fatigued.

Are you asking yourself why was I taking in so many calories? Because I was intimidated by the event.  The 508 miles the 35,000 feet of climbing.  I thought I would really fuel up this time.  I would really take in the calories to make sure I wouldn’t falter on the course.  But that was a big mistake and I paid for it for miles miles and miles and hours and hours of poor performance.

So in short, I had great fitness but my nutrition made for a horrible first 152 miles.  Sleep deprivation also was a major problem through the first night and I was still in Death Valley (about 300 miles) by daybreak.  I learned a lot from my first Furnace Creek. But as you’ll see I still had a lot more to learn in the next couple of years.

Furnace Creek 508 2009

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T- 17 days until Furnace Creek 508 2009. I go into this event burnt-out from a full year of ultra racing. My season began with the San Diego 200km Brevet back in Jan 3rd and will end with FC508 on Oct 3rd, a full 10 months! Follow labels such as Race Reports, races, Brevets, or training, mountains, high intensity to read up all the races and training leading up to the Furnace Creek 508, my goal event of the year.

On my website, http://www.epictrain.com/follow the link “Race Reports”. There you will find 2006, 2007 and 2008 Furnace Creek 508 Race Reports. Or you could “skip the book and see the movie” here in my video gallery.

Subscribe to my blog!!!

Trans Iowa V.5 Race Report

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First thing I need to do is thank my sponsors because they make it all possible Detours bags, Finish Line, Hawaiian Island Creations, Nathan Sports, Niterider, Showers Pass, Skins Compression, Speedfil, Sportquest Direct, Team Sho Air, Woolistic

YOU CAN READ THIS REPORT ON MY WEBSITE WHICH HAS A LOT MORE DETAIL AND VIEW ACCOMPANYING VIDEO HERE

I have tried several times to start this race report and each time I just don’t know where to start. Do I start from the beginning? How far back to the beginning? Or do I start from the end and work my way backwards? Or just hop around as the thoughts come to my head? Well I will begin again and this time from the beginning. I will write the events in chronological order and let my epilogue be the catch-all. However, I still reserve the right to jump around. See if you can follow along.

Ok so for the A.D.D. people out there here is the headline– I FINISHED TRANS IOWA V.5. IT WAS 314 MILES AND 31 HOURS AND 58 MINUTES OF GRAVEL CRUNCHING PAIN AND SUFFERING. ONLY 15 FINISHERS OUT OF 52 STARTERS. I WAS A TOP TEN FINISHER BUT FINISHING IS A TRIUMPH IN AND OF ITSELF. TO DATE, BY MY COUNT, THERE HAS BEEN ONLY 55 FINISHERS. MY EDUCATED GUESS IS THERE HAVE BEEN ABOUT 250 STARTERS.

This madness all started with another insane challenge. At the end of the 2006 season, I had this crazy idea that I would do Furnace Creek 508 on a Fixed Gear in 2007. Up until that point only 5 people in 32 runnings (that’s thousands of racers) of the race had ever done it Fixed.

I began my search for a steel fixie with road geometry and horizontal dropouts. I found a shop named Ben’s Cycle and Fitness in Milwaukee. They sold/sell a bike made by Waterford called the Milwaukee Bicycle Co.

GRATUITOUS PIMPIN’ OF MY FIXED GEAR

I called the shop and spoke to Andy. We had many conversations on my bike build and in one of those conversations he mentioned Trans Iowa to me. I listened with some interest but I already had a full plate for 2007. I had scheduled a few Double Centuries Fixed, Race Across America and Furnace Creek 508 as my A race for the year. But there was one thing he said that stayed with me. He stated that the finishing rate was really low and that it would be a real test of my endurance. In 2006, there were no official finishers of Trans Iowa.

Fast forward two years and I’m talking to Andy again in Sept of 2008. I am driving to the Eastern Sierra Mountains to participate in the California/Nevada State Climbing Championships in a race called Everest Challenge, 29,000 feet of climbing in a two day stage race. Participate is all I would do since I use it as a training race for Furnace Creek which is 10 days later.

Brandy and I were stuck in traffic so Andy had our full attention now. He tells me again about the low finishing rate for 2008 (in 2008 there were only 5 finishers) and that I should REALLY try it for 2009. By the way, Brandy went on to finish the two day stage race (I was a finisher in 2005 and 2006). I had had a stomach thing beginning two days prior the race that precluded me from finishing.

What makes people like me and us so different? What is the allure of low finishing rates, high elevation gain to mileage ratios, extreme heat, extreme cold or remote conditions that turns us on so much? Why doesn’t a 60 minute Criterium satisfy me. I mean I’m racing right doesn’t that get it out of our system? I tried USCF racing. I wasn’t very good at it at the CAT 5, CAT 4 level. I seemed to be consistently in the 12th-20th places with no sprint to speak of. But I always was left wanting. Is that it? Is that all there is? Even after doing 2,3 or 4 crits in a day I was left unsatisfied. I tried some road racing as well. I got dropped. I also didn’t fit in with the totally amped up attitude. Playing Russian Roulette with my bike and my body every race was also not fun. I work in a shop I see so many USCF’ers coming in needing new bikes because they crashed on Sunday. Ok I’ll admit it I sucked at USCF racing but put me on a 200+ mile event I feel like I’m at home. Besides, I like to go somewhere on my bike not in circles. So that was the end of my USCF career.

When I returned from Everest Challenge I contacted a fellow epic adventure seeker and after a few email exchanges we were committed to doing the race in 2009. Now even though I was mentally committed to doing the race I had a few challenges ahead of me.

This might be a good time to tell you about my equipment and logistical challenges. I didn’t dare tell the field at the start line in Williamsburg some of the things I will bear to you today. They might not have let me in their paceline had they known.

1. I don’t own a MTB or a CX bike. I didn’t want to “have to” buy one for just this race.

2. I had never ridden a Mountain Bike

3. I had never ridden a CX bike

4. I had never ridden gravel.

5. I had never been on tires wider than 28mm which I put on our tandem so Brandy and I would have some comfort on our Ultras. I also had done only one Rough Ride up to Santiago Peak but it definitely was more of a fire road than GRAVEL and it was on my Cannondale CAAD9 Road Bike.

6. My dilemma, which I’m sure I shared with others racers, was what bike was I going to ride?

7. And of course the x-factor what would Mother Nature bring to this years race?

I committed to the race organizers in November. I sent my postcard under the specific instructions provided by Guitar Ted. I figured I had months to figure out my LACK of bike and LACK of skills situation.

As the winter months went by, I communicated with G-Ted on several occasions about current weather conditions, bike choices, tire choices and so on. He was so patient with me. I thought for sure at some point he would tell me to stop bugging him. I guess I was being introduced to the goodness of the Midwest folks.

Another example of this goodness came in the form of a comment on my blog by Buckshot77. He commented when I found out I had made the race roster for TI V.5. He just said lightly if I had questions to let him know. Little did I know that Buckshot77 would turn out to be the golden ticket.

Fast forward to just a couple of weeks before race day, I still didn’t have a bike for Trans Iowa. The economic downturn had affected our home as well. Buying a new bike for just this race was just not in the budget. I sought a bike sponsor but the obscurity of the race precluded someone from taking a chance on me.

Buckshot came to the rescue and offered his bike err…frame. Now all I had to do is fly into Des Moines and rebuild his frame with my components, work on my fit on CX geometry and I would be set. Sounds easy enough right?

So the question you are asking yourself is who is crazy enough to fly into town, build someone else’s bike to his spec and race it the next day on a 314 mile Ultra endurance gravel race? Umm…someone who really didn’t have another choice. Someone like me!

Buckshot77 not only lent me his bike but he hosted me. In addition to all his hospitality, he even hooked up a ride for me to and from the race start/finish with another Trans Iowa racer Steve Fuller.

Buckshot77 took me on two hour ride on Friday morning so I could check over the build and the fit. We stopped a couple of times to adjust my saddle height and fore and aft. He gave me a taste of gravel roads and a B road. I was feeling really discouraged about my race based on the condition of said B road. The mud was so black so sticky it seized everything and clung to my brand new MTB shoes. Did I mention I had never been MTB’ing? Well I also had never used MTB shoes or MTB pedals SPD in this case.

NOTICE MY BRAND SPANKING NEW SHINY MTB SHOES

After our bike check it was time to meet Steve Fuller at Rasmussen’s Bike shop in West Des Moines. I walked around aimlessly wondering if I had forgotten anything. While there, I met Sterling, a great guy with a sense of humor. I won’t forget him running around in a Mavic compression shirt stretched down below his shorts and…let me stop there. He was nice enough to hook me up with some Schwag! Thank you.

Pre-race meeting was short and sweet. Get your goody bag, sign a waiver hear a few last minute admin notes and we were out of there. I felt like an outsider. I was many miles from home and I was entering a new field of racing …Gravel.

Race day I’m up at 2:30 am. I ate an English muffin with peanut butter and took my SPORTQUEST supplements Vantage and Recover. My nutrition plan was simple. I would use CarboPro 1200 in my Nathan Synergy Hydration pack.


The Synergy is a dual chamber bladder. It has a total capacity of 100 oz. You can put 80oz in the water chamber and 20 oz in the fuel or electrolyte chamber. I personally NEVER carry straight water. I consider it a waste of precious capacity. Especially when doing unsupported Ultras every liquid carrying vessel will have fuel in it. The Synergy hydration pack was awesome. It had just the right amount of storage. I was able to carry my Topeak Morph pump in it. In the two front pockets I carried my Vantage VO2 and Recover Amino Pro in one and my camera in the other. It was comfortable and very practical. It was very light feeling and cleaned up very easily after the event. I highly recommend the Nathan Synergy pack.

I poured four bottles of CarboPro 1200 (that’s 1200 calories per 16 oz bottle) 64 oz of fuel and 36 oz of water. My plan was to just need water as the event went on. Basically I was carrying 5,000 calories on my back.

5,000 calories @ 400 calories/hr = 12 hours worth of fuel.

I nursed the concentrated fuel mixture for hours and hours. Even in this highly concentrated strength I never had an upset stomach. By the way SPORTQUEST doesn’t recommend such a high concentrate but in my opinion this race course, with so many unknowns demanded it and it worked for me.

I strongly recommend using Sportquest products. If you have had digestive issues with other nutrition products Sportquest is really easy on your stomach. You could experiment with Carbo Pro to start.

Fuller knocked on my door right on time and we roll from the hotel at a little after 3:30. We arrive at the start area which was a cemetery. In a weird way it felt appropriate. We had arrived with plenty of cushion before the 4am neutralized start.

The weather was cool but very nice. I was wearing a Skins Long Sleeve compression garment as my base layer, and three short sleeve jersey with my Rough Riders jersey as my top layer, and my Skins Bib tights. I believe it was in the mid 40’s.


We roll out and the pacelines begin to form. I can’t tell you how nervous I was… ok I was scared shitless. We were going 20+ MPH in a pace line at 4 O’clock in the morning on gravel. The bike was bouncing all over the place and holding a line was nearly impossible. The riders in front of me were all over the place as well. Just as I would get comfortable with how the bike was handling the gravel BAM! we would hit fresh gravel and everything would change. If you haven’t experienced this— it is nerve-racking until you relax and let your instincts take over. Remember this pure instinct because I can’t rely on experience I HAD NEVER RIDDEN GRAVEL much less RACED in it. But here I was doing it. In a short amount of time we had destroyed the main field and we were less than 25 then less than 20 and then less than 15.

I arrived at CP#1 Washington 40 miles into the race, at 6:23 am (there’s no way I’d remember that it’s from my cycling computer), with about 15 racers. We got our cue sheets for the next leg and within seconds the lead riders were rolling off. Luckily I was vigilant and jumped back on the bike. There were six of us leaving town together. We got a little lost. Charlie Farrow and I shared some quick laughs and once back on course we resumed race mode.

Things were going well for me as far as my nutrition. I also felt like I had good legs. A few miles out of town Joe M puts on an “attack”, probably more like a surge, and I think to myself, REALLY? I think whoa it’s too early in the race for this. We were a small break of six riders and we could really put a serious time gap on the chase group. The attack caught me off-guard and I didn’t chase. I hesitated and it cost me dearly. By the time I decided to chase the gap had opened up to 15 seconds and there were two up the road. Charlie F. was the first to react and he and Joe were gapping the four of us. We got strung out and I was caught out. I was now fighting a headwind and in Time Trial mode chasing. I closed within 10 seconds but just couldn’t reel them in. I just didn’t have it. I remember saying that’s the winning break. Why? Because the riders in that group were strong, really strong.

I was disappointed with myself for my hesitation. I was now in the proverbial no man’s land. I then backed off and waited to get picked up by the chase group.

At some point we hit a pretty muddy road and I see Charlie Tri. He says his rear der. is AFU and he is converting his bike to a single speed. I offer some assistance but it’s apparent that this is a one man job. I decide maybe this a good Kodak moment and snap his picture. We roll off together just as the chase crew comes along and envelopes us. Charlie’s bike just didn’t want to cooperate with his three goals. The chain didn’t want to remain in the gear he had chosen. I found out later he broke his chain many more times before his ordeal was over.

I tried to stay with the chase group but I had cooled off a bit from hanging out with Charlie so I got dropped by the second group. The details are hazy so I don’t really remember why I got dropped. I remember the headwinds oh I remember the headwinds.

I was again in no man’s land as the lead and chase groups were up the road and I had no idea how far behind another paceline would be. A SS’er came and went. And then along came Jeremy. I don’t remember what mile it was but it was somewhere around or after North English. Or maybe before oh heck I can’t remember. What I do remember was Enduro Snob rolling out of North English before me. His pink Indy Fab bike is so recognizable. I remember seeing it in pictures from previous TI’s. I do remember the headwinds. We were heading Northwest and West and the headwinds were demoralizing me. Yes the headwinds bear repeating. Just like the rollers later.

The only other thing I remember about the long haul (only 111 miles 😉 to checkpoint #2 was the incessant rollers. I couldn’t believe how you could string together sooo many rollers. Oh Guitar Ted and d.p. I was cursing you guys then. But it’s ALL GOOD NOW! On and on they went many of them so steep that Enduro Snob, on his SS, would dismount and walk up. After muscling up my fair share of these rollers I decided to swallow my pride and dismount and walk with him. Jeremy was struggling as well but he looked the best out of the three of us.

Being an experienced Ultra cyclist, I knew that energy conservation was the key to finishing this endurance event. However, even with this knowledge ingrained in my psyche I was getting my ass kicked! Mentally, I was not in the game. This rolling terrain was not what I had expected. Why had I thought that Iowa was flat? Or at very worst gentle rollers.

The other thing I was struggling with was how many hours it was taking me/us to cover the course. We weren’t at Checkpoint #2 yet and I was feeling overwhelmed with the slow-going nature of this event. I was falling asleep and feeling lethargic. At one point, I just pulled over, dismounted and sat against a fence post. It was only 4pm and I could’ve really used a good long sleep at that point.

It was a good seven minutes later before I got back on the bike. I couldn’t believe what I saw as I crested one of the rollers, Jeremy and Enduro Snob were waiting for me at the top of some distant roller. As I dipped down, I lost sight of them. I felt as though I was bobbing up and down in the ocean and every now and then I would catch a glimpse of the ship I was swimming towards. It was that glimpse that would give me hope as I crested and dropped into another chasm. As I climbed back up yet another effing roller there they were waiting for me. I said the only thing I could say “thanks for waiting”. And that my friends was a line the three of us would repeat to each other until checkpoint #2. Jeremy and I had the distinct pleasure of continuing that said process until the finish.

We arrived at Le Grand at 5pm two hours before the cut-off. Jeremy had talked about DNF’ing while enroute to CP#2. Enduro Snob was having Achilles issues and pulled the plug at Le Grand. My Achilles tendon was hurting as well but not enough to DNF. This was a “new bike build”. I was 151 miles into this race and my saddle height wasn’t perfect yet but I wasn’t going to mess with it now.

I was hungry and feeling ok considering. It was 13 hours into the event and I still had some of my CarboPro 1200 mix left in my Nathan Synergy pack. I topped it off with water. DNF’ing was the furthest thing from my mind. I learned a long time ago that your pain and malaise would be temporary but a DNF would haunt me forever. Well at least it has that effect on me. I wasn’t going to fly all the way from California to DNF in Iowa.

My theory on DNF’s goes like this if your machine can not be repaired or jerry-rigged to finish the event then you call it a day. If you have an injury that will take more than two weeks to heal then you also have no other option. I got that two week thing from somewhere and I apologize that I can’t remember where.

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE MACHINE NOT BEING ABLE TO BE JERRY-RIGGED BROKEN CARBON HANDLEBARS FROM CRASHING INTO A SNOW STAKE 10 DAYS BEFORE RAAM 2007 ON THE EASTERN SIERRA DOUBLE CENTURY ABOUT 70 MILES IN I FELL ASLEEP AND RAN OFF THE ROAD. SINCE THAT INCIDENT ALL NEW BIKE BUILDS HAVE ALLOY HANDLEBARS.

I DNF’d a 400km brevet once after 225 miles and another 40 to go (including two long climbs) and about 4 hours left of a 27 hour time limit. I had gotten lost several times in the desert east of San Diego. I was in terrible shape even after sitting an hour in a casino, having had the breakfast special. But you know almost immediately after I called for that ride I felt good. And once I got in the car for the long ride back to the start I felt great!

I went into Trans Iowa with no real bailout plan. Sure I had Fuller’s number but I was not calling anyone to pick me up. In addition, my flight back to California was not until Monday morning so I was either going to ride back to Williamsburg or Des Moines. Either way I was not calling for a ride.

I was able to convince Jeremy, remember he wanted to DNF at CP #2, to continue and we rolled off without Enduro Snob. For some reason, much of the next section is mostly a blur. Jeremy and I made our way to Checkpoint #3. It was around 1am I think. The store was closed but someone was nice enough to provide pizza for us late-comers. I was very appreciative regardless of how cold the pizza was. So a big thank you to the responsible party.

It brought a smile to my face to see Enduro Snob at Trear CP#3. He could have easily gone all the way to the start/finish and get some sleep or ice his Achilles. But no, there he was, still on the course volunteering at CP# 3. I suited up for the overnight ride behind the building. I had to strip down and get re-dressed. Purely by chance I discovered a little piece of heaven. One of the HVAC fans was putting out air that was warmer then the ambient air and it just enough to get my mind off the cold night air and take off the chill. I put on my Woolistic 100 % Merino wool long sleeve base layer put my jerseys back on arm warmers and my Showers Pass shell.

Jeremy and I rolled off together and it was time to face the demons. If you haven’t done overnight Ultras the next few paragraphs are going to go over your head. But if you have then we are brothers in arms. First phase or symptom is the overall fatigue. The calorie and fat deficit from the 20+ hours of riding really come into play now. If there has been extreme heat or cold during the previous daylight hours you are typically in really sad shape before you begin your overnight adventure. The heat has left you dehydrated most of the day and you pray for sunset. On the other extreme, the cold of the day has required more calories to keep your body core temperature where your body likes to function

Second phase or “symptom” comes in the form of your battle with the Sandman — your sleep deprivation battle. The battle between your conscious mind and your Circadian rhythms. You play games now where you trade two seconds of shut-eye with misguided and unfounded hopes of magical alertness that will follow. You wonder why you can’t have this type of sleep when you’re at home on your comfy bed. It continues to worsen as you believe you can actually ride with your eyes closed and nothing will happen. But then you snap back to reality as you find yourself inches from impending doom– the ditch on the side of the road or heading into oncoming traffic.

Then your conscious mind takes over and you become rational. You pull over and think if I can just take a 10 minute power nap I will be ready to go. I don’t know if this happens to you but as soon as I pull over and dismount I’m WIDE awake and there is no way I can catch a nap. So I get back on the bike and start the cycle over. This cycle repeats itself for hours and hours. For me this weakness manifiests itself between the hours of 2am and 5am. No amount of caffiene, sugar or calistenics (yes I’ve done them and push-ups) on the side of the road helps. Some overnighters are better than others but at varying levels I experience all aforementioned “symptoms” of sleep deprivation.

Jeremy and I rode, walked and trudged through gravel and B roads through the night. We were inseparable and many times we went what seemed like hours without talking to each other. It’s incredible the bond you can create when suffering with someone else through the dark of night. The bond is unspoken. The respect is earned and given without question. We are in this together and we’ll come out the other end together. Sounds melodramatic? Go do an unsupported overnighter “out there” and report back.

We were on the bike 24+ hours when we came to the Hwy 30- Hwy 63– W Ross point of our race. We were lost. We had come out of a B-Road and couldn’t find W Ross. We went up a long gentle climb (but a climb nonetheless) and then down the hill back to where we started. Yep we were lost. I was very frustrated. This is the final phase of the battle with the overnight demon. This is when your resolve is tested. This is what separates the heros and the also-rans in our story. The hero, in his weakest and most vulnerable state, must slay the overnight demon. Someone lesser and not up to the task will just break down on the side of the road.

Picture if you will, two fatigued, sleep deprived, and hungry cyclists on the side of the road in the dark of night with a cue sheet that only has the essential left and right turns with no other descriptors to aid you. You look at your computer and compare with the other rider. You try to act in control but inside you are first frustrated then you’re seething because there should be no doubt. You seek clarity. You doubt yourself wondering if you missed a turn. You wonder if you were awake enough to notice anything that would have kept you on course. Time precious time ticks away as you waste time trying to find your way. You know you are quarry to another rider/riders coming behind you so you dare not tarry.

This was not the first time we were off course that night or that day for that matter. But there is that one time in every race you remember the most and this was it. Finally, I said let’s find food (I was starving AGAIN) and then we’ll figure it out. Lo and behold when we pull into to a gas station in Toledo (I think) there are three (I think) other riders one of which is Ben Shockey.

It was 4:48 am of Sunday morning and we were about 50 miles from the finish. I ate a roller dog. I should’ve had two. I just didn’t know how my stomach would react to it. Ben informs us that they have found the W Ross turn and that we are close to it from the gas station.

We all (five riders I think) rolled off together but Jeremy and I were feeling good so we found our pace which was just slightly faster than Ben’s group. The countdown has begun. We are counting down the miles and the clock is still on our side to be considered official finishers. I’m in a strange and unfamiliar role. It has been years since I have had to worry about making the finishing time on an event to be considered an official finisher. But this is Trans Iowa and things are different for me here.

Soon after leaving Toledo you could just see the beginning of a sunrise. It is amazing the hope and relief that first light brings to a downtroddened and defeated cyclist. To that overally fatigued cyclist, the colors in the sky are just as beautiful as a sunset. First you see just the outer edge of this fabulous fireball. Then as if the curtains are opened, and the leading actor takes his mark on the stage, the sun, oh glorious sun, blinds you with it’s brilliance. I felt refreshed. I felt like this new day would wipe away all the pain and suffering of the previous 24 hours. I felt like no matter what happened next I was going to finish now. We were only a “club ride” away from the finish.

All was going well for Jeremy and I. The new day had dawned. We were resupplied and more importantly back on course. Wouldn’t you know it, his rear der cable snapped or something like that. We pulled over to repair it and even though he urged me to go on without him I insisted that I would stay with him and we would cross that finish line together. As we are repairing Jeremy’s bike, here comes Ben’s group and they have picked up another rider, Charlie Farrow. They stopped and asked if we needed anything and then rolled on.

One more fuel stop at Belle Plaine (39 miles from the finish) where we see Ben and Charlie’s group. Once back on the road I was on fire. I was a horse heading back to stables. We hit some flatter roads before another section of those GD rollers. But I was Big-Ringing them and feeling on top of the world. Jeremy was not feeling the same. I had made my decision a couple of hundred miles ago that Jeremey and I would finish together and so I throttled back. We crossed the line with a couple of hours to spare before the cut-off. I was a Trans Iowa V.5 finisher. My placing didn’t matter as much as being able to say I finished. The cowbell and the cheering brought up so many emotions but all I could do was smile … and smile.



Photos courtesy of K. Steudel

San Diego 600km Brevet Report

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Welcome and thank you for reading my blog.

First allow me to thank my sponsors, NiteRider, Motor Tabs, Skins, Speedfil hydration system and Nathan. I wore the Skins Bib Longs cycling specific compression tights with chamois for the duration of the 372 miles and I can honestly say they made a difference. I know my legs felt better than they would have without them.

THE SHORT OF IT

I completed the San Diego 600km Brevet in 27:20. Beating my goal of 30 hours by 2 hours 40 mins. I rode with two strong riders, MICHAEL STURGILL and JOSH TALLEY. We helped each other through our lulls and kept each other safe through the night and throughout the 373 mile course. I owe my success at the 600km to their company, their tireless efforts to keep the pace high, our unified and singular focus of “Git ‘er Done!” and our synergy–thanks guys!!

The event had 17,740 feet (5400 meters) of climbing, (data from Polar 625x your climbing data may vary) covered four counties, San Diego, Riverside, Orange and Los Angeles. The course was a good sampling of typical Southern California terrain. It included plenty of hills, mountains, rollers, spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, rural communities, flats and even urban areas that slowed us down significantly. The three of us were the lead riders from the start and finished with a four hour time gap over the next group of riders.

For the Power Mongrels I burned close to 11,000 kjs avg 130 watts. As you can see I kept the wattage down as this was an Ultra and conservation of energy is the name of the game.


THE LONG OF IT

I was anxious to get started on the 600km because my last two attempts at that distance had been really tough. My biggest challenge is sleep deprivation. I usually have decent legs and the distance is not a concern. Another reason I was anxious was that Brandy and I had done the first part of the series on a tandem. We had done the 200km (125 miles), 300km (187 miles), 400km (252 miles) and I wanted to see where I was as far as my fitness. Trans Iowa is on May 2nd and I haven’t much time left to get ready for this 320 miles non-stop off road race.

Many of you might recall that I fractured my thumb on Oct 30th. I missed my winter base building phase. I typically build my mileage in November and December to prepare for the early season brevets. This year I jumped right into the January 3rd 200km brevet with almost no base.

This was the first time I used Twitter during an event. I thought it was fun and luckily I had coverage at the controls. People often ask me how I am able to recollect so much detail of the ride. Well it’s really quite simple. As I prepare my reports, I use the time stamps on the pictures and the mileage on the route sheets to keep me on track with my story telling. For the 600km I didn’t bring a camera so the Twitter log and my route sheets will suffice.

A good group of riders were present at the start. There was a 200km available in conjunction with the 600km. There were familiar faces along with some fresh faces. I struggled trying to figure out who was going long. I got to the the line just minutes before we were launched.

THE FIRST LOOP OCEANSIDE TO TEMECULA 78 MILES WITH 4800 FEET

Our first loop would take us from Oceanside to Temecula through one of my favorite roads to climb, De Luz and De Luz Murietta. We would then go through Rainbow, Fallbrook and return to Oceanside. As soon as we rolled off I noticed I was not getting a speed indication. Although, I was very familiar with the route and needing exact mileage wasn’t necessary to follow the route sheet I like seeing the mileage accumulate and it motivates me. I pulled over and fussed with it until I got it working.

By the time I got my speed indication working everyone and I mean everyone was up the “road” — we were on the San Luis Rey Bike path or Oceanside bike path as most people call it. I had to chase pretty hard to catch the lead riders. But every group I caught was not the lead group and I had to bridge again. Finally, on Sleeping Indian (a very steep hill over 15% in parts) I saw the lead rider and focused on catching him. Along the way I passed Josh and we said our hellos. I didn’t recognize him at first because I had only met him once in 2007 at the Eastern Sierra Double Century just two weeks before I did Race Across America on a two person team. I was intent on catching the lead rider who turned out to be Michael Sturgill.

As soon as I bridged up to him I asked him his name and introduced myself so he would know I was on his wheel. Soon after I noticed Josh had bridge up as well. It was around mile 12 and the three of us stayed together for the duration of the event. We arrived at the Fallbrook control at 8:16 am 20.5 miles and 1610 feet of climbing.

from my Twitter:
Fallbrook control 20.5 miles
8:16 AM Apr 4th

The climbing from Fallbrook to Temecula is some of the best in San Diego county. We climbed and rolled up and down culminating on Rancho California Road with a great view of Temecula. Old Town Temecula was abuzz with people enjoying their morning. We weaved through the traffic and hit the control. I had a King Size Snickers bar yummy!

from my Twitter:
Temecula control 46. 3 miles 3920 feet of gain
10:01 AM Apr 4th from txt

From Temecula we worked our way back to Oceanside through Live Oak Canyon, Green Canyon, Mission and the San Luis Rey Bike path. It was evident to Josh and I that Michael was very strong on the flats. On the bike path Michael would crank it up to 23-24 mph and all we could do was hang on. While you might say that riding and drafting other riders saves energy– and it does– staying on Mike’s wheel was really a huge expense of energy. It was not the pace I would have gone and it hurt. MOre pain than you need only 70 miles into a 373 mile event.We arrived at Oceanside at 11:46 with 78 miles and 4820 feet of gain with a Total Time of 4:45. I had a personal goal of 5 hours so we were 15 mins ahead of my schedule.

from my Twitter:
Oceanside control 77.93 miles 4820 feet of gain 4:45 tptal time
11:46 AM Apr 4th from txt

Once back at Oceanside we had to get our night gear i.e lights, reflective gear and cold weather gear. It must seem odd to other riders that it is only 12pm and we have all this stuff with us. I had a little anxiety hoping I would remember to take everything I needed for the next 154 mile loop. Not only can you be disqualified for not having lights or reflective gear–IT’S JUST NOT SAFE! So I grabbed my Nathan Reflective vest, my Nathan Acid Reflux, and my Nathan bands. For lighting I used the NiteRider MiNewt X2 and two batteries. Not nearly as much light as the NiteRider Moab but I was hoping to hang on to Josh and Michael. About 17 mins after arriving at Oceanside we rolled out.

from my Twitter:
Rolling from Oceanside
12:03 PM Apr 4th from txt

SECOND LOOP OCEANSIDE TO ALPINE AND BACK TO OCEANSIDE 154 MILES 9180 FEET

The next loop took us from Oceanside down the coast through Carlsbad, Leucadia, Encinitas, Del Mar, La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Old Town, Downtown San Diego, National City and Chula Vista. LOTS OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND STOPS. Not my favorite part of the ride. We continued a southeastern route heading away from commerce, traffic and population. We had another control at South Western College. Where I gladly ate a turkey sandwich from 7-11. It had been 10 hours since my last solid meal.

from my Twitter:
Chula vista control mile 130 7100 feet of climbing- lights through PCH and downtown San Diego slowed us down Big thank you to Motor Tabs!!
3:31 PM Apr 4th from txt

Eating 7-11 turkey sandwich first solid food since Brandy’s awesome pancakes and eggs at 500 am
3:35 PM Apr 4th from txt

The next section has some good hard climbs and they were packed in a short area. We would do 6,000 feet of climbing in the next 60 miles. We climbed Honey Springs Rd, Lyons Valley and rolled through Japathul Valley Rd. I remembered how I felt on my last San Diego 600km and I was feeling so much better. I was tired and low on energy but at least I was not sleepy nor did I have the hot-foot issues I had in 2005. We continued on and reached the Alpine control at 6:52pm 168 miles 11,000 feet of climbing in a Total Time of 11:50.

from my Twitter:
Alpine control mile 168 11,000 ft of climbing 11:50 total time not feeling great
6:52 PM Apr 4th from txt

I was starving and feeling really bad by the time we got to Carls Jr. in Alpine, the control. I chose a Chicken Bacon sandwich and went to town on it. About half-way through it I got really naseous and thought I wasn’t going to hold it down. I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Michael said maybe I was really close to bonking and that is why I felt so bad even though I was putting much needed food in me. We ate as fast we could and I called Brandy. I hadn’t talked to her the whole event. It felt weird because this was the first Ultra event of 2009 that Brandy wasn’t on the back of the tandem. We talked as the food settled and then it was time to suit up. The stop was much longer than I wanted but I was glad we were all on the same page and wanted a hot meal.

from my Twitter:
#16 at Carl’s Jr hit the spot Chicken Bacon and real Coke yeah!
7:10 PM Apr 4th from txt

I knew we still had more climbing to do but I felt good again after the meal and some rest off the bike. We then descended from Alpine and climbed up to Crest and then descended down to Lakeside only to climb again. We climbed Hwy 67 to Scripps Poway Pkwy (approx 8 miles) and then descended into Poway. That was the last of the long climbs. But plenty of rollers for the rest of the event. It was at this point that Mike said “No good descent goes unpunished in San Diego”. Man is that appropriate. We just finish a descent and then bam another climb. We made it to the Poway Control at 9:30pm. 199 miles and 13,080 feet of gain. a 14:30 double century. We does it take so long to do brevets? Could it be the lack of support? Duh!

from my Twitter:
Poway control mile 199 13080 ft of gain total time 14:30
9:30 PM Apr 4th from txt

At the Poway control I had a Tuna Sandwich and a Classic Coke. I looked at the faces of my two comrades and they looked like I felt. Leaving the control I had the shivers pretty bad. I donned my Hi-Vis shell and we headed towards the coast via the 56 Bike Path. Once on the Pacific Coast Hwy it was due North towards Oceanside.

from my Twitter:
Oceanside control 233 miles 13980 feet 17:04 total time burrito time!
12:04 AM Apr 5th from txt

We arrived in Oceanside and I was starving AGAIN. Mike went to his room at the host hotel and Josh and I got a burrito. There was a gathering of young men in front of the taco shop. One said “I didn’t think cyclist ate burritos…only healthy food” I replied well “That’s BS because when we’re hungry we ate anything!” and we all had a good laugh at that. Little did I know I would be burping that burrito for the next 4 hours.

THIRD LOOP OCEANSIDE BELLFLOWER OCEANSIDE 140 MILES 3760 FEET OF GAIN

The next leg is always the toughest for me. It is a “straight shot” North and it was already Midnight. Now were headed to Long Beach along the coast. Sleep deprivation and fatigue took hold. Mike shared with me that on his “long” brevets — um wasn’t this a long one? He struggles between the hours of 2am – 5am and typically plans his naps at that time. I struggle during that same exact time frame.

As we headed North on the Hwy 5 we left San Diego County and continued towards Orange County. We went through the rollers of San Clemente , Dana Point, Laguna Beach and Corona Del Mar. The road flattened out as we entered Huntington Beach. It was there that Brandy came out to PCH and gave a me kiss and continued north. A few miles north after seeing Brandy, which always makes me feel better, I got a flat. It was the only mechanical for the three of us in 372 miles not bad I think. I had put fresh rubber on the bike and that usually prevents me from flatting on a long event. The puncture was caused by a wire strand so small so thin it would have been impossible to avoid…oh well.

We continued North and crossed into Los Angeles County. We entered the San Gabriel River Trail on our way to the Bellflower Control on Artesia. I was getting dropped by Mike and Josh mainly because I was falling asleep. I would wake up just inches from the rocks that line the bike path. I kept thinking I just have to get to the Bellflower Control and get some caffeine. After multiple close calls I dismounted and started doing jumping jacks, slapping my face, stretches and even push-ups to wake-up.

As I’m stopped on the side of the bike path looking all silly I see two headlights coming back to me and one coming from the direction I had been traveling. Mike and Josh had doubled back because they thought they missed a turn. The other rider must have been commuting. Imagine if you will almost 300 miles into the event about 22:30 hours and in complete darkness on a bike path. The three of us huddled around a route sheet questioning our mileage on our computers and comparing it with the mileage on the route sheet. The three of us asking each other “Did you see the Y they are talking about here?” I was of no help since the last 3-4 miles I was riding basically asleep. It’s at these times that you don’t want to ride not one mile in the wrong direction NOT ONE! I made the decision that we should keep going and we should see the Y. Would you believe that when Mike and Josh had gone ahead of me earlier had been less than 100 yards from the bridge but they just didn’t see it.

When people ask me what is so alluring about Ultras it’s times like the one I just described. Yeah the miles are tough and the terrain as well but it’s those decisions you have to make while in a fog that challenges me. It reminds me of my time in the Marine Corps, 12 years by the way, where I had to make life and death decisions in that “fog of war” as we called it. It seems silly now in the comfort of your office or home as you read this, but when you’re out there– sleep deprived, in a huge calorie deficit with aches and pains in many parts of your body I ASSURE YOU IT ISN’T TRIVIAL AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME!

from my Twitter:
Bellflower control mile 302 23:00 total time 15, 780 feet of gain lots of sleep deprivation problems hoping when the sun comes up I will …
6:01 AM Apr 5th from txt

At the Bellflower Control I had a very dry and hard to eat Pita and ham sandwich another Classic Coke and then we were off. Daylight was my savior. I felt good again and I was awake. Problem was I was just tired and was having trouble staying on Mike and Josh’s wheel. I got dropped twice and twice I bridged. At which time I made it clear to the boys that I just didn’t have it in me to chase one more time. I got to the front and set pace– a lot slower than they were going but I had to hold on just 40 more miles. As we neared the last 10 miles I got my 20th wind and pulled on the 5 freeway. I was just acting like a horse going back to the stables.

We got in just as Mike Berry was heading out to “intercept” us. I was more than spent. But thanks to Mike and Josh I was done and not still out there. And then the best part– Brandy came down to meet me and have Sunday Brunch LOL! She then followed me home and talked to me on the phone to keep me awake.

There you have it — a successful goal beating 600km brevet!

Done 372 miles 17,740 feet 27:20 total time! Stick a fork in me I’m done! 10:24 AM Apr 5th from txt

JOSH AND I AT THE FINISH!

San Diego 400km Brevet

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YOU CAN VIEW A SLIDE SHOW HERE

Brandy and I pre-rode the San Diego 400km Brevet. The event was 240 miles with 13,500 feet of climbing. A lot of the climbing was doable but the steeper grades really hurt us on the tandem. Our total time was 23 hours 52 mins. By contrast, I did a variant of this course solo last year at 20 hours. This is really an EPIC route. The San Diego mountains and high desert remoteness really test your physical strength and mental resolve.

Historically speaking, the 400km is my toughest event. I think it is because I want to do the event straight through without any significant stops. I have always tried to do this event without a full meal stop and without resting at any control. That strategy has worked, albeit painfully, with one exception. In 2004, my second year of Ultras, I DNF’d a 400km and that has stayed with me. It is the only brevet I have ever DNF’d in my seven years of doing Ultras.

Our day began early, REALLY early. We were up at 1:30am. We left at 2:40am from Huntington Beach to the start in Carlsbad.

Mile 0- Start Control–We rolled at 4:30am. My goal was to do the most remote portion of the route in daylight hence the very early start time. The first loop was 14 miles in Rancho Santa Fe connecting back to the coast on Lomas Santa Fe and then north on the Pacific Coast Hwy. We stopped for a double espresso at Starbucks on Grand Ave and PCH in Carlsbad about 24 miles into the ride and then continued on to the San Luis Rey bike path.

At mile 46– we began the climb up Olive Hill Rd. The word “hill” in its name should have given me the first clue. I couldn’t remember ever being on this road. It was a good little warm up for what came next.

At mile 54– De Luz Rd is one of my favorite roads in San Diego. It begins with a good 1.5 miles of 8-10% grades. You continue climbing on De Luz Murrieta Rd and Rancho California Rd before descending into Temecula. Lots of good climbing. I had been concerned about the water crossings (very slippery) on De Luz Murrieta Rd but they were fine. We walked the bike across just in case.

THE FAST DESCENT ON RANCHO CALIFORNIA RD. TO TEMECULA


VIEW OF TEMECULA FROM RANCHO CALIFORNIA RD

At mile 77.5– Temecula Control –We got our “proof of passage” and continued on in search of food. We eat at Wendy’s about one mile up the road on Jefferson Ave. I had a double stacker. Brandy had a grilled chicken wrap and we shared a baked potato. As we were leaving I gave the wheels a spin and checked the brakes. It’s a silly little habit I have. That’s when I noticed Pia had a broken spoke on the rear wheel. It’s funny how lately I’ve been packing things that I normally don’t take with me on a ride and then end up needing it. Maybe I shouldn’t bring them in the first place LOL!. This time I brought a Leatherman tool and sure enough I used the pliers to unscrew the nipple on the broken spoke and remove the spoke. The wheel has 32 spokes. The wheel was only slightly out-of-true with one missing spoke. Pia has disc brakes so even though the wheel was out-of-true we didn’t have any issues with braking like you would with rim brakes.

Mile 108–Hemet Control— The terrain was slightly uphill with no major climbs from Temecula to Hemet. On our way into Hemet someone attempted to hit us with a snowball or something similar. They were on the other side of the road traveling in the opposite direction and somehow we were bothering them. I guess as cyclists in these rural areas we are considered “game” and people love to throw things at us. I was so glad that we were on a tandem. I would be worried sick if Brandy was doing this event on her own. Even though it was only 30 miles after eating in Temecula we were hungry again. We stopped at Sonic’s. We had a couple of burgers some fries and a couple of Diet Cokes. We left Sonics and rode to the designated control, Denny’s, and then headed out of town on Stetson and State Street. The girls there were on roller skates as they serve you at your table or car. I got a kick out of that.

DENNY’S RESTAURANT THE CONTROL ON THE ROUTE SHEET (at the time)

Mile 115– Sage Rd. The next 50 miles were the toughest part of the ride for Brandy and I (52 miles with almost 5000 feet) . Sage Rd is a climb that undulates as it climbs in elevation. Every now and then there were steep grades that caused us to grind up in our “granny-granny” (smallest chain ring and 28T cog). On one of those steep grades we dropped our chain and it got jammed in between the frame and the smallest chain ring.

Here we are on a blind corner, steep grade and no shoulder whatsoever trying to dislodge the chain. I felt exposed to the traffic. Many of the vehicles on this road are diesel pick-up trucks towing trailers along with the compulsory wide-ass side mirrors. When I mean there was no shoulder I MEAN NO SHOULDER. Like many roads in these rural areas there was the lane for vehicles, a curb, about 1′ foot wide dirt and then as a bonus this section had a 20 foot drop. The drop was convenient for the repair since it put the crankset at eye-level without me bending down LOL! While we were working on the jammed chain two MTB’ers traveling in the opposite direction pulled over. I thought it was very nice of them to stop. I believe one of them said their name was Dave Barrett. He offered me help but I had the chain jam under control. When I was done we walked back to his car and cleaned off my hands with some paper towels and water. Thank you Dave!

TAKE HEED OF THIS SIGN

Mile 126– Wilson Valley Rd. Was very difficult for us. We were getting tired of the up and down terrain and the steep grades. At one point we came around a corner and I saw the “corkscrew” up ahead and actually exclaimed aloud “OH MY GOD!” I don’t usually do that. Heck I’m the guy that loves climbing. But I was hurting. I was really looking forward to the fast descent on Hwy 371 into Aguanga and get some reprieve from the climbing.

Mile 136- Aguanga Control We got some fluids and “proof of passage”. The next 35 miles were on Hwy 79. Nightfall was rapidly approaching and it was starting to get cold. We were only 140+ miles into this brevet, we were way “out there”– oh yeah it’s going to be a long night.

ALMOST 8300 FEET OF GAIN AT AGUANGA CONTROL MILE 136

Mile 145- Dodge Valley Oasis- a restaurant owned and operated by Sadie, a sweet and energetic gal. She hustled to get us served quickly and back on the road. We were in serious need of food and a respite from the elements. We had a real meal; Tortellini, Ravioli, salads and coffee. We were stopped for about an hour. We felt very well taken care of by Sadie THANK YOU!

Leaving the warmth and security of the DVO was difficult. It was now 7:30 at night and very cold. Some of the patrons were talking about snow. You are mid way up a climb when you exit DVO so you got get back on task right away. We continued the climb up to Sunshine Summit. We did some descending and climbing through Warner Springs and Santa Ysabel. On the last pitch outside of Santa Ysabel my back was hurting so much I asked Brandy if we could pull over so we could “take 5”.

SADIE FROM DODGE VALLEY OASIS.

Mile 171.1– Getting to Santa Ysabel was a major milestone for me. Santa Ysabel meant the end of the climbing, end of the higher elevation, the end of the cold (or so I thought) and the feeling that every mile from that point forward was bringing us closer to home. Looking at the elevation graph you can see there was a lot of descending from Santa Ysabel to Ramona and more descending into Rancho Bernardo. We descended Hwy 78 and Old Julian Hwy to Ramona.

Mile 186- Ramona Control- I got a danish and a hostess fruit pie. Brandy got brownie and a coffee. She was falling asleep. I had not experienced any sleep deprivation.

Mile 189– Highland Valley Rd was a fun descent at night. It was the first time I had ever been on that road in the dark. It’s a great stair-step climb going from Rancho Bernardo to Ramona and a very fast descent going back to Rancho Bernardo.

Mile 202– Pomerado Rd. We stopped to “regroup”. I changed to a fresh NiteRider Moab battery.

Mile 207.5– Camino Del Norte- We missed this turn because none of the lighted signs said “Camino Del Norte” like our route sheet. No… they said Twin Peaks. We were on a slight downhill and blew past the turn and continued downhill. Eventually, we pulled over consulted our google maps on our cell phone and realized we had passed Camino Del Norte and “climbed” back to the turn.

Mile 218– We were really tired. We were supposed get on the 56 Bike Path “at the SW corner of intersection”. We stood there trying to figure out what would be SW. It was late and cold and we just wanted clear cut directions. DON’T ENTER THE BIKE PATH ON THE GAS STATION SIDE ENTER THE BIKE PATH ACROSS THE STREET. THE ENTRANCE TO THE BIKE PATH WILL BE ON YOUR RIGHT AS YOU GO UNDER THE 56 FREEWAY.

Mile 223– We were tired, cold and irritable. The bike path was flooded so we had to take the detour. Once again the directions on the route sheet frustrated us. WHEN YOU CROSS THE STREET GO LEFT ON THE BIKE PATH.

It was really cold. I couldn’t believe how cold it was on the 56 bike path. Is this San Diego? I know it’s February but come on. We finally figured it out but wasted at least 20 mins and we were furious. Now that I’m nice and warm and sitting here with a full belly I think about how brain dead we were. It was 245 am!

Mile 225- Carmel Valley Control– Obtained our “proof of passage” while I ate yet another cheese danish. Brandy didn’t get anything she just picked from my danish

Mile 240- Finish Control– We arrived at 4:24 am. Almost 24 hours from the start.

I’m almost embarrassed to tell people who are not Randos that it took us that long to ride 240 miles. But it is what it is. Randos know the difficulty of these epic rides. The climbs hurt us and steeper climbs hurt us even more. Even though we can descend faster than solo bikes we just don’t make up the time we lost climbing at 4-5 miles an hour. Subsequently, the longer you are on the course, the more stops you will take, the longer the stops get, and the more tired you get and the slower you get.

I still need to put together a slide show. The 600km Brevet is on April 4. That gives us a little more time to get in shape. We will have a little more daylight and it should be a little warmer. We are visiting some of the same climbs. We should be a little stronger by then.

YOU CAN VIEW A SLIDE SHOW HERE

It’s done. It was tough more info to follow.

Stage 8 Almost Amboy to Twentynine Palms

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Stage Eight: Almost Amboy to Twenty Nine Palms, 58.2 miles. Elevation Gain: 4170′.

“After you pass through the funky throw-back hamlet of Amboy (where you can not count on any services), you cross the valley and at mile 472 begin the last climb: 1500 feet in 10 miles to Sheephole Summit (Mountain Section Ten). The climb begins gradually and gets steeper near the top. The shoulder is very sandy; the crew should be careful with the vehicle. A quick descent leads to the rough road and rolling slight uphill to the finish line.”

This ranks as the point of the race where I hurt the most. On the way to Baker from Shoshone was my lowest point mentally. But Amboy, for a brief moment on the Sheephole climb, was my lowest point physically. I was hot. My triceps hurt. I couldn’t switch to my TT bike because my undercarriage hurt too much. I was getting a headache from dehydration. AND I was just done with this race. I did my best to push through the hurt. I sucked down a 50 oz hydration pack of plain water from Nathan Sports and was thinking that’s just not enough.


Thank you to Motor Tabs for providing different flavors for my CarboPro Motor Tabs cocktail.


Amazingly in this desert landscape, I found a shrub just tall enough to crawl under. I got off of the bike, crawled underneath the shrub and folded over like a towel on a rack. I was not having fun. I sat there and tried to hide from the afternoon sun.

I then realized that would not be enough either. I resorted to ice cold water poured on my head. Brandy then began to work on my triceps, which were aching.

The next series of pictures shows what a little water, a little shade and A LOT OF LOVE AND CARING can do. Notice how I go from the depths to new highs! Thank you Brandy and crew for taking care of me. Ticia, you captured a very important moment of the race-something that Brandy and I will always reflect on as a turning point. And Jason, steady Eddie, always there. Thank you all.










The look on my face should explain that I am not happy with the current situation. On the descent off of Sheephole Summit my Nightrider MiNewt headlight was loose. The MiNewt headlight is attached to a bracket which “clamps” to your handlebar by a tiny screw. Tighten it too much and you can’t rotate the light, too loose and it will eventually fall off.

The very poor condition of the roads had rattled the headlight loose and at over 45Mph per hour I was trying to hold on to the light and/or work it completely off. But you don’t have access to the screw because the head of it is on the underside of the bracket. I was trying to take it off with my left hand but I needed to refuel from the climb because I had 25 miles of steady uphill towards the finish. I would put my left hand back in the drops and drink with my right hand. For some reason I only drink with my right. Don’t ask me why.

Well the headlight fell off the bar and hit my spokes. LUCKILY, I was going so fast it could not get stuck in my spokes and richocheted off to the left side of the road into the bushes. Emergency procedures now. Flag the crew vehicle careening down the road behind me over 45 Mph, come to a complete stop as soon as possible, get off the road, get the crew vehicle off the road and tell the crew what has just happen. We had to stop right away or risk loosing the general area where the light was ejected. You travel huge chunks of road will traveling over 45 Mph (if you have to walk it).

Why the heck would Vireo stop on a descent when he loves descending? I tell them what happened and the world’s greatest crew jumps into action. Brandy grabs the spare lights and zip ties. Jason doubles back on the road UPHILL digging in the bushes. The search is made more challenging because the light is NOT illuminating– the battery pack is still on the bike. Ticia is instructed to grab the camera and document. Within five minutes light is found, screw tightened beyond rotating tolerance, reaffixed, crew in van and we are down the road. What a great example of teamwork 36 hours into the race!

Ahh the Finish Line

I spent 28 minutes off the bike in the final stage of the Furnace Creek 508. Added to my 2 hours 36 brings the total of off the bike time to 3 hour and 4 minutes. Not bad in 37 hours of racing. I am pleased with how little time I spent off the bike. It is a huge improvement over years past. But NEXT YEAR I would like to break 36 hours and that means I need to stay on the bike at least one more hour out of the 3 hours I spent off the bike this time.

Just for S & G’s I took the 3:04 time off of my total time of 37:34.
I then computed my average speed with just 34:30 and that came out to 14.7 Mph Avg Speed. So the point here is even if you can’t ride faster spend less time off the bike and you can improve your overall time significantly.

Finish—-509.6—–10/05—–20:34—-37:34:41—–13.56—-4:53:41—–11.91