Category Archives: race reports

LA Circuit Race Report

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First Race as Cat IV
Field Size 100
Weather WINDY 20-30 Mph gusts
Finished 12Th place

Well as I suspected the winds were still strong on race day. My goal was to stay hidden in the pack. I did that so well that Brandy said she had been trying to take pictures of me but couldn’t find me. I told her that was the plan.

The course was two long straights with two U-turns at either end. Our speeds going into the wind were mid 20’s our speed with the tailwind was well over 30 mph.

So this is what would happen every lap. We would go really fast with the tailwind (over 30mph) then slow down to a crawl (about 10mph) into the U-turn then full throttle into the wind then crawl into the other U-Turn then full throttle as we came out of the turn with the tailwind. Repeat this for four laps.

It became very apparent that sitting in was more important than trying to be a hero. So I sat in until the last turn and then the sprint was on. We came out of the corner at almost full throttle with at least a mile to go to the finish line. I sensed the move coming from my left and chased after it. Well he tried to get into the train and they didn’t let him in. As he tried to enter the train he cut my buddy off which threw off my line, then he cut me off, which threw off my line again and by that time he had created a gap. I hesitated whether I should chase or if I should just wait until someone bridged the gap and follow the wheels to the 200 meter line. Well other riders did come up and I was swallowed up. I had to fight for 12Th place.

In retrospect, I should have followed that flyer because he brought me to the front and if I would have stayed with him I would have been that much further ahead of the pack when he rolled off to let his teammate win. I have replayed this in my head for the last 12 hours and I can’t get it out of my head.

HIDING IN THE PACK. CAN YOU SPOT ME?

FIELD SIZE 100

THE SPRINT FINISH



I’M LIFTING MY RIGHT HAND BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT MY NUMBER BLOCKED BY THE BIG GUY NEXT TO ME

LA Circuit Race Eve

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Saturday night and I am wondering what the weather will be like for my circuit race tomorrow. The weather today was very windy with gusts over 20mph. If the high winds continue it will make for a very interesting race tomorrow. Staying in the pack and not pulling will be key.

On another note…I visited Centennial Farm today with Brandy and the kids. Somehow I managed to be suckered into this. Enjoy.

DSCF9836

Combined Race Report Post

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03/01/02 BAKER TO DEATH VALLEY 80 MILE ROAD RACE — FINISHED 30TH

03/02/08 DASH FOR CASH CRITERIUM——————- FINISHED 19TH

03/04/08 EL DORADO TWILIGHT RACE SERIES CRITERIUM– FINISHED 7TH

03/09/08 TOUR DE MURRIETA CIRCUIT RACE————- FINISHED 10TH

03/01/08 SATURDAY BAKER TO DEATH VALLEY Finished 30th

RESULTS

80 MILE ROAD RACE 3,000 FEET OF CLIMBING.

A break went off the front on mile one. We (the peloton) let them go because we thought we would catch them later. Well they stayed away the whole race. I got dropped on the climb around mile 30. The pace was mellow for the first 10-15 miles and then somewhere around mile 20 the field split and I got caught out. I worked real hard to bridge the gap. It took almost 9 miles to get back on. But by then we were approaching the base of the climb. I didn’t have enough time to recover before the climb started and about .5 mile into it I got dropped. I just didn’t have the legs to keep up with the pack.

At the top of the climb, I noticed there was noone in front of me and noone behind me. So I basically did a 40 mile TT. Yes I was alone from the top of the climb to the finish. I finished in 3:23 for an avg of 23.4 Mph. There was a tail/crosswind and I am sure that helped the peloton.

03/02/08 SUNDAY DASH FOR CASH CRITERIUM

RESULTS

The challenge with doing races on consecutive days is recovery. Not only did I do a 80 mile road race on Saturday but I also spent five hours in the car driving back from Death Valley to Huntington Beach. As soon as I was able to change out of my cycling gear I put on my Skins Travel & Recovery tights for the drive home. Once home Brandy gave me a leg massage, a good meal and some rest and relaxation.

On race day I did a decent warm up and lined up thinking “I just want to sit in.” Well the yahoos that were racing prevented me from doing that and soon enough I was in the front 10 riders enjoying clear lanes to take the corners.

But then I between turn 2 and turn 3 (slight uphill) a rider attacked. I happened to be near him and jumped on his wheel. We got a gap from the pack and as we turned on 3 I noticed we had a little more of a gap. As we neared turn 4 he was still pulling and I was tucked in behind him. He lookeed down and saw my shadow and he hit it again rounding turn 4. But now I had the perfect position — he was pulling to the line and it was a slight downhill. I coasted for a couple of seconds caught my breath and then slingshotted around him 30 meters from the line for the prime.

The sprint was anti-climatic I was on such a high from the prime I didn’t really care. I wanted a top ten finish but when we rounded turn 4 on the last lap I was out of gas for the sprint. You think it has something to do with the race the day before? Of course.


03/04/08– EL DORADO TWILIGHT RACE SERIES 60 mins FINISHED 7TH (4 POINTS)

RESULTS

I was feeling really strong and decided I would take chances and see how things worked out. The race is held in a park and it feels safe although there is one turn that takes you right into the sun and it is a tight left handed. There were a couple of attacks and I went with them just to test my fitness. We got neutralized when the pros past us and then it was on for the last lap. But then there was a crash in the Pro 1/2/3 field which caused the IV, V group to be neutralized right in front of our charging pack. I was in 5th wheel and sat up because I didn’t want to sprint into the IV, V field and lost a couple of places as we came across the line. I felt great the whole hour.

03/09/08 TOUR De MURRIETA CIRCUIT RACE 37 MILES — FINISHED 10TH

RESULTS

So I finally got a Top 10 in a race. I had been nipping at it with the previous Crits (11th Roger Millikan, 12th Anger Management the day after a 10:46 Butterfield Double) and this time it worked out. Oh and the lunge across the line meant the difference between top 10 and top 20. (This is what I thought all the way home from the race. The results from the Eldo race had not been posted and I thought this was my first top ten.)

I knew I was going to have a good day on Sunday because my pre-race leg opener on Saturday went well. I did a 30 miler and went up Newport Coast in 7:21 from the base at PCH to Pelican (new PR). On the way home I did 5 sprints all over 900watts. I haven’t hit 900w (150 lbs) on any of my previous Crits. Ok ok so these aren’t big numbers but as an Ultra cyclist I am all slowtwitch now and there just aren’t that many opportunities (read necessity) to SPRINT or climb at or above threshold.

I followed good wheels all day and stayed in the top 10 of the group and watched every break.

THAT’S ME ON THE RIGHT SPRINTING FOR 10TH

Butterfield Double Century Ride Report

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ELEVATION PROFILE NOTICE THE GOOD PORTION OF CLIMBING AFTER MILE 150

BRANDY MY GIRLFRIEND WHO FINISHED 8TH OVERALL, SECOND FASTEST WOMAN

CERVELO SOLOIST SL LIGHT, STIFF AND AERO

NITERIDER MINEWT DUAL.X2 LIGHTING SYSTEM, PROFILE DESIGN SONIC CSX AEROBARS (NOTICE HOW LOW THEY SIT ON THE HANDLEBARS)

Thank you to all my sponsors, Cervelo and their fantastic Soloist Carbon SLC-SL, very aero very comfortable and very stiff in a sprint, Niterider lighting systems,Kenda Tires for the C2C’s, Showers Pass for their Protech Jacket that I wore in the morning and again in the afternoon as the temperatures dropped, Nathan Sports for the reflective gear. Sportquest for their amazing CarboPro 1200 nutrition product, Red Star Energy for their quick pick me up energy tablets, and as always my club Team Velosport Team Sho-Air Sonace.

RESULTS FOR BUTTERFIELD DOUBLE CENTURY

Saturday was the first double century of the California Triple Crown Series. I have done the right preparation for the limited time that I have to train. I felt good during the event. I came in with the third fastest time 10:46. I had good energy but lost the power in my legs around Mile 155. I had worked hard all day off the front with one or two other riders and paid I for it. Additionally, I had done 260 miles of commuting during the week before the double century and that was also something I would pay for on the course. However, in the annual plan, this was just a training event with Everest Challenge and Furnace Creek 508 being goal events.

BIKE SETUP

I rode the Cervelo Soloist SL–Sasha. I wanted to ride the SLC-SL because of the long miles that I would ride solo. I expected to be dropped by the lead pack so I also put clip-on aero bars. I used the Profile Design Sonic CSX because they are very low profile. They rest right on top of the handlebars, they are light at 280 grams because of their full carbon construction. I ended up being the lead pack all day and used the aerobars when it was my turn to pull in the paceline and when I got dropped a couple of times and maintained my third place position during the last 50 miles.

LIGHTING SYSTEM

The NITERIDER MINEWT.X2 DUAL LIGHTING SYSTEM is a very lightweight system with a small battery pack and two very bright headlights. The benefit of the dual headlights is you can point them in different directions to make a broader beam pattern, or “stack” them to create a longer beam pattern i.e. one shining close to your front wheel and one overlapping but shining further ahead to allow more time to react to debris on the road. My only gripe with this light is that it appears to use the same battery pack as the MiNewt which is only one headlight hence the burn time is cut in half to 1:45 hours on High and 3:30 hours on low since you have to the draw of two headlights on the MiNewt.X2. ON THE OTHER HAND, you are getting twice the light as the MiNewt which is really nice when you are in rural sections of your double century. I would accept the weight penalty for longer burn times on the MiNewt.X2 Dual if the battery pack was bigger. Currently, the battery pack fits underneath a stem length of 90mm or longer. Very neat and clean installation!!! I strongly recommend the Niterider MiNewt.X2 Dual if you expect to finish within three hours of sunset in your double century efforts. If you need more burn time GET THE MINEWT IT IS LIGHTER, AND THE BURN TIME IS LONGER. The MiNewt is a fantastic light choice for commuting!

The route was very urban, subsequently there were way too many traffic signals and stop signs as we meandered from Irvine (start) to the coast, “inland” and then back to the coast again. We started as a HUGE group and during the first stretch I took the time to coach Brandy on her pack riding skills. The traffic signals kept the pack together as we did the rollers. The ride finally started to move and pick up the pace as we got back on the coast at Crown Valley Pkwy and headed South through Dana Point and San Clemente. By the time we reached the San Onofre Campground we were down to seven riders in the lead pack.

MILE 54.7 I was in and out of the first rest stop in two minutes or less. I went out on my own and got caught by David “Mudcat” Holt about 1.5 miles before getting off the I5 southbound freeway. About 1 mile from the off ramp a paceline of six riders caught me.

MILE 66.2 We took the exit off the I5 freeway and Max tells me someone flatted behind us. I knew there were eight of us in the paceline and now it’s just the two of us, so I figured a few riders had stopped so Max and I rolled on. When I pulled into the lunch stop I find out that Keith Brodsky had crashed. After the event I found out he fractured his clavicle. I wish him a speedy recovery he is nice guy and fierce competitor. I’ll miss chasing him for the next 6 weeks. From the 5 Freeway to lunch it was just Max, another rider and I off the front.

MILE 84.7 Max, another rider and I pulled into the lunch stop together but I didn’t stay long. I checked in, said thank you to Phil Thomas for volunteering, said hello to Jon S. and I was off in two minutes again. I knew Max was stronger than me. I thought if I took-off ahead of him he would chase me and hopefully each time he had to chase me it would wear him down. Remember, I left out of the first CP first and they had to chase and catch me for 12 miles. But Max didn’t stay too long and he was on my wheel half-way up the Circle R Rd. climb. We chatted for a little bit and then he said we needed to keep the tempo up otherwise the tandem would catch us on the second half of the course. And with that, Max accelerated his pace and I couldn’t keep up. I was dropped and he was gone. I WAS NOW RUNNING IN SECOND PLACE.

MILE 100.4 I was alone for the next 15 miles and just as I was about to make the left turn on to Reche Rd off of the 395, I was caught by Dan and Phil. That is where I had my “defining moment”. Their pace was faster than mine and they were working together climbing a roller. I got dropped. I knew that the roller came down to the entrance of Live Oak Park (Fallbrook). If I didn’t get on their wheel now I could possibly lose them and going West on the Oceanside bike path would slow me down even more. I made a huge effort to catch them. They were about 100 meters away. I dug deep and was able to make contact just as I blew up. I recovered on the downhill and since they were larger riders I was able to recover and draft off of them until my turn came to pull. It was a gamble and it paid off because I was able to ride with them until mile 155.5.

MILE 155.5 The left turn onto Antonio Pkwy was where I started falling apart. Dan and Phil dropped me on the “endless climb up Antonio Pkwy.” I was fine as far as nutrition but I had no legs left. I was slowing and slowing and kept looking back but no one was coming. I WAS NOW RUNNING THIRD

MILE 167.5 CP#4 Trabuco Oaks General Store I was caught by a pack of 7-10 riders. I was in and out in about 2 minutes again. Lee was there volunteering and I told him that I was hurting. It was 3:30pm.

I left the rest stop as quickly as possible and didn’t see anyone chasing me except David “Mudcat” Holt. He caught me on one of the rollers exiting Live Oak. My feet were really starting to hurt. I WAS NOW RUNNING FOURTH

MILE 171.7 Right turn Santiago Canyon Rd. My right foot hurt so bad I had to take my shoe off and pedal with my foot on top of the pedal. I hadn’t had “hot foot” this bad since I was training for the 508 back in 2006 and I would go out on 150 training rides. I mean I was so close to pulling over but I didn’t want to get caught and so slow and steady I moved through Santiago Canyon. I pedalled like that for a good 5 miles and finally my foot felt better and I put my shoe back on. When I finished putting my shoe on I looked behind me and saw the tandem of Craig Robertson and Graham Pollack. I knew this was going to be a fast chase because we were on a slight downhill. I timed my acceleration just right and jumped on the tandem’s wheel. I stayed on the tandem for the last 10 miles in to the finish. On the way we picked up David “Mudcat” Holt. I WAS NOW RUNNING THIRD AGAIN. The positioned remained unchanged until the finish.

I finished at 5:01pm

RECOVERY

This was very important because the very next day at 7:00 a.m. I was doing the CBR Anger Management Criterium in Long Beach. I immediately took my Recover Amino capsules from Sportquest and downed a bottle of Endurox. I needed to wait for Brandy to finish before I could go home and get some sleep. As part of my recovery I immediately put on my Skins Travel and Recovery Compression tights which I would later wear to bed. My legs were sore the next morning but I know they felt better than if I didn’t wear the Skins. The Skins truly helped my recovery since I only had 5.5 hours of sleep. After eating a recovery burger at the restaurant next to the hotel, I went to get the truck to double back on the course and see where Brandy was. As I pulled up to the front of the hotel I recognized her bike outside! Well, she really surprised me being there that soon…she finished 8th overall, second fastest women’s time with a 12:18!! I wonder if it was her dedication to training or my superb coaching?!?!?! 😉

Roger Millikan St. Valentine Crit Race Report and Pictures

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That’s me in the front on the right leading the pack for half a lap.

Jesse and Keith from Team Bear Claw (in the black kits) sprinting for the line. Jesse got 2nd and Keith got 3rd.

Jesse, Keith and I relaxin’ after the race

Jesse, Brandy and I after the race.

Thank you to all my sponsors, Cervelo and their fantastic Soloist Carbon very aero very comfortable and very stiff in a sprint, Kenda Tires for the C2C’s, Sportquest for their amazing CarboPro 1200 nutrition product, Red Star Energy for their quick pick me up energy tablets, and as always my club Team Velosport Team Sho-Air Sonace.

OFFICIAL RESULTS CAN BE FOUND ON THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NEVADA CYCLING ASSOCIATION (SCNCA) WEBSITE.

Sunday was my first ever Criterium. I am venturing into other types of racing this year to answer one main question…..”Am I good enough?” I know I am a decent Ultra Cyclist. But how will I do at short intense effort races? So this year I will be doing some Road/Crit/TT races to round out my experiences as a cyclist. I also think that it will help in my Ultras because I will pick up some intensity that I just can’t get in training.

I had a few questions going into the race:

1. As stated before am I good enough?

2. How bad will I get dropped?

3. Will there be a crash and will I be involved in it?

4. Will I posses the bike handling skills required?

5. Can I finish in the pack?

Answers

1. I think I am good enough to hang but winning a race is not in my genes!

2. I didn’t get dropped…this time. I stayed in the top 10-20 wheels the whole race.

3. There was a crash with 4 laps to go right in front of me. “Luckily”, for me I was losing contact with the rider in front of me on the slight uphill. By time he went down there was about 20 feet gap between us. As he tumbled his bike slid into my left chainstay and knocked my rear wheel off it’s line. But I regained control of the bike and continued to hammer up the slight up hill towards Turn 4.

4. I was timid in the first few laps but as the speed increased and the necessity of covering the wheel in front of me meant sitting in or getting dropped I felt more comfortable with cornering at 30 mph. BUT I know it will take many more races even years to really feel like I am good at pack riding at such high speeds.

5. I finished 11th on my first ever Crit. A lot was just luck. Avoiding the crash was huge in finishing the race. I lost about 3 places in the last 50 meters. I was out of gas. The course has a slight uphill from Turn 3 up and around Turn 4 and flattens out about 250 meters from the finish line. My legs were done — “on both sides”. My sprint was a paltry 863 Watts. I remember on the Mullholland Double Century 200 miles and 17,000 feet of climbing (most very steep over 10% grades) and 13 hours into the event I could still hit over 1100 Watts. I paused for a second and then sprinted again and threw my bike across the line. I know you are not supposed to pause on a sprint but I was done. I missed top 10 by a wheel but hey that’s bike racing!!!

Brandy had the unenviable task of watching three out of our four children, taking pictures and trying to get me ready. A huge thank you to her for supporting me in my latest adventure!!

Facts and Figures

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notskeeeeryskeeeeeery

Average Speed 13 mph
Maximum Speed 31.3 mph
Distance 508.1 miles
Odometer 21,989 miles

Average Heart Rate 137 bpm
Maximum Heart Rate 187 bpm
TOTAL number of Heart Beats 371,749 beats for the event

Strangest thing this has never happened to me before…

Minimum Cadence 4 rpm
Average Cadence 61 rpm
Maximum Cadence 148 rpm

Gear Selection 49 x 17
Gear Ratio 2.88
Gear Inch 76.7
Pedal Revolutions 133,735

As far as my recovery (excerpt from an email sent to my crew on Thursday Oct 11, four days after the race)

1, I have a lot of pain on my left knee. It is swollen and painful. It is slowly hurting less but very painful. I truly believe any lesser man/woman would have DNF’d with the pain I was feeling. Brandy gave me so many IBUs that it helped— slightly. The adreneline of catching other riders helped me focus away from the pain. (UPDATE TUES 10/23 HEALED)

2. I have a swollen left ankle and also painful but not as much as my knee. It is slowly feeling better. (UPDATE TUES 10/23 HEALED)

3. My left hand is still numb. My palm is very sensitive to pressure. My middle finger Ring Finger and pinky are still tingling. I’m sure it will go away but just feels weird. (UPDATE TUES 10/23 15 DAYS AFTER RACE LEFT HAND AND PINKY STILL SENSITIVE CAN NOT PUT PRESSURE ON IT. OTHER FINGERS ARE FINE)

4. My right tricep was so stiff and painful. I had done many sets of push-ups and dips to prepare for the prolonged pressure on them. I think it helped but 45 hours is a long time on the bike. The FG doesn’t allow you to take pressure of your arms and rest on your butt and coast. I don’t have tricep issues when I ride multispeed. I have a good core and ride light on the bars.(UPDATE TUES 10/23 HEALED)

5. I had gained 15 POUNDS from my pre-race weight of 156 lbs up to 171 by Tuesday night. 168 by Wed night. My legs swelled so much that the skin was pulled tight. It actually hurt to have my skin stretched so much. I’m slowly getting back down to pre-race weight. I was 161 today. (UPDATE TUES 10/23 159 LBS)

6. I always catch a cold or some respiratory issue from these Ultras. This time I think Brandy kept the supplements coming and I think I avoided it. My nose is still bleeding everytime I blow it. But otherwise I feel fairly healthy.

7. My Hemoroids flaired up on Tuesday from all the solid recovery food on Monday and Tuesday. I will eventually have to get them treated for the long term if I keep doing Ultras. (UPDATE TUES 10/23 HEALED)

8. My recovery has been slow because on Monday when I should have been sleeping I couldn’t go to bed until after I put my son to bed at 9pm so I was awake since Sat 5am until Monday 10 ish pm I was awake 65 hours. Well that is the Ultra life when you have children.

And once again a very big thank you (crew) for your dedication to my success. Their experience and dedication showed in every effort that the made. They were truly there to see me through to the finish of this very difficult challenge and I could not have asked for a better team, it was a seamless effort all around. Thank you Terry. Thank you Timmer. Thank you Brandy. I have you to thank for this accomplishment.

Furnace Creek 508 Fixed Gear Solo Race Report Part 8

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

Arrived Monday 4:12am, 45 hours 12 minutes

From the 508 website

“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”

Last year Almost Amboy was my favorite Time Station. They had the place decorated in a Hawaiian theme. It was cool and the energy from the volunteers was refreshing. This year it wasn’t manned by the same folks and it just didn’t have the same feel to it.

My only focus after leaving Almost Amboy was chasing down Thrasher. He was so far gone I knew it was a lofty goal but it spurred me on to take the last 58 miles and give it all I had left.

I was really tired (understatement) and falling asleep just putting in the miles on my way to Sheephole Summit. And then I started “chasing the lights”. I did the same thing last year. There’s something about knowing you only have 50 miles to go —heck that’s just a club ride— that really motivates you.

I started doing intervals on the climb. First couple of intervals were just at a moderate level—remember I was falling asleep so moderate is actually a step up. They didn’t last long only about 30 seconds, and then 1 min, and then 2 min. After a few of those I started building the intensity and was doing 30 sec and 1 min long intervals at very high intensity. As I got closer to Thrashers’ lights it motivated me even more. After a long chase, I passed him on the climb and again he passed me on the descent. This, like I mentioned before, was fun for me and it kept me alert and motivated.

If you look at the profile the last 25 miles are a steady incline. I caught Thraser again and I just wanted to keep him within reach but his follow vehicle yielded to the right so I sprinted past him as fast as I could remembering Chris Kostman’s comment on passing “….and then as you pass them you blow their doors off…” Not an exact quote but it is pretty close. REMEMBER I HAVE BEEN UP 40+ HOURS THIS WAS VERY EXCITING TO ME AT THE TIME! I hope now when you read this you can feel some of the excitement I was feeling. The way I see it, it is little things like this that fuel me to the finish line after so many hours. Thraser and his crew were very nice people and congrats to them for finishing. I also passed the 4x person team Pac-Rats in the last five miles.

As I was nearing the finish I asked that my crew cross the line with me. I thought it was important for them to share in my success since they played such a vital part in it. My crew was great. I was spoiled by them and I wonder how I will find a better crew. Brandy, Terry and Timmer thank you so much for all your support. I couldn’t have done it without you. And that’s it I FINISHED THE FURNACE CREEK 508 FIXED GEAR SOLO. One of only seven riders since 1983 to do it it Fixed Gear.


Shaking hands with Thrasher after the race.

Pictures courtesy of AdventureCORPS

Furnace Creek 508 Fixed Gear Solo Race Report Part 7

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Stage Seven: Kelso to Almost Amboy, 33.8 miles. Elevation Gain: 2280′.

Arrived at Almost Amboy at Sunday 11:16 pm, 40 hours 16 min Avg. Speed 11.22 mph

From the 508 website

Compared to the just completed Baker Grade, you now head up a slightly steeper climb: 2000 feet in 12 miles to the top of the Granite Mountains (El 4000’) (Mountain Section Nine). The downhill to the outskirts of Amboy is fast and long; watch out for cattle guards.

Thrasher…

I got into Kelso and met up with Thrasher. His crew was amazed that I was doing the 508 on a Fixed Gear. And quite honestly at that point so was I. I was getting closer to the finish line with each climb.

By this time I had switched to my favorite cold weather climbing garb. I love wearing wool when it is cold and I’m climbing. It breathes well and I don’t sweat as much as I do with synthetics. Then when I descend I don’t get a chill. I see so many riders covered from head to toe with so much gear and all I’m wearing is an ultra thin base layer and a fairly thin wool jersey. Why did wool fall out of favor? It is really the best gear to ride in. I get my clothing from Vintage Velos.  The quality of their clothing is without question the best wool clothing I have had the pleasure to ride in.  Not to mention that some of the wool trainers look great with a pair of jeans on after a ride!!

I got a head start out of the Time Station but soon I could see the lights coming from my left of Thrasher’s follow vehicle. He had caught me and then passed me. This was the start of what would be an exciting exchanging of the lead between Thrasher and the Vireo, at least in my head.

On this climb I started to “see” things in the bushes and up above the bushes. I thought I saw at least five shooting stars. Would that be possible? I also thought I saw aircraft lights, and for a long time I thought a “light” following me. Yes I had been awake about 38 hours and I guess that is expected. At one point, I let me crew know that I was seeing things. I wonder what they thought. Terry being an experienced Ultra racer himself probably knew right away that it was normal and nothing to be alarmed about. But just to be safe I started doubling up on my Red Star Energy Tablets so I could remain alert. Red Star Energy has the energy boost of the popular energy drinks but much more convenient for a cyclist to carry on a ride since the tablets are lighter and smaller than a can of energy drink.

I saw Thrasher’s lights way up ahead on the climb and decided to chase him down. It took a huge amount of effort but I was less than 80 miles from the finish and I felt well enough to give chase. Except for the usual aches and pains of being on the bike that many hours I had really only about three pains specific to the Fixed Gear riding.

1. My left hand was numb because my right tricep was in pain and I was compensating by riding with only my left hand on the bars and my right arm in an imaginary sling.

2. My left knee was in pain from all the very slow hard mashing and pulling up on the pedals on some of the steeper climbs.

3. My left ankle was in pain for the same reason as #2.

I chased and passed Thrasher on the climb and as usual he and all multi-speed riders passed me on the descent. He passed me going so fast he was a blur and then I could see Thrasher’s lights far off in the distance. They kept getting smaller and smaller on the long 20 mile descent.

I was concerned about the 20 mile descent in planning for the race. I remember how sore my shoulders and neck were from all the time I spent in the tucked position on my multi-speed in 2006. It was a long way down—- I couldn’t coast —- and my butt was killing me—-and I didn’t want to go any faster than 20 mph because everything hurt and bouncing on the saddle was not appealing to me whatsoever. But eventually I made it into the Almost Amboy Time Station.

Arriving at Almost Amboy I had completed 451.6 miles and 32,056 feet of climbing

Furnace Creek 508 Fixed Gear Solo Race Report Part 6

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Main graph above. This section we will cover from Mile 381.6 to mile 416.5

Stage Six: Baker to Kelso, 34.90 miles. Elevation Gain: 2920′.

Arrived in Kelso Sunday 8:26pm, 37 hours and 26 min Avg. Speed 11.13 mph

From the 508 website

“Leaving Baker, you climb a gradual but relentless 2500 feet in 20 miles (Mountain Section Eight). It may be heating up, so drink plenty. A long descent leads to Kelso at mile 418.”

This next section is soooo boooorrrrinnng! The climb out of Baker goes on and on and on and on. Not steep but just “relentless”. It was warm but the sun was about to set in a couple of hours and I just kept plugging away. I remember Yodeling Plankton getting a lead on me leaving Baker but I caught him. Then he passed me as I was putting my lights on the bike— it was nearing 6pm. And then I passed him again.

that red speck up ahead is Yodelling Plankton..

and here is the pass (seemed to be a really nice guy) …

While I was training I couldn’t find a road to simulate the slope of this climb. But I actually was looking forward to the Baker climb. The gentle grade I thought was well suited for Fixed Gear riding and it proved to be just that. If you can get past the long boring slope it isn’t that bad of a climb. I actually enjoyed it.

The roads are horrible in these last sections. They shouldn’t even call them roads. Descending was very “exciting” as I was trying to ride the fog line to keep from hitting all the potholes.

I had completed 416.5 miles and 29,776 feet of climbing