IMG00275
Reply
Stage 1
George is half way stage1. Starting 2nd climb.
My 508 Mug Shot
My Personal Record for the Furnace Creek 508– 2008
I am not in the shape I was in back in 2008. But I will use the numbers from that year to keep me on track for 2010.
You can keep track of me, The Red Eyed Vireo, and see how I’m doing compared to my PR from 2008 on the 2010 The Furnace Creek 508 Webcast.
And here is the Twitter feed specifically for the Furnace Creek 508.
So how far is the Furnace Creek 508?
FURNACE CREEK 508 BEGINS 0700 ON OCTOBER 2, 2010
This is a fun little exercise I did a couple of years ago so people could get an idea how far the Furnace Creek 508 was in tangible terms.
When you have the time take a look at this link and pick and choose different maps of two cities so you can see for yourself how far I will be racing non-stop at the Furnace Creek 508.
First the course profile and then below that is the map of the race course. The race is non-stop 508 miles through Mojave and Death Valley Deserts, with 35,000 feet of climbing and 10 mountain passes.
Then there are two maps one for the West Coast and East Coast peeps.
San Fran to San Diego
New York City to Raliegh North Carolina
Portsmouth to Dundee
Official Everest Challenge Results
Everest Challenge 29,000 feet of climbing…Done!
Hello everyone and thank you for checking in on my blog. I am tired and not really in the mood for a long race report so I’ll be brief. I completed my third Everest Challenge on Sunday 9/26/10. I suffered in the heat. On both days I had great climbs on climb #1 and climb #2 but then the heat would be there for climb #3. It was not my worst showing but I should have done much better. I expected to do much better.
Today is Monday 9/27/10 and I am in full recovery mode as I am racing the Furnace Creek 508 in less than a week. Most of you think I’m crazy for doing Everest Challenge and the Furnace Creek 508 in a week’s time. Well I probably am but…I just want to test my limits. People ask me why I do ultras…it’s because I want to test the limits of human endurance…my limits. I’m not interested in placing high. I’m interested in finding out where is my low. Where is the bottom? Where is the point where I say “Man this is it …you’re broken.”
THE WEAPON
Felt F2 with Di2, SRM Dura-Ace 7900 Wireless Power Meter Crankset 53/39, Cassette 11-28, Zipp Zed Tech 2, PRO Turnix Saddle and Carbon Vibe Stem.
My unofficial time is 15:23. Below are the elevation charts. When the official results are posted I’ll post a race report. I am curious to see how many DNF’s and No Shows on day two. Thank you for tuning in.
I want to thank Infinit Nutrition for supporting me in my Epic Adventures. Please look into customizable nutrition to help you perform better. I used Infinit Nutrition on Everest Challenge and will use it on the Furnace Creek 508!
Day one of Everest Challenge
Day 2 of Everest Challenge
2010 Furnace Creek 508 Crew is Assembled
It is with great pleasure and pride that I announce my crew members for my fifth consecutive Furnace Creek 508 Steve Crew Chief, Jaime and Rachel.
Steve - Crew Chief
Steven is a veteran of several 508s, centuries, double centuries, and sub-zero winter commutes in Wisconsin..
He is the Race Director of the Everest Challenge and a growing schedule of mountain rides mostly in the Eastern Sierra. Our team goal is to do whatever it takes to get the Red Eyed Vireo to Twentynine Palms!
Rachel
Rachel has been cycling for a very short time, so she has little to report in that area. She is enthusiastic about the opportunity to see the 508 first hand and contribute to the success of the Red Eyed Vireo!
Jaime
Since January 2009 I have completed 12 brevets, including my first super randonneur series in 2010, and have ridden more than 6800 total kilometers. I have also achieved a RUSA R-12 in September 2010. I truly enjoy the challenge of riding ultra distances usually with little to no support. I bring to Team Red Eye Vireo, and my first FC 508, the ability to focus on and overcome the challenges that the race will provide and help George Vargas cross the finish line a fifth consecutive time.
Onion Valley Personal Record (PR)
ONION VALLEY COMPARED TO MT VENTOUX, FRANCE
TRAINING GOAL– Monthly fitness test on Onion Valley Rd (tempo/threshold)
BIKE SETUP – 53/39 Dura-Ace 7900 Wireless SRM Crankset and 11-28 Cassette.
On 9/17 I climbed Onion Valley Rd to a Personal Record (PR) of 1 hour 44 minutes. It’s a 13 mile climb that gains over 5,000 feet in one solid shot. There are no flat spots or dips in this climb which makes this an extremely hard climb. Take for example Mount Palomar — after climbing a 5 miles you get a 3/4 mile flat section before beginning the final 6.7 miles at 7% to the summit. Or Mosquito Flat where you have a .9 mile dip 8 miles into the climb and a couple sections of fairly gently grades. Or Ancient Bristlecone/White Mountain were about 8 miles into the climb you have a 1 mile flat section before continuing on White Mountain Road to the 10,000 foot summit.
On 9/16 I climbed Mosquito Flat to a Personal Record of 2 hours 27 minutes. I was going good but I knew I had at least one more climb to do. I also climbed Pine Creek a 7.5 mile climb that was steeper than I remembered it. It’s important to mention what I did on 9/16 because I was surprised how well my legs recovered overnight. I felt really good on Onion Valley. How good?– I kept easing the pace because I thought I would blow up. I eventually fatigued but even looking at my Training Peaks chart you can see the Power curve (Yellow Line) is pretty consistent. I am happy with the consistency and I don’t think I have more than another 5 minutes to cut off this climb — this season. I would need to train a lot more drop some weight and try again next year.
Notice sustained sections above 9% and no dips
Notice the Red section shows higher cadence for same or more power
George Vargas sets Personal Record on Onion Valley 1 hour 44 minutes. Consistent improvements since June
MFRA from Training Peaks WKO 3.0
Training Peaks Graph for Onion Valley Rd PR
RED- Heart Rate
PURPLE- Temperature
GREEN- Cadence
YELLOW- Power
GREY- Torque
BLUE – Speed
ORANGE- Elevation
Data for Onion Valley Rd PR
Most Difficult Climbs in California:
1) Onion Valley — DONE 6/10/10 !!
2) Horseshoe Meadows — DONE 6/10/10!!
3) White Mountain– DONE as part of Everest Challenge Stage Race
4) Sherman Pass– DONE 6/24/10!!
5) Whitney Portal — DONE 6/10/10!!
6) Mount Baldy– DONE- too many times to mention
7) Shirley Meadows– DONE 6/24/10!!
8) South Lake– DONE as part of Everest Challenge Stage Race
9) Mount Palomar– DONE 6/06/10!!
10) Mosquito Flat– DONE 09/02/10!!
Additionally, here is the list of the 10 toughest climbs in the US.
Below is a list of some of the top cycling climb bike rides that are listed in the bookBest Cycling Climbs In The US
- Mt Washington, NH
- Haleakala, HI
- Onion Valley, CA
- Horseshoe Meadows, CA
- Mt. Equinox, VT
- White MTN, CA
- Mt. Baldy, CA
- Mt Graham, AZ
- Mt. Lemmon, AZ
- Palomar Mountain, CA
Onion Valley Road is compared to Mt Ventoux, France
And now for something silly– Ever since I purchased Felicia I have been outfitting her with all the latest and greatest gadgets. But one thing I have left off of her on purpose. On everyone of my race bikes I always have a Superman figurine on the seat stay cluster. My reason for leaving the Superman off is I just didn’t feel like I was in good enough form to put Superman back there. But after a successfull todays of training and two PR’s on two very tough climbs I think Felicia is finally ready to get her Superman.
Everest Challenge Recon- Continued
On Thursday 9/16 I climbed Mosquito Flat. I had a better day than I did two weeks ago on 9/2. Below you will see the graphs and data for both days. The first set is from 9/2 and the next set from 9/16.
Most notable improvements were:
5 minutes reduction in time (2:32 to 2:27)
10 watt increase in Normalized Power (189 watts to 199 watts)
.2 increase in w/kg (2.7 to 2.9 w/kg)
9 bpm increase in intensity (163 bpm to 172 bpm)
4% increase in Intensity Factor (68% to 72%)
5 rpm increase in Average Cadence (68 rpm to 73 rpm)
.3 mph increase in Average Speed (9.0 mph to 9.3 mph)
Crank Torque was reduced by 3 lb-in (which is also reflected in higher average cadence)
23 miles in a loooong way to climb and be able to sustain high power output– at least for this mere mortal. But I’m satisfied with the results and I feel my form continuing to build. I’m still undecided whether I will be riding Everest Challenge. In the days proceeding EC I will be at Interbike in Las Vegas and on my feet for many hours. I won’t have the luxury of traditional rest, hydration and home cooked meals. So we’ll see….
Thank you for reading my blog please pass it on to your friends.
George's Epic Adventures 