Bill's Blog

Something to ponder…

All the really exciting things possible during the course of a lifetime require a little more courage than we currently have , a deep breath, and a leap – Unknown

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and loose both – Benjamin Franklin

“Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass… It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”
A-Nony-Mouse

Hoodoo500 2 person mixed Team Velo Ultra

Struggle to the start

Last year I explored the Hoodoo route by volunteering to be an official for the race. What I discovered was an amazingly beautiful course that presented many challenges to the riders. This year I decided that I wanted to experience the course as it was meant to be experienced, from a bike. Knowing that I was not prepared for a solo attempt I asked my friend Janet Christiansen if she would like to race with me; she accepted. Janet had raced in RAAM the past three years (2007, 2008, and 2009) and I crewed for her 2008 attempt and was her crew chief for her 2009 crossing. She is also a Hoodoo record holder for the voyager division.

Unfortunately a few weeks before the race start, Janet started struggling to recover from rides and she decided that it may be best if she did not race in Hoodoo this year. Although I was disappointed that I would not be able to race with her, I did understand that sometimes your body just says, “No”. So, I frantically sent out some emails looking for another teammate. I received several replies that Michele Santilhano was looking for a teammate as well. I thought, “Hey it’s a match!” Michele just completed RAAM 2010 in June but wanted to experience the Hoodoo course. When I spoke to her we agreed that speed was not the most important thing, we just wanted to have some fun and finish. Thus, team Osponager (Osprey & Onager – Janet and my Furnace Creek 508 totems) morphed into Team Velo Ultra. I know the team name is not all that inventive, but it was a bit last minute.

The Monday before the race I awoke feeling a bit tired and sore, but did not think much of it. By mid-morning I was beginning to feel nauseous and by lunch I felt feverish. This progression continued through the day and by late afternoon I was not able to stray far from the bathroom and could not eat or drink anything without revisiting it (you get the idea) – I had the flu! My wife went to the store and bought crackers, ginger ale, soup, some meds, and some life savers… she was my life saver. All I could think about was how dehydrated I was going to be for the race if I could not get this turned around. My wife and I decided that it was best to let the fever run its course as it was my body’s way of fighting whatever it was I had. I kept a glass of water and a glass of ginger ale nearby and drank constantly. I then munched away at my crackers. I was not able to think about the soup until Tuesday afternoon, it was my first pseudo meal in 24 hours! Fortunately the worst of it was over and I began working on rehydrating myself, but, my stomach still was not happy and I had to eat cautiously (bland foods and not a lot of protein).

By Wednesday, my departure date, I was feeling better although my stomach was not yet in a happy place.

Acclimating
Having ridden most of the Hoodoo course at this year’s Hoodoo training camp, I knew that I was going to have some issues with my asthma at altitude. I suffered a lot the first few days of the camp, but, once I acclimated I was able to ride at my normal pace. So for the race I planned on driving up to Cedar City which is at about 5,000 feet on the Wednesday before the race start to begin acclimating. I had then planned to drive up to Cedar Breaks which is at 10,200 feet to do a short ride on Thursday. But this plan had to be altered somewhat.

The drive from San Diego to Cedar Breaks made me a bit nervous, something my stomach did not need As I drove further east I watched as the thermometer steadily rose. It topped out in Baker, CA were it was 117 degrees! By the time I reached Las Vegas, NV it had cooled to a pleasant temperature of 113 and wind – but it was a dry heat. Between Las Vegas and Cedar Breaks I drove through a number of rain showers that were heavy at times; I was glad I had packed all my extra rain gear for the race.

Thursday and Friday I attempted to rest as much as possible in hopes that my stomach condition would improve some.

Meet the crew
Michele and I were fortunate to have two crew members with a wealth of crewing experience from RAAM and Furnace Creek 508. As all ultra cyclists know, many of the races we do are just not possible without the wonderful crew people who give up their vacation time, time with their families, their comfort, and a weekends worth of sleep to help some crazy cyclist, or group of cyclists, race across a state or the country. For me it was a reunion of sorts as both our crew members, Kat and Kathryn (or as we referred to them K2), were on the 2008 RAAM crew for Janet. K2 are a perfect match as far as crew goes since Kat prefers to drive and Kathryn prefers to navigate.

Friday… T minus 14 hours

Michelle, Kat, Kathryn, and I met up in St. George Friday afternoon. We quickly assessed what we needed to do to get the support van through race inspection and got to work. We first checked in to get our race number, have our photo taken, and received goodie bags (nice stuff including T-shirt, water bottles, and Hammer Nutrition samples). We then began working on getting our race numbers on all four sides of the van, writing our team name on the windows, and organizing the inside. Once those tasks were complete we headed over for vehicle and bike inspection.

At inspection you have to show a number of things including:
• Rear flashing lights that are not part of the vehicles hazard lights or turn signals
• Functioning hazard lights, turn signals, and head lights
• Race number and or team name on all four sides of the vehicle
• Proof of insurance for the vehicle
• Reflective material on all four sides of your helmet
• Reflective material on the bike
• Ankle reflectors
• Two working headlights and two working tail lights

Fortunately we sailed through inspection without any issues… it helped that Kathryn and I were in charge of the inspection for the race last year.

After inspection we headed out for an early pasta dinner and discussed a bit more about our race tactics. The original plan with Janet was to base our pulls on time. We had planned on doing 30 minutes pulls if it was hot or the climbs were steep and one hour pulls the rest of the time. We also added in one two hour pull each to give the crew an opportunity to get some sleep. We changed this, in error, to measuring our pulls by mileage. It was thought that this would make it easier for the crew, however it made for some long pulls followed by short pulls due to the amount of climbing in a given 15 mile section and the amount of descending or flat in the next section… more on this later. Over dinner we decided that Michele would start us off.

Start to Time Station 1

I slept fairly well the night before the race, but my stomach was still not 100% on race morning. This really concerned me, but I attempted to ignore it and hide that fact from the crew. We watched the solo racers start and then had a great breakfast at the starting hotel. I was able to eat some eggs, potatoes, and even some bacon – yum!

As we prepared for our start we lost track of the time and had to rush Michele to the start line. Unfortunately in the rush she forgot her helmet. In a rush my helmet, and more importantly its contents, were dumped on the floor. With helmet in hand Michele made it to the start line just in time for the start line photo op. Then it was 5…4…3…2…1 GO!

Michele’s first pull included the 9.2 mile parade start and she had to ride unsupported until mile 17.6 where we had our first exchange. She rode well through her first leg and kept her own pace keeping in mind our race goals. The first 17.6 miles of the course has a number of rollers, some of which are fairly steep. I lack GPS data for Michele’s pulls so I can’t provide exact elevation gains.

My first pull was 13.4 miles and I climbed 2,000 feet taking us up to the plateau where Colorado City is. This was a tough pull as the climbs go through areas that are protected from the wind and the heat seemed to just bake me. This pull was made even more difficult because I had zero warm up; I just started climbing from our exchange point and climbed for the entire 15 miles. The traffic on this section of the course was a bit more than I would have liked and I had several semi-trucks pass and trucks pulling trailers pass with a little less room than I would have liked to of had; but, for the most part people gave as much space as they could.

Michele and I continued our exchanges going into time station one in Kanab. Along the way in I had to ask the crew to try and find exchange points that did not have me starting on a climb as each exchange going into Kanab, with the exception of the last one, had be starting on a climb – ouch. I rode through Kanab, which has many services, before our next exchange. At this point I had ridden 42.4 miles and climbed 3,350 feet. Michele had ridden 45.1 miles.

Time Station 1 to Time Station 2

It’s 72 miles from TS1 to TS2 and there are two notable climbs. Leaving Kanab the route climbs steadily through a narrow valley that can be windy. It was here that Michele and I caught the tail end of the solo field which started the race two hours before we did. I was not looking forward to this section as I cramped badly here during the training camp and had a lot of asthma issues thanks to a dry hot wind. For the first climb you go from approximately 5,000 feet to 7,000 feet, which Michele and I split. Then the second climb goes from approximately 6,700 to about 7,800.

To give you an idea of the first climb in this section I began my leg about five miles into it and rode 10 miles with 1,293 feet of elevation gain. It’s a steady climb and we had a fairly strong tail wind here. However, I knew that a tail wind at this section of the course meant there was a strong possibility of headwinds most of Sunday – I hate it when I am right about that! There were gusts that hit me during the climb that actually increased my speed by 1 or 2 MPH! The winds were somewhat erratic though and seemed to come from all directions (but primarily a tail wind). After our exchange Michele rode us up the remaining 13 miles to the first summit of this section of the course, she was riding strong and I was glad to have some rest.

There is a rolling descent after the climb which was fun with a smoking tail wind; I welcomed the tail wind knowing full well that it was not a free ride. I took this section as the crew told me that Michele was really enjoying the scenery. With that knowledge I wanted to be sure she got to ride the bike path through Bryce which is very scenic and the first place we see actual Hoodoo’s on the course. The bike path has the second climb for this section with an undulating grade that follows the contours of the canyon.

Between TS1 and TS2 I was still having problems with my stomach and really did not want to eat too much as I was worried it would only upset my stomach further. Not taking in enough calories would come back to haunt me later in the night.

Time Station 2 to Time Station 3

This section of the course is 47.8 miles long with one very fun descent (if it’s not crazy windy) that is then followed by an approximate 1,800 foot climb. During our conference calls Michele noted that she would prefer to not do the steeper descents during the race. The descent that is about 10 miles from TS2 is a steep one. During the training camp I flew down this, but when I came to the start of it this time the wind was howling and I had to pedal the first section to maintain speed – that sucked! Fortunately the wind relented and I was able to get up to speed about a third of the way down and hit 49.7 MPH (though I had to work for it).

Michele and I exchanged as the climb started and she took us up and over the summit. I had complained to the crew that I was not doing well somewhere along here (and earlier too). Kat suggested that I might need protein since I had not had much while sick over the past week. She suggested eating plain turkey which I reluctantly did. I had only a little bit at first and ate more later in the night. Amazingly it began to settle my stomach and my energy level began to pick up a little.

As Michele was descending around mile 184 we spotted a black shape up on the bank next to the road. The shape started moving towards the road and I could instantly tell by its walk that it was a bear! It ran into the road about 50 or so yards ahead of Michele. The crew and I were asking each other what should we do??? Michele just kept on riding and we passed where the bear had run back the way he came. We were so shocked to have seen a bear in the road that we completely forgot about the camera!

Time Station 3 to Time Station 4 (Hog Back and Boulder Mountain)
It’s about 81 miles from TS3 to TS4. The first climb is fairly short and is followed by a fun and technical descent. Part way down this little bit of joy, I almost met the pavement after hitting a cattle guard that was placed right at the end of a corner. I wobbled some but stayed relaxed and was able to recover. If you reach this in daylight (most won’t) you can see where the road on the Hoodoo500 logo came from.

The next climb is much more significant. It leads up to what some call the hogbacks which at night seems like the road is the only thing up there as the sides drop off dramatically. The climb is very strenuous as it stair steps up… up… up. The tread of the stairs, the flat parts, are not at all flat – you are still climbing. But they feel so much easier compared to the rises which I believe is in the 15% to 18% range. Along the way up I was dodging scorpions that were crossing the road… so why did the scorpion cross the road? I have no idea and was not planning to stop and ask.

Michele and I exchanged just before the decent into the itty bitty town of Boulder which is the entry way to the Boulder Mountain climb which tops out at just below the 10,000 foot mark. I rode this climb in the rain during the training camp and absolutely loved it! It’s a steady climb through a mostly Aspen forest though during the race this section will be at night. Michele had planned to ride the entire climb, but that was not to be.

Michele was enjoying the night riding and did not want us direct following her. So, the crew and I headed up the road to find what we thought would make a good exchange point at the top of the climb. I layered on clothes as the temperature was hovering around 50 and I knew there was a very fast and technical decent coming. I put on leg warmers, arm warmers, two jackets, a beanie cap, and full fingered cloves – I was set for my e-ticket ride down the mountain in the cold. After about 20 minutes had passed I began to worry about Michele. It seemed that we should have seen her already. We waited an additional 5 minutes then I asked the crew to drive us back toward her as I was worried that something had happened. We drove about 2 miles back on the course and found Michele walking her bike. Oh no what happened! We all jumped out and ran over to her. Turns out her chain dropped off the front inner chain ring and wedged itself between the frame and the chain ring. I studied it for a moment then with a good hard pull I was able to free it. We weren’t sure how long Michele had been walking and neither was she, but what was clear was that she was very cold. I got my bike off the van and set off while the crew tended to Michele.

I finished the last bit of the climb and the crew caught up to me just before the start of the descent – yeah some extra light for the fun part! Unfortunately my computer died somewhere along here and I don’t have my top speed data. I do know from the crew that I was going in excess of 55 MPH though – weee! On the way down I had to avoid a tree that had fallen in road due to the high winds and the crew later thanked me for pointing it out to them.

Michele and I exchanged in Torrey and she rode into the Loa time station where the crew and I had jumped ahead to use bathrooms and try to close our eyes for a few moments.

Time Station 4 to Time Station 5
This section of the course starts out with a steady climb taking you to about 8,000 feet and then is predominantly downhill, with some big rollers thrown in for good measure. It is 89.6 miles between TS4 and TS5. I began this section wearing what I thought was going to be enough to keep me warm knowing I had to climb, but did not think about the fact I would be sweating on the climb and then would be wet for the descent. By the time I made it to the turn (which is in the middle of a descent – watch out!) I was a Bill-icicle – I was frozen! I stopped at the van, which was marking the turn, and had to warm up. I was shivering uncontrollably so the crew turned the heater on, got a sleeping bag on me and Michele served up a cup of hot water… that really did the trick – thanks Michele. I then added layers of clothing and continued descending. In all I rode 26.5 miles with about 1,600 feet of climbing.

By this point the crew was in desperate need of sleep. Since the next section had no difficult turns, Michele let the crew stop at the exchange. We decided to stay put for 45 minutes or so to allow the crew to sleep, even if it was for only a brief bit. Kat’s iPhone alarm went off in what seemed like two seconds from the time I closed my eyes.

We quickly started back down the road to chase down Michele. We found her fighting the wind about 15 miles down the road. The crew checked in with her and then we drove ahead to the next turn to make our exchange. While waiting for Michele to arrive we discovered we were parked in some serious mosquito country! They were everywhere and I took refuge back in the van until I could see Michele approaching in the distance. She rode 15 miles fighting the morning winds which were a big hint about how my next pull would go. Michele was fighting a head cross wind, and knowing the course; I knew that as soon as I cleared the canyon area I was heading into I would be turning directly into the wind to get to Panguitch- oh boy!

The next 15 miles were somewhat pleasant, aside from the wind. This portion of the course follows a nice stream that winds through a valley that opens up to a scenic pasture. Michele was back on for an additional 15 miles of mostly flat terrain. My next pull was a huge battle against gusts of wind that at times did all they could to stop my forward progress. I could see Pangquitch for a good 45 minutes before I got there and it seemed to just tease me off in the distance. Alas, I finally made it and exchanged with Michele at the time station.

As I rode in it was great to see the familiar face of Tom who always works TS5. When I got off my bike, I laid down on the sidewalk and Tom jokingly said, “hey, better get him up before you get fined for littering…” ha ha Tom.

Time Station 5 to Time Station 6… Cedar Breaks – ugh
This section of the course is pretty darn demanding with just under 4,500 feet of climbing that includes some really steep bits. We decided to do this in 5 mile sections and Michele was up first. In total we did seven pulls to the top. In my four pulls I average 9.333 MPH and climbed 2,559 feet.

On the way up I had the joy of ridding through a herd of sheep. They really wanted nothing to do with me and kept looking at me with wild eyes. I was worried that in their rush to get past me they would run into me, but they managed to avoid me. Once I was through them I summoned the crew next to me, but I could not udder what I wanted to say as the climbing got steep again and they worriedly dropped back. I called them up again once it got easier and looked into the van all serious and said, “Baaaaah” and the van immediately erupted in laughter.

My most difficult section, which was just about to the top, was 5.63 miles with 1,112 feet of climbing in it- ouch! Oh, and don’t forget that we did this straight into a headwind. So much so that on the most difficult section I was nearly blown to a stop twice! Towards the top Michele was suffering from the altitude pretty badly but trudged on like a hero. Fortunately my early arrival helped to negate most of my altitude suffering.

As we climbed up the temperature really dropped. It was difficult to tell how much to put on because we were working our butts off which was generating heat, but when we got out of the van it felt so cold – the crew started to wrap us in a towel to help us keep warm while we waited for the other rider to get to the exchange point. I think the temperature was right about 50. Michele got the first descent near the overlooks, but not sure she was able to enjoy the views.

The next descent and the flat section that followed was the scariest part of the race for me. Why you may ask, since I so love to fly down mountains??? Well let me tell you… the road conditions were not great: there was loose gravel and a number of sections that had recently been repaved. Add to that an insane wind that seemed to be coming at me from all directions. At one point the wind picked up a bunch of sand which managed its way into my eyes. Then add people driving large pickups pulling boats, jet skis, and RVs who gave me zero room. I was nearly hit twice by a trailer. The second time it happened I had to stop and re-gather myself. I also took that opportunity to take my jacket and knee warmers off as it was 35 degrees warmer near Cedar City than it was at the top of Cedar Breaks (NOTE: the two are only separated by about 20 miles).

I continued to battle the wind through Cedar City and beyond. By the time the next exchange occurred I was so rattled from the descent and so tired from the wind that I was just about ready to throw in the towel. But our dutiful crew calmed me down and got me back in the right mindset. Kat and Kathryn you guys were amazing!

My pull down Cedar Breaks was 22.95 miles and I averaged 22.4 MPH despite the wind. Did I mention that the wind pissed me off!

Time Station 6 to the Finish… Wind- let’s do battle!
The last section of the course is about 84 miles. The terrain looks like it tends mostly downhill but that is a bit deceiving. There are two climbs that will still get your attention, especially with 420 or so miles (or 210) in your legs.

After the adrenaline rush had worn off I realized that I was feeling so much better compared to Saturday and my numbers showed it. I flew through my remaining legs. I decided that the wind was trying to do battle with me and I was not about to let it win. I was actually yelling at it, telling the wind I was not going to let it beat me! Here are the numbers for my last three legs of the race:
• 9.39 Miles, 548 feet of climbing, 15 MPH average speed
• 15.5 Miles, 490 feet of climbing, 17.4 MPH average speed
• 14.2 Miles, 128 feet of climbing, 21.4 MPH average speed

I should note that on that last section through Snow Canyon, which is a great descent with nearly vacant roads, I slowed to chat with Dave Elsberry for about 10 minutes. Actually, I went by Dave and gave him a cheer and then he caught up to me. I then slowed the pace as we chatted. Dave took second overall for the solo field and did I mention that he is 59 years young? Dave, I take my hat off to you!

Unfortunately right after I told Dave that I needed to get moving as I promised my crew I would finish before 9PM, he got a front flat. Had I only known I would have given him my spare and helped him out. But being the amazing rider that he is, Dave finished with a flat – a la Lance Armstrong in the Leadville 100.

As I met up with the main street the finish line is on (Bluff Street) I got stopped at a stupid light that did not recognize a cyclist. After waiting for a full cycle I walked over and pushed the button for the cross walk. After waiting for nearly 4 or 5 minutes it was finally my turn to go… Now in this section of the course, there were course markers everywhere. But here at Bluff street there were no markers indicating a turn. So I assumed that I was supposed to go straight and enter the hotel lot from the back since the start went out that way. Well, this surprised everyone at the finish as they were expecting me to enter from the front- oops!

In the end we finished in 35 hours and 57 minutes. During the race I met my goal of maintaining at least a 15 MPH average. My actual average was about 15.12 MPH, I am very pleased with that. Michele rode strong and I was amazed and very appreciative that she was able to join me in this adventure after having completed RAAM in June. Lastly, but certainly not least, I am so grateful to the time and effort of our wonderful crew Kat and Kathryn – without you two this all probably would not have happened.

A special thank you to Deb and Brian of Planet Ultra for organizing a truely epic and wonderful event.

As a little extra topping to this adventure, Michele and I both earned Planet Ultra’s Grand Slam award for completing four of their endurance events in one year.

To see more photos of our Hoodoo adventure go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/organize/?start_tab=one_set72157624732185725

Dan Crane – Thank you for the memories

This past week I lost a great cycling friend, Dan Crane. I first met Dan while ridding with a local group known as the San Diego Long Riders. Dan really stood out to me partly because he was more than 30 years my senior and yet could leave me in his dust on any climb, but mostly because of his incredibly friendly personality. In 2002 I was going to race Furnace Creek 508 with a friend but at the last minute he had to opt out because of a family emergency. I sent out a desperate email and Dan jumped right in. We raced the 508 as Team Onager and nearly broke the course record with a time of 29 hours 37 minutes. We were 13 minutes from breaking the course record, which we could have done if we had known we were that close.

During our exchanges Dan would ride up behind me and shove me off… but this was not just a light shove. He sent me rocketing down the course! His strength was amazing and his relentless smile was infectious.

A member of our crew, Tony, was an amateur photographer who was always looking for “good shots”. As Dan and I raced towards Trona he found a great opportunity. The sky had the most amazing clouds and was this odd sort of color. As Dan stood waiting for me to arrive, I was much slower than him, he was looking out across the desert when Tony snapped this shot of him. It truely is a wonderful picture and later when I was labeling my photos I called this one “Super Dan” as he kind of looks like a super hero standing there.

But Dan was more than a super hero. I later crewed for Dan for both solo and team efforts. Dan was always smiling and so very thankful for those that helped him achieve his goals. I would even say he was one of the most gracious people I have ever known.

I know Dan is enjoying an incredible ride where ever he is and he for sure has that signature smile on his face.

I’m going to miss you Dan

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Quick Post Race Update

Thank you everyone for your great comments during the race. As you know, I DNF’d at mile 200. Here is a bit about what happened.

During the 200 +/- miles into Valdez we battled a consistent headwind… yup, that is a 200 mile headwind! But that was not the issue for me, I had plenty of strength in my legs at the turn around. The issue for me was asthma due to what I believe to be triggered by two things. First trigger was the amount of pollen and cottonwood in the air being blown into my face. At one point I told the crew that it looked like fairy land as there was so much stuff blowing in the air (looked like I was riding through fairy dust). I knew my allergies were not doing well as my nose would not stop running. The second was the wild temperature swing I experienced while climbing Thompson Pass. The day time high was near 80 and then within a few hours it dropped to the 40′s! I could actually feel the temperature changing.

Leading up to Thompson Pass I had used my inhaler about 6 times. Then I had to use it an additional two times going up the pass. After reaching the top and descending down into the Valdez valley I had about 1/4 of my total lung capacity. Michelle noted that I was breathing very shallow and I had some serious vertigo, it felt as if everything was spinning and moving around me (probably close to hyperventilating). When I stopped to try and catch my breath, Michelle had to hold me up. I also had some serious abdominal soreness which I attribute to my efforts breathing.

Once in Valdez, I was pretty much exhausted. Not from the two hundred miles of ridding (none of climbs were all that difficult though a few were long), but from my efforts to breath. My crew opened the van and said I should lie down for a few minutes and change into dry clothes (it had been raining since the start of the climb up Thompson Pass). I crawled in and immediately fell asleep. I slept for an hour and fifteen minutes, then awoke to dry heaves which were so severe that my crew was quite afraid for me. My breathing was still shallow and I was still suffering from vertigo. At that point it was decided that I would not be able to continue safely.

We drove back to Sheep Mountain Lodge (start/finish line) and I slept off and on the entire way. My legs never felt very sore, but, my back and abdominal muscles were very sore; which is another sign of the effort I was putting into breathing.

So, that was the downfall of my Fireweed 400 race. Now to get to my doctor to see what can be done to better control my asthma. But before I get to that, time to enjoy some vacation time in Alaska.

Follow my Fireweed 400 race

During the race my crew (Michelle and my aunt Deb) will be twittering updates on how I am doing. The twitter posts will then be forwarded to both FaceBook and this blog. If you look to the right of this screen you will see the twitter updates and any replies people have made to the updates.

FireWeed 400 Countdown

Will be working on getting ether FaceBook or Twitter posts to show here so that everyone can follow my race. Below is the basic course.

Heartbreak Double 2010 – The most difficult double I have attempted

First off I want to thank Planet Ultra for putting on another excellent event. The support at the checkpoints was great as were all the SAG drivers. I truely appreciate everyone who volunteers to work the rides, without them this would all be so much more difficult.

Well I am very proud of myself for finishing Heatbreak Double 2010. It was a seriously difficult course with 15,500 feet of advertised climbing- I felt like I was climbing 80% of the time. It was more than the climbs that made it difficult for me. The wind was with us all day providing an occasional tail wind, but mostly cross and head winds.

The morning was very cold, my computer registered the lowest temperature at 33 degrees and it stayed under 60 for the first 5 hours of the ride. I did not start feeling my fingers and toes until sometime around 8ish. The wind was already blowing at the start so I wore knee warmers, arm warmers, and my jacket. Boy was I glad that I did and felt sorry for those that decided to go with only shorts and a jersey. The jacket did not come off until checkpoint one at mile 50.6 (even with all the climbing) and I did not take arm and leg warmers off until 1:30 at the lunch stop.

The morning started off okay other than the cold wind blowing in our faces. I settled into a group of three- Suzanna and a guy that dropped us around mile 20 (but then we passed him looking a tad tired around the mini stop at mile 30). Suzanna and I rode together on and off throughout the day. She was a pretty good climber and she dropped me on the first serious climb up Pine Mountain-I say serious climb as we had been climbing pretty much since the start. I was suffering by mile 50- I had no energy, my legs felt heavy and week, legs started to cramp a little, and I was considering SAGing in. But I kept telling myself, that if I just took it a little bit at a time that I could make it. So I slowed my pace and decided I would try to actively recover while on the bike. People began passing me which bothered me some, but I stuck with the slower pace until lunch at mile 102. I am still not sure what was going on that slowed me down so much. My heart rate was higher than normal and I just could not find my rhythm.

I gave myself 30 minutes for lunch and enjoyed a ham sandwich, chips, a coke, and some peanut M&Ms. I also drank a bottle of water while there and stretched. As I left other groups were forming to leave and I decided that I wanted to ride alone so that I could ride my own pace- I ended up ridding alone pretty much from this point to the finish. As I left lunch I decided to put on This American Life (a podcast I subscribe to). As I listened I let my mind drift from ridding and it put me into a better state.

As I started ridding from the lunch stop I began to feel like myself again and picked up the pace. Apparently I really picked up the pace as I began passing a lot of people, especially on the next climb. I was not just passing them, I was flying by them. My strength had returned and I started calculating out if I had a chance of finishing within the 16 hour time limit I had set for myself. I thought that I could, but told myself that anything under 17 would be good considering how my day went earlier on.

As I climbed I stated using a higher cadence which worked incredibly well. I kept a cadence of 80 or higher and I just went right up everything including Heartbreak, though I must admit that the end of that climb really had my full attention.

After Checkpoint 4 at the top of Heartbreak, mile 126.7 the course took a turn right into a very stong wind. I grunted and felt a bit demoralized for a second.. but I turned it into a battle of me against the wind and I was going to win! I dropped into my aero bars and put my head down. I kept a high cadence and again was passing a lot of people including century riders. A number of them tried to keep my wheel but were not able to keep my pace. I was happy with that of course.

By the next rest stop, mile 151, I caught Suzanna. She was riding with a group of two guys that raced passed me a couple of times (whom I beat into the finish by 30 to 24 minutes– I guess the turtle really can beat the hare. I also noticed at this point how much time I had gained. I made the first cutoff at checkpoint 1 with only 45 minutes or so to spare, the second by about an hour, and the third at mile 151 by 1.5 hours! Yup, I was moving and in fact, I think I made a negative time split when looking at the first 100 miles Vs. the second 100 miles- I will have to check up on that later. With 50 miles left to go I knew I was going to finish this beast of a course.

The next 50 miles were no easier than the rest of the course. I rode with Suzanna up the first climb (about a 1 mile climb). But, she was barely keeping up. I apologized to her but told her I had to keep my own pace. I quickly dropped her and two others on the decent. Unfortunately my jacket came loose, it was tied around my aero bars and the wind kept pulling at it. When I stopped to secure it better all three passed me. No problem though, I caught them within a few miles and quickly passed them. The next climb was 2.5 miles of switchbacks which were very steep. At the base of this climb I had stopped because I ran out of This American Life podcasts to listen too. I put on my easy listening music which includes some really nice Native American flute music and some of my Hawaiian music. It was perfect match to the wonderful scenery that was in a perfect light with the sun going down. I again used my high cadence climbing method that I now know works so well, and the three riders I passed not long before quickly dropped out of sight. There were a number of steep rollers that really got my attention and I had to stop once or twice to stretch again. My legs were feeling the muscles that had cramped in the earlier part of the day.

At mile 171, the last checkpoint, I could not find the checkpoint. Debbie later told me that the guy working it was sitting in his car because it was cold and windy- yes it was, a head wind which everyone said it is normally (95%) of the time a tailwind. I had little less than a half bottle of water and about the same of a Sustained Energy/Heed mix. I thought well I will just keep going – too close to the finish to worry about anything now. And on I rode on and once again started to do some more climbing. These ones hurt a little as they were short, but steep. I stopped a few miles past where the time station should have been to put on my jacket (already had my knee and arm warmers on – I think I put those on at mile 151). I also stretched some more.

As night fell, I turned on my rear lights but not my front light as I wanted to save the battery in case something kept me out longer than planned. When I did turn it on, it stayed on for about 10 minutes and then began to flash. I remember reading that when the light does that it means the battery is almost dead- I thought, did my light get turned on in my drop bag?? Oh no, I still had 20 or so miles to go! I found a general store open in one of the small towns on the course and bought a small LED flashlight and taped it on my bars (had I not needed to so this, I would have made my goal of under 16 hours). I used that light until it got too dark to see the road well enough – but it worked fairly well I must admit. I then turned my headlight back on and it worked properly the rest of the way. It seems that there is a flashing mode if the button is pressed rapidly, so maybe the road vibrations had activated that mode.

This was the first time I had to ride in the dark in a very long time, especially is such a rural setting. I settled into the middle of the road and used my rear view mirror attached to my glasses to let me know when cars were coming and then moved over to the white line. The road surface in the middle was much better and I felt I had less of a chance of hitting a pot hole. The last 9 miles were never ending and I was pushing the pedals hard hoping to make it in 16 hours. I kept turning the light on my computer on to see how much progress I had made and to see what the time was. Finally with two miles to go I hit Palmdale city lights. I was so happy finally see the Holliday Inn and the finish, but had to look at it a little longer than I wanted as I was stopped by a red light.

I crossed the finish line in 16 hours and 8 minutes. Mission completed and I am very pleased with myself.

Mount Laguna Bicycle Classic

This past Saturday I completed the Mount Laguna Bicycle Classic. The ride was 101 miles with 10,174 feet of climbing. The route consisted of three ascents up Mount Laguna from Pine Valley. Below is the route and the climbing profile.

I started out the morning in the second group (6:10am start) with a starting temperature of 39 degrees- brrr. Once started, I was looking forward to climbing as I knew it would warm me up and maybe I would feel my fingers again. The first loop climbed to Lake Cuyamaca via Highway 79 and then to the summit of Mount Laguna on Sunrise Highway. I felt great during this loop and tried hard not to push it too much as I knew that each loop got consecutively more difficult. On the way up I passed a number of people and was also passed by a few myself.

At the top I was greeted by the wonderful checkpoint staff. I should note that everyone working for AdventureCops were wonderful and always provided cheerful service including full service bottle fills. The descent down Sunrise highway was fantastic with one exception. For some reason gnats were swarming around the road and as I went through them, at speeds up to 45 MPH, they felt like road gravel bouncing off me and they made a “tink” sound as they hit my glasses. At one point I had to hold my hand in front of my face to keep from getting them up my nose or in my mouth as I breathed.

The second loop climbed up Mount Laguna via Kitchen Creek, which has to be one of the best cycling roads/climbs is San Diego County. It starts out on open roads with some undulating climbs that are steep enough to get your attention. I stopped at the base of one of these to remove my toe warmers, leg warmers and jacket. The climbing became more steady as we worked our way back in to a beautiful canyon. Eventually you end up at a gate that is suppose to keep motor vehicle traffic off the remaining section (a little more about this later). Here there was a check point and a great time to strip off some clothes- temps had risen a good deal by this point and were around the mid to upper 70′s. I re-packeged the clothes I had already taken off into more comfortable positions which included rolling my jacket up to tie it around my waist and then tying my leg warmers to my seat post. Unfortunately I had not stuffed my toe warmers deep enough into my jersey pockets and they fell out somewhere along the way.I spent about 5 minutes at the checkpoint and then continued on.

As I was enjoying the quite whispers of the wind as I steadily climbed the wonderful ribbon of pavement up Kitchen Creek a group of motorcyclists came along and disturbed my peace. Motorcycles always annoy me when I am on the bike- I think its their sound. Anyway, as you get closer to the top you work your way into the pines and the scenery was a great distraction from the lactic acid that was building in my legs. I still felt pretty good though going through this section but did have to stop once to use my inhaler – if you don’t know I am an asthma sufferer. I briefly chatted with a few people on the way up, but most were not in the mood for a chat so I peddled on.

When I reached Sunrise highway and turned left to head up to the checkpoint I started cramping a bit. I thought oh-no not a repeat of what happened to me at Death Valley Double (where I fought off cramps for about 75 miles – a bad day). I soft peddled for a bit and the cramp subsided but I began to worry about the third loop. This was my low point for the day but I got through it.

After my second visit to the top of Laguna I found myself racing down Sunrise Highway with another rider. We took turns taking the front to cut through those not so yummy gnats. I made it to the beginning of the third loop (don’t recall the checkpoint name but its the start/finish line) at 12:00. At this point I had ridden approximately 75 miles with 7,000ish feet of climbing. I felt great at the checkpoint and decided I had to finish this event even if it meant I would walk the steep climbs ahead – over 20% grades- gulp.

As I began the loop (Pine Creek) the road wound its way through a sparse residential area and was nice cycling…ah famous last words. The road quickly degraded, to at times gravel, and the climbing started off innocently enough… short steep pitches. After a few miles of those I came around a sharp bend and there it was… hell!

A long time ago I was lucky enough to stand at the foot of Hoover dam, looking up this climb brought that memory back. I took a deep breath and started at the task at hand… get up the beast. After about a quarter mile I began to realize I did not have the best gearing for this and had a tough time keeping any kind of cadence. My legs were screaming and then my horrible little friend Mr. cramp came back to visit my legs. The average grade was 20% and I felt it. As I slogged along stopping occasionally to catch my breath another rider passed me as I stood… a few pedal strokes later he fell over because he was going to slow to keep his balance. I quickly realized that I could walk this maybe 1MPH slower than my riding speed and use half the energy to do it. The fallen rider decided to walk as well and so I had someone to talk with as we walked up the wall. He pointed out where the road leveled off ahead and then to the cut into the side of the mountain that looked like it went straight up (climb number 2). We took a brief respite at the top of the first climb and then both rode as far as we could on the second and finally resorted to walking again.

At the top of the second climb there was a very well placed water stop. They had a few chairs out and all the riders that passed me while I was walking were there collapsed into the chairs and one on the ground. I drank what I had left in my bottle, filled it, drank 1/4 of it and filled it again. Hopped on my bike at left them behind. The climbing was not over yet, but, it was easier and there were some steep short descents with sand in the corners at the bottom. With a well chosen line I was able to keep my speed to help me back up the climbs that seem to await after each downhill part. Finally I turned left onto Sunrise highway and left hell, uh- I mean Pine Creek, behind me. This was a five mile section of road that was part of the first loop and amazingly the climbs got steeper from the time I did them on the first loop to the time I returned to them on the third loop.

I passed a few people along the way up to the final trip into the Laguna checkpoint, which made me feel like I made the right decision to walk the steepest parts of the Pine Creek climbs. I spent very little time in the checkpoint and pushed hard to make it down Laguna to the finish. The gnats were not as bad this time around thankfully. I was going 40 to 45 MPH on the way down and passed two additional riders… unfortunately in my tired state of mind I missed my last turn. After crossing the freeway my brain kicked in and said, “Hey Bill, this isn’t right!” I turned around and yes as luck would have it, climbed back up to where the turn was. I finished in 8 hours 24 minutes.

Next up on the calendar is ether Central Coast Double or Heartbreak Double (both very difficult double centuries with over 15,000 feet of climbing. Then Hoodoo training camp, Grand Tour and the Fireweed400.

9/26 San Marcos Elfin Forrest Loop

Rode the 20 mile loop today and felt okay. Been having sinus issues and it seems to be slowing me down.
Dist: 20.33
Time:1:14:38
Ave Speed: 16.35
Ave Cadence: 84

Will be ridding 30 or more miles tomorrow depending on how I feel.

Hoodoo 500 – An amazing race!

This past weekend Kathryn and I volunteered to officiate the Hoodoo500 for Planet Ultra and was very impressed with their organization. The race owners, Deb and Brian, go out of their way to ensure that the racers have a good experience that includes a great start/finish line, great prizes, and a fantastic end of race banquet.

The Hoodoo 500 course is an amazing 520 mile route that takes place on scenic and relatively quiet roads. There is a lot of climbing, over 30,000 feet, with some steep grades that definately took their toll on the racers. The worst climb, in my opinion (the official in the car), was the climb up to Cedar Breaks. This climb would be tough on its own, but add in the fact that racers reach it around mile 400 and you have one hell of a challenge. I watched four racers tackle this climb and was impressed by all of their determination to not let it beat them.

Kathryn sent out this great write up of what we did through the weekend:
On Friday we helped do the bike and vehicle inspections – a fun way to get introduced to all of the riders and crew. We had them come to us so there was a line – but never more than one team waiting. It was very hot, so we used the shade in the covered area at the front of the hotel. There were 2 popup tents with tables underneath them and we had Hoodoo shirts on – so we looked official. That was from 2-5. About 5:30 we went to dinner across the street with Deb, Brian and 2 of the 3 other volunteers (Jann and Yvonne). At 7 there was the pre-race meeting – Planet Ultra prides themselves in short pre-race meetings. It was just a review of the most important rules and then introductions and pictures of all the riders. Then we helped packed up – divided all the gear into the right car so things ended up in the right place on the course – and then put ‘Race Official’ signs on our van.

On Saturday there were 4 starts: 5am for voyagers, 7am for solos, 9am for 2 man teams and 11am for 4 man teams. Deb told us not to worry about the voyager start but to be at the 7am start. Bill rode out with them – leading them on the unsupported turns through St George. I got to hold the stop sign to block traffic as they turned out of the hotel parking lot. Then I went on an 8 mile run – out a bike path through a beautiful canyon. I was back about 8:30 and watched the 9am start. Bill rode out with this group too. For the 11am start, we drove the van as the lead out vehicle. We then followed the teams through the first 50 miles and Bill took pictures.

Then off to find the next riders. About mile 67 we found a rider going the wrong way. Turned out it was one of the voyagers (Roberto Alvarado, the Puerto Rican with little English) who had already had enough. (He had attempted the race last year and was back for a second attempt. Bill was able to talk with him a bit – he had gotten a bunch of flats and was done – riding back to the start.) At the first time station, Kanab, we found the tandem voyager team had DNF-ed too – with a broken bottom bracket. What a bummer to have to stop because of your bike! We got lunch at a café and the fast 4 man team (Road Rage) passed through the time station while we were in town.

After leaving Kanab, we saw a bike propped against a pole along the road – in the middle of nowhere – and a rider laying in the bushes next to it. We thought it was a voyager because there was no one with him so we did a u-turn, found a good place to park and started walking up to him. At about the same time the rider’s crew appeared, did a u-turn behind our van and the rider (Adam Kingsford) got on his bike and started riding. When we caught him in the van, we talked to him briefly – he was tired, but decided to keep moving. He had been riding a little more than 8 hours, had gotten 93 miles and was already tired enough to lay in the bushes. He quit the race shortly after.

About 10 miles later we found 3 riders within sight of each other – 2 2-man teams and a solo. Bill got some good pictures of them together and individually. About 5 miles up the road we found another 2-man team climbing in light rain. Then we found 4 more solo riders in the next 20 miles – including Joan Grant – the only solo woman (one of only 2 women left in the race). We caught up to the 4th 2-man team in Bryce Canyon, mile 145 – and got some good hoodoo pictures.

When we passed time station 2 (unmanned at mile 154) we learned that the fastest voyager (Sean Nealy) was already through time station 3 in Escalante, 50 miles ahead of us. We had the voyager drop bags that were to be at time station 4 and we were supposed to pick up Yvonne at time station 3 and take her to Loa to run time station 4. So we picked up our pace, didn’t stop for more pictures and sped to Escalante. When we got there, Brian wasn’t worried and we even had time to walk down the street for dinner with Tom (the 3rd other volunteer).

After dinner, as we drove up and over Boulder mountain, we started to see cows and deer in the road. Now these are black cows and it’s getting dark – not easy to see! When we caught Nealy, he was about 100 feet from 5 or 6 cows standing on the road. We drove around him to scare the cows off the road. Since we had caught Nealy, we could slow down a little and stopped at the top of the climb for a picture. It was almost dark, but Bill put his camera on a tripod and took a great photo that shows way more than we could see. At this view point, there were also 4 hunters, 2 who had walked in from who knows where, looking down hill, pointing and talking quietly.

Before Loa, we passed through Torrey where our motel for the night was. We checked in on the way by, to get the key before the office closed. Cute office area and restaurant; weird room – stuck door, odd shape, 5 steps up to the bathroom, very worn beds, fly swatter hanging on the wall. Then on to Loa to set up the time station. We checked in to 2 rooms – one for Yvonne to hang out in, where the riders or crew check in; and another for the voyagers to change, shower and/or rest if they want. On our way back to Torrey we passed Nealy going in the other direction – looking very strong and fluid. We beat him, but not by much!

The next morning we get gas (we realized we were almost empty as we pulled into the motel lot) and a snack before driving to Loa. We learn that a solo rider (Blu Robinson) is missing and we need to locate him. When we don’t pass him on the 18 miles to Loa, we figure he must be way back. We stayed in Loa to try and upload the pictures that Bill had taken and Yvonne decided to take a nap – she’d been up all night. Bill was successful with some pictures, but the photo website and hotel’s internet connection were difficult and frustrating. We gave up after about 10 pictures and then drove back toward Torrey until our cell phones worked. About 11 we called Deb with the update (still no Robinson) and she said to close the time station and move down the road to Panguitch, time station 5, where Tom was.

We still hadn’t eaten breakfast and Yvonne only had cookies since dinner about 4 the day before. One thing to know about rural southwestern Utah on Sunday – nothing is open! We kept munching on Pringles and Sunchips. About 30 miles outside of Panguitch, we hit rain – pouring rain – huge drops of rain – rain that would hurt when it hits. Five miles later we found the last rider on the course, Matt Longson, riding through it. Just when you think you’ll be out of it, it starts again, heavier. We stopped for Bill to get a few pictures. We found four more riders before we got to the time station. They were out of the rain, but in terrible headwinds – up to 30 mph gusts.

In Panguitch there was a diner open where we finally ate at 3pm. There were 2 voyagers there who had decided to stop – too much wind and a 5000 ft climb (to almost 11K ft) in the next 30 miles sounded like too much. We told them we would take their bikes if Tom could take them and Yvonne to St George. Tom would get them back faster (after the last rider came through) since we would be driving the rest of the course. So we packed their 2 bikes and more voyager bags into the van so 4 people would fit in Tom’s car.

Then to climb up to Cedar Breaks, the highest point in the race at mile 408. Deb wanted pictures of riders from this area since they hadn’t gotten any in previous years. We found 2 solo riders (Jeramy Bonk and Joan Grant) and one of the last two voyagers on the course (John Fuoco) and got great shots of all 3. Fuoco was going very slowly and weaving a bit, but was very coherent when we talked with him. We knew there were at least 4 crews behind him and he was about 10 miles from the top so we drove on to Cedar City, time station 6.

After getting through Cedar City, we called Deb with an update on our location and asked if there was anything she needed us to do. She wanted us to check on 2 riders (Sean Nealy and David Elsberry) ahead on the course that might be riding together. (They are allowed only 15 minutes of riding time together, after that they need to be more than 10 yards apart.) Nealy ended up sleeping in Loa longer than he wanted to and then stopped when the rain went over and stopped again in Cedar City when he learned that his friend (Elsberry) needed some encouragement to keep going. He was no longer concerned about breaking any records – just wanted to finish and knew he would win if he stayed ahead of the one other voyager left.

When we caught them (around mile 445) they were within sight of each other, but definitely legal. We pulled ahead and stopped for some pictures. When Nealy reached us, he stopped to tell us that we would be taking assistance from Elsberry’s crew – he didn’t have his lights and would need them before the finish. (Voyagers are required to report to the race director if they receive help from anyone within the race – racer, crew or official. They get a time penalty for this since they are supposed to be out there self sufficient and any assistance can be seen as an advantage.) We told him that we have the drop bags from Loa and Panguitch and he could use his own light if it were in one of those bags. He was happy to take his own light and continued riding. We stopped up the road and talked with Elsberry’s crew – told them Nealy had his own light now and to make sure that the 2 didn’t ride together. We drove ahead to the next available bathroom and then drove back along the course to check on them one last time. There Bill got pictures of Elsberry and a great sunset shot.

Then to the finish, to stop driving and find dinner – hopefully something will still be open! When reading Under the Banner of Heaven, I learned about a wagon train massacre that occurred in a valley just north west of St George – the Mountain Meadows Massacre – and that there was a memorial built on the site. From maps I figured that it was on state route 18, part of the Hoodoo course. After leaving Nealy and Elsberry we started looking for the memorial. I thought there would be one of those ‘Historical Marker 500 Feet’ signs and a small plaque. But there were 3 signs: 1 mile, ½ mile and ¼ mile markers; a parking lot; a trail circling a hill that leads to a good size area with several descriptive signs, a list of all people killed on a stone wall and 2 lookouts: 1 pointing to the campsite another to the massacre site; the campsite is also the burial site and has a light and flag (and a separate driveway to it). I’m glad we found it and that there was enough light to look around quickly.

We got back to St George around 9:00 and were told at the hotel that our best bet for dinner would be Denny’s – across the street behind the hotel. Great – at least it’s not chips and candy and we don’t have to drive to get there! After eating, talking to several people and getting our stuff from the van we headed to the room. Right when we opened the door, Jann called us to let us know that Nealy and Elsberry would be coming in together in about 30 minutes. (We wanted to see at least one finish and asked Jann to let us know when the next one would come in.) Perfect timing – we headed back down and got to see the first voyager and 3rd solo finish together.

The last rider (Jeramy Frick) finished at 6:53 – he had 7 minutes to spare! His crew had called in about 4am and he should have finished within an hour from that. But he was going so slowly and was so confused, he thought he was lost. About 6:20, one of the voyagers who DNF-ed who was hanging around waiting for Frick to finish decided to go out and find him. He was on the course, just really slow and out of it. But he made it and finished officially.

Overall, all 8 teams finished (4 2-man and 4 4-man), 7 of 14 solo riders finished (one didn’t start), and 2 of 10 voyagers finished. The one solo woman did finish and by doing so set the course record. She is the first woman to finish as a solo. Janet is the only other woman to have completed the course, but she did it as a voyager.

On Monday at 9am there was a nice breakfast for everyone. There were prizes for all the top finishers – even one for the best dressed crew (they had a full gorilla suit!). There was also a raffle and someone from most groups got something (tires, drink mixes, bars, bags, lube, water bottles, socks…). I even won a small saddle bag!

Then we helped pack everything up: the banners, the start/finish truss and banners, flags, tables, the 2 tents where we did inspections. It was good we were able to stay because Brian has a broken wrist and Tom and Yvonne had already left. Then they took us to a tasty lunch and we drove out of St George by 3pm. We drove as far as Primm, NV (border of CA and NV) where we figured we could get a cheap room to sleep more before driving home – and to avoid driving at night which would put us to sleep faster.

The scenery was beautiful and so varied! I’m not sure I want to race it – but Planet Ultra has a Tour of Southern Utah which does a very similar route, but in 7 days. I think I can do that.

You can find Bill’s pictures here, here and here.