The Racers and Chasers events have been going on for a few years now, but they always seem to overlap other events (or preperation for other events) in our area. So when the planets finally aligned and gave us a free weekend for the January 28 race, we jumped in. Originally, the plan was to race the xc event.

To quote the great Monte Python, “And now for something completely differet”.

Michelle decided she wanted to try the marathon. She’s had a solo 6 hour on her mind, and will probably try that this summer. This marathon had a more grassroots approach; start as many laps as you can in the 3.5 hours time limit.

My training plan called for 3.5 hours and a steady pace, so we devised a plan to make this work. I’d ride with her for the company and also be her pack mule domestique. When she needed to shed layers or get food, I’d have it ready.

Thanks to the 7 am start, we were able to park close to the course before any of the xc riders arrived to the venue. The Element served once again as a fine pit stop. The cooler was stocked with pre-mixed Perpetuem on ice, gels, and a pile of tools ready for anything. I’d simply exit the course and ride a short distance to the car, gab bottles or gels, and then ride back and re-enter the course (at the same place I exited) and chase Michelle back with the fresh bottles and supplies.

Our strategy changed once the ride got going. Race adrenaline is always pumping and we marked another woman rider from the Albion Brewery team who was setting a strong pace. We kept an eye on her, and never let her out of sight until around 1 lap in, and then it was time to re-focus and make sure we were riding Michelle’s pace.

The course actually quite challenging, and brought riders through a variety of conditions: rocky ridgeline where bike handeling got a bit sketchy at times (we both had a slow-speed wash out a couple times), meadowy rolling terrain, great flowing single track through an area called Martha’s something-er-other.

Through it all, the bikes, as usual, we perfect. I know, 29ers are all the rage, and I even have a lovely carbon Tallboy, but you’ll have to pry me off my carbon Blur xc. Same for Michelle. The bikes were so solid and light. (Note – Michelle’s new XX drivetrain brought her carbon Blur down to 22 lb flat). They were a great to ride, for sure.

But, more importantly, was Michelle’s new found endurance. She kicked it into diesel mode and kept the pace going forward. Legs got heavy, backs began to ache, but she never stopped.

After 3 laps we felt like a 4th lap would be no problem. We had plenty of water on board, so we rolled through and stated lap 4. We had only been passed by a few of the marathon pros, and were feeling pretty good.

Half way through the 4th lap, we started to do some math. It was clear that on our current pace, we’d come in with enough time to start a 5th lap. “What if the other girls stopped at 4 – then I need to do 1 more”. I had a very proud husband moment at that point in the race, and we pushed on without pitting before our 5th and final lap!

Turns out, the woman rider that had gotten away from us during the first lap had a major mechanical on her 4th lap and had to run her bike in to the finish. Our 5th lap sealed the deal and locked Michelle in to her first marathon win. Could there be more? Only the 2012 season will tell.

Thanks to Rashers and Chasers for putting on a great winter series. We’ll have to do a few more of these.

The 2012 season is officially off and running. Seems like just a week ago we were acknowledging the end of the ’11 season. But, one end is another beginning, so here we go.

The first race is always the first 12 Hours of Temecula. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: this endurance series is the real deal. The people at SoCal Endurance put on a great race and this one like all the others before it was no exception.

Leading up to the event, we had some pretty bleak looking weather forecast. 80% chance of rain all say, high winds, cold temps. The memory of our last wet 12 hour race was all fresh in our minds, and no one was really keen on a day and night in the rain.

We set up base camp a day early in an attempt to reduce the stress of a frantic morning trying to get both bikes and shelter set up. By 7 pm, everything was set and we were enjoying filet mignon, rice and a bit of red wine in the warm rented RV. Troupe is racing in style….

We awoke on Saturday to rain. No surprise there. Not really rain, but heavy thick falling mist that wasn’t quite rain but still was enough to warrant the use of rain gear. What we didn’t know was that the rain was soaking into the trail and setting up for one of the fastest courses to date.

Our line up looked like this:

4 women team : Michelle, Laura, Monica and Mary
4 man team : Mykyta, Joses, Tom and Pavel
3 man #1 : Charlie, Nat and Tim
3 man #2 : Jeff, JP and guest rider Craig
solo 6 hour : Mike, Ben and Damon

The race got up and rolling right on schedule, just as it always does. From that point on, we ran the rotations like clock work. While are times were not the fastest out there of all the racers, we were putting in some good times for being so early in the year, and they were fast enough to put us in some good spots right away.

The two 3 man teams had a good battle going on and were riding hard to fend off the team in 4th. The 4 man had a very close race which came down to just about 2 minutes in the end – a very close race over the course of 12 hours.

Our women did what they do bast and kept consistent laps going against a very tough team.

The solos put their heads down and pushed for 6 hours, with Mike coming through with a 5th place finish in the 40+ masters class.

The following day, Ben raced in the first Super D stage race – a 3 race series featuring some of Vail Lakes best downhill trails. Riders start in packs of 5 or so, and once finish ride to the following stage. It was a new and exciting format to watch with riders throwin’ elbows while passing on the little climbs. Ben strapped on some elbow pads and won the sport men class.

After Saturday’s race, we gathered (17 people) in the RV for our pre-awards party, including some much needed lasagna, and of course a bit of beer (of course). It was a fine end to a fine day of pushing the limits and we all got to share our best moments from the day’s laps.

final results
4 women team – 2nd
3 man team 1 – 2nd
3 man team 2 – 3rd
4 man team – 3rd
6 hour solo – mike 5th
super d stage race – ben 1st

The 2011 race season has finally come to an end. It was the 4th year for the Troupe, and it’s been a long and challenging one – one with unexpected twists that we never saw coming. It kept us guessing and ultimately coming back for more. Races started in January, and lasted through November. That’s long season.

Laura and Tim closed out the xc season with the final race of the SoCal Triple Crown series in Fontana. Usually, this is a good course with a fair bit of technical stuff thrown in. For this final race, a new section was added to the front half making one of the best xc course of the year. Lots more technical climbing, a bit more technical descending – a real mountain bike course. Laura finished 2nd, and Tim made it up on the podium for 3rd. Laura also took home 2nd for the series overall, while Tim just missed the podium with his 4th overall. We hope this course comes back next year – it was by far the best course Fontana has put together and maybe one of the best course of the xc season.

Of course cross season is going on, and Michelle and Mykyta raced the SoCal Prestige series Turkey Trot in Glendale. This was a technical course by cross standards, with lots of roots and tight, off camber turns. Michelle finished 4th, while Mykyta fought hard in the single speed class and finished somewhere in the top 10.

The following week, a group of Troupers hit the UCI CXLA in Los Angeles. Laura took 2nd, Michelle 9th, and Mykyta and Jeff both took 6th in the two single speed classes.

Whew. Thats a lot of racing in 3 weeks.

And with that, we’re done! We’ve had injury, illness and all sorts of random setbacks. We could think about how its all about the struggle to get to the race, the sacrifices made and all that. But set backs and broken collar bones aren’t fun. As always, our focus on goals and our passion for riding that keeps us sane and going forward.

So what’s on tap for 2012?

We’re lucky enough to have what we feel are the greatest partners out there. Santa Cruz bikes, X Fusion, crankbrothers, Formula, Ergon and fi’zi:k will all be back in our line up. Knog will be supporting us again with all sorts of lights. The essential pit accessory – the Sqivvy changing tent, will be with us in 2012, along with Kinetic Trainers. Lazer is creating the best helmets and they will again be part of our kit, along with Hincapie Sportswear. For cooler weather training, we’ll again be using Soigneur Embrocation. And finally, the whole team will be fueled by Hammer Nutrition.

There’s that old saying if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it. Thats sort of where we’re at with our sponsors. We’ve got what we feel is the best support, and there’s no reason to change it.

Its early to know for sure, but the event calendar will have some new races too. A number of us are looking at getting out to races outside of SoCal. Already, some of us are registered for the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo. We’ll hit the Mellow Jonny’s Classic and the Whiskey 50, and have plans to go to Nationals before they move over to the east side of the US for a couple years. No doubt that 2012 is going to be a busy season.

So to our sponsors and those of you following our news updates, thanks on behalf of Troupe for your support and for making 2011 a great season.

Troupe out.

The season is finally coming to a close. While some of us race ‘cross into the winter, most of us save that last bit of speed left in the tank for the final race of the SoCal Endurance series, the 12 Hours of Temecula.

We’ve been planning this one for a while. These events are fantastic, and is something that everyone should try at least once. Put them on your cycling bucket list. The organization is top notch, and the crew of SoCal Endurance puts on an excellent series. Electronic timing with constantly updated results, great sponsors and expo area, perfect venue with full camping facilities, and of course, a killer course for each of the 3 races each year. It’s always a favorite event of ours, and something that the whole team comes out for.

One small detail was starting to cause concern to say the least: the weather. A “Pacific storm system” to be precise, perfectly timed for the Saturday of the race.

inside base camp.

We started to devise a plan to assure some sort of shelter. I pulled out the Mnt. Hardware Basecamp shelter – a 25 person huge dome tent. This would be our primary pit station. Mike and Laura rented and RV, giving us a prime sleeping situation for the 2 nights we would be there.

Friday came and we set up the pit zone. It was an hour long process but it was finally up, staked in and ready for the team to arrive Saturday morning.  By sundown, Jason and his crew were relaxing by the fire and a glass of grape juice. Everything seemed to be on track…

Of course, we woke up Saturday morning to a virtual monsoon. Luckily, the course holds water well and spirits were optimistic that the clouds would pass. But the rain put a damper on that great camp breakfast we usually have as we focused on how to stay dry.

Our line up looked like this:

4 women team
Michelle, Laura, Monica, and our guest rider Mary of Velo605

Jeff, riding solo 12 hr

4 man team
Mykyta, Charlie, Tom and guest rider and long time Troupe friend, Joses

3 man team
Mike, Tim, and guest rider Nat

The race got started at 9:00 AM, just as it should. The first riders came in with reports of the course being a bit wet and muddy. Bikes needed a quick hose-down, but overall, things were looking good.

The middle laps – laps from 2 – 5, where some of the best laps ever put down at Vail. Despite being a little slow from the moisture, any tire was hooking up like it was on velcro. Traction was insane, the downhills were fast and riders were coming in grinning from ear to ear.

And then the rain came around 2:30. It started as a light sprinkle, but slowly came on strong and turned the top of the ridge line single tracks from super fun to super slippery and sketchy. Times slowed down, drivetrains took a beating but the race went on.

But by 4:30, the conditions had really declined, and the weather showed no signs of stopping. There were reports of riders crashing multiple times, of them falling over going up hill, and even a rumor of lightning. The race director had to pull the plug for safety issues. No matter how disappointing, it was the right thing to do. For the next 2 hours, riders came in soaked with mud on bikes that would no longer shift.

At the end of the day, we did work and were able to get some laps in good enough to get some of us on the scoreboard. Our women’s team took 2nd, Jeff took 1st in the solo masters class, and the 3 man team finished 4th. Both men’s teams had over 20 teams entered, too.

jeff takes 1st x 2 (race #3 and the overall series)

laura and michelle of the 4 women team.

tim and mike of the 3 man team.

There are also series awards. It’s a combined lap count (and time) combined from all 3 races. Again or women’s team took 2nd, Jeff won the series, and the 3 man team took 3rd.

Once again, thanks to Jason and his crew at SoCal Endurance. You guys put on a great series and something that we always look forward to. We’re already looking forward to the next 12 hour in January!

report by : tim van gilder

A couple years ago, I heard about a ride/race in our area that was the epics of epics. I heard tales of navigating some great outdoors, of getting lost, and of being completely self sufficient out on the unmarked course. I wanted in.

So when the call when out to enlist for the ride, Tom and I raised our hands. The thought of riding in a new area was too good to pass up. This ride has a strict “do not not show up” policy, lest ye be mocked and banned from future enduros. It was time to commit.

There are two important rules, and those must be observed by all riders. They add to the adventure factor and make for some strategic planning.

1. The ride is self supported
At no time can riders accept outside support, unless its provided by the race’s “non-management”, or obtained from a neutral source like a grocery store.

2. The ride is self guided
There are no course markings. Riders must rely on a detailed cue sheet, or a gps route created before the ride.

To fit with fall training, I opted for the 50 mile loop. It just seemed to fit the plan and not require a ton of training. Yes, this seemed like a good plan.

Saturday morning came, and I had a tough time sleeping the night before. I opted to stay at home, and get up early to make the drive to Idyllwild. The alarm went off at 2:45 am, and I was awake waiting for it to go off. Nice. I was up, dressed, and in the car and on my way by 3:10 am. AM 640 had some sort of story about wizards on Coast to Coast, and it was kind of spooky and fit the mood at the time.

I arrived with plenty of time at the official starting spot. I relaxed in the warmness of my Honda Element and waited for the next to arrive. It was way could out side, somewhere around 30 degrees. I had put some Soigneur embrocation on under my leg warmers, but there was no getting around the nip of ma’ nature and the freezing temps.

Riders began to emerge from the dark, and a short riders meeting was held. Soon after, we began to line up. Like any good sporting event, the National Anthem was sang, and moments later, 50 or so riders were off.

The first few miles were on pavement, and we stayed together. It was obvious from the shaking of hands that everyone had cold fingers. We stayed organized, everyone chatted about the miles to come and we made the right hand turn on the to first climb. Slowly, the group began to spread out.

45 minutes later, the sun came out and the lights turned off. I settled into a good tempo for the climb and felt comfortable. But without any idea of how long the climb would last, I backed off the throttle. We came to a fork in the road, most of the riders were behind me, and I was over heating. I pulled over to take off a jacket and take a look at the cue sheet.

It was about this point that I realized that I was overpacked. The idea of the ride being self supported begs the question, “What if I get lost?” I had with me enough food to last all day – maybe even into the next day if needed, 3 liters of water, spare clothing, and enough tools to rebuild my bike. Everything fit easily into the Ergon BX2 pack, but it was heavy. Probably around 20lbs at least.

The first descent was all fire road. I admit, hight speed fire road is not my thing – I always feel like I’m drifting wide and off the road. Add some ruts and/or loose sand and its my biggest challenge. And since it was an unknown road, I was very hesitant to let it fly. There were lots of ruts, deep sand and blind corners. I played it conservative and rolled down to the halfway point.

10 minutes later, Tom rolled up. He and his riding buddy Troy had gotten separated and while I was rolling out to continue, Tom held back for Troy.

I set a nice pace up the paved portion of this climb to the trailhead of the single. It was at this point that I caught up with a SJE veteran who was fighting some stomach issues. Note that he was also doing this ride on a fixie. Not a single speed, but a fixed geared cross bike. He informed me that we had about 1 hour of this climb yet remaining. Great.

The scenery was spectacular, but my back was getting tight, and I needed to get my mind off it. I took a couple pics while riding. Before long, I came out off the fire road, and began the next section, the road climb to the top of Idyllwild. Eventually, this brought me to the turn off where we finally entered the single track. Surprise, it was more climbing for a while.

Somewhere around this point, I happened upon a card table set up on the side of the road with a sign that read “San Jacinto Enduro Riders”. On the table was water, oranges, and a bowl of chocolate brownies. I topped off my bottle, just in case, and partook of a brownie, and rode off without spending any time there. I don’t usually eat strange brownies left unattended on a random table in the middle of nowhere, but this seemed right.

The course now brought us along the mountain and down into Hurkey Creek. I met up with another rider who thankfully knew his way around the park. I was completely turned around by this point, and had no idea what trail was what. They all have names, but of course, they arent really marked. And “turn at the oak tree” can be confusing in a park full of trees.

Still, we rolled on, and enjoyed the last few miles of single track. Before the finish, I found myself on the 24 hours of Adrenaline course – a trail that I know all too well. I could stop thinking about directions and ride to the finish, where I signed in at about 5 hours, 20 minutes.

Another rider who had finished before me handed me a Fat Tire Ale, and I stretched out in the back of the Element on some Thermarest matts. I might have even closed my eyes…. Tom and Troy came by and we talked about that one steep section and that one turn that had the rocks and other points of interest on the trails.

All in all, a good day on the bike. It was more climbing then expected, but still fun. At the end, I was happy to have checked this ride off the list, but by the next day, I found myself thinking about how to take off some time at next year’s ride.

We will see…

report by : mykyta

It’s only mid October and we are yet to receive our first major winter storm, but Cyclocross racing is already in full swing here in SoCal. Last weekend we were treated to two days of top notch cross racing by Dorothy Wong and her Southern California Prestige Series – the biggest cross series in SoCal with races ranging from mid September to mid January and from San Diego to as far North as San Louis Obispo. The series includes two big UCI weekends: Live at Greek weekend in LA in early December and the last weekend’s Spooky Cross in our backyards – in Irvine.

It was the last year for Spooky Cross at it’s traditional venue at Camp James’ Hidden Valley as the land falls victim to Orange County’s unstoppable plague of suburban housing development. So organizers pulled all stops and worked super hard to make the race weekend the best ever. Several days went into preparing the course – a little longer that usual, probably due to the race’s UCI status, with many challenging turns and off-camber corners, long power sections, huge sand pit and the biggest attraction – the flyover.

Saturday race was a traditional Spooky Cross night race, this time part of the Cross After Dark series and a UCI C2 event. Increased profile of the event brought many US and international super stars including Trebon, Wells, Berden, Mani, Butler and many others, but most importantly all non-UCI categories had record turnout and many categories sold out for the first time ever.

Many Troupers came out to race in the earlier Saturday races – still at daytime. Jeff and Tim mixed it up in masters B field, Michelle and Laura in Women’s B. Jeff felt that one race was not enough and decided to toe the line again with me in a Single Speed A that started when the sun started going down. Start of the race was very fast, but didn’t go very well for me and I ended up playing the catch-up, trying to move up as much as possible. That didn’t work out very well either and I ended up trading spots with several guys somewhere mid to end of the field. Several mistakes in the tricky off-camber sections cost me some spots and energy. But great course and enthusiastic spectators kept racing exciting and fun. Atmosphere was unbelievable – racing at dusk, with lights on, on a challenging and super fun course and the crowds, some of the largest crowds SoCal bicycle racing has ever seen, all combined into one quite unforgettable experience.

After the single speed race was over, it was turn for UCI Elite racers to hit the course. Spectators were treated to some of the most exciting cross racing. In the women’s field French National champion Caroline Mani took early lead and held on to it till the end with Sue Butler hot on her heels. Man’s race featured fierce battle between Ryan Trebon, Ben Berden and Todd Wells. Fast and furious night time cross racing became a cherry on top off the amazing and fun day at the Spooky Cross.

On Sunday the fatigue from previous day racing was very noticeable, but when SS race started legs responded and I felt much better than the night before. Course was the same and I made fewer mistakes in now very familiar turns. Daylight provided different perspective of the course and lap times were a little faster. In the end I finished just outside of the top 10 (11th).

Next up for us is the next installment of the Triple Crown Series in Bonelli park and double cyclocross weekend in San Diego with Sunday, October 30th race taking place at Balboa park with planned finish on San Diego velodrome.

report by jeff resnick

After hearing all the buzz, I finally bit the bullet and built a cross bike – a one of the last Santa Cruz Stigmata with 42×19 single speed gearing and tubeless tire setup. While I’ve taken it out for a few rides and did cross race a few weeks ago, it has not seen much use. This problem was solved last weekend at the infamous Spooky Cross in Irvine, California.

Spooky Cross is a two-day event with nearly 1,000 participates. The race is UCI and USA cycling sanctioned event so it attracts some top notch pros who race under the lights on Saturday night and on Sunday afternoon. Its also part of our SoCal Prestige series, and has races for kids, costumes (what cross race doesn’t), food trucks, music and booths from bike companies and teams.

Each cross race has a different and unique course. This one was a mixture of tight, twisty turns over grass, dirt and fire roads, barriers, stairs, short and steep ups/downs, off-camber turns/descents, a 150 foot long sand pit and the “fly-over”! The fly over was a Spooky first and consisted of a large ramp built over the course. Words don’t do it justice so this report includes photos of the fly-over.

laura goes up and over the fly-over.

Troupe had a strong presence with Michelle, Laura, Tim, Mykyta and myself racing both on Saturday and Sunday. Several Troupers have been participating in the SoCal Prestige cross series but this one had our largest attendance to date. All the races had large fields of solid riders so competition was tough. I’d been racing the Triple Crown mountain bike series the last 2 weekends and doing my usual coffee crew road rides during this week. I was not as rested as I could have been for this race, but hey, its only 40 minutes! Well, I underestimated the difficult of an highly competitive cross race that involves strong surges, jumping, running and sand pits. Next time I will not make this over-training mistake and will be better rested.

My races were sold out and it was a challenge to find go positioning right from the start. There was plenty of bumping going into the beginning turns. On my first race of the weekend, the off-camber turn/descent turned into a crash site, which I found myself in the middle of. In my last race on Sunday, I was drafting a guy into the last turn and he went down right in front of me. Luckily, I was able to avert a fall and make it through the finish without losing position. All in all I had fair results given the circumstances.

While we all raced well, our top finisher was Laura who made it onto the podium in the master women’s field, which is always a tough class.

Thanks to the race organizers for a well run event. Also, thanks to Crank Brothers for the providing a spacious lounge/pit area that, although set up for visiting pros, they allowed Troupe to use during the event. Looking forward to more cross races this season.

our sqivvy tents and kinetic trainers were loaned out to riders from out of town to warm up on.

Despite popular belief, it can get pretty cold here in California in the fall and spring. We have plenty of 90 and 100 degree days in the summer, but the fall, winter and spring months bring early darkness and cold temps. Due to daylight savings, it gets dark around 4:30 pm and the lights, layers, and cold weather gear come out. Two years ago, we added Soigneur Embrocation to our equipment to help manage the temperature swings.

“Embro” is a warming cream that athletes put on their legs or muscles to help loosen them up. Its very popular among cyclocross racers. Put on thick enough, it helps shield skin from cold wind and water. Applied 15 minutes or so before a ride, and it warms and loosen the legs and gets them ready for action. It can help keep the shock of crisp morning air to a minimum, too.

It’s creator is a cyclist from Michigan, Dan Socie. As a designer, he knows good product design and branding. As an athlete, he knows how Soigneur needs to work. And as a Michigander, he knows the cold. In fact, Soigneur is a major sponsor of one of the biggest fall cold weather race in the U.S., the Iceman Cometh Challenge in Traverse City, MI.

Dan describes the meaning behind the name best:

In the sport of professional cycling, a soigneur (“swan-yer”) is a very important part of a successful team. Not only do they pack bags, prepare food, schedule flights, drive vans, hand up food, and calm nerves, they also rub legs. The Soigneur is the last person to touch a rider before the race, and the first person to hand them a drink after the race.

Unless you’re a professional, you are your own soigneur. We’re here to help. At Soigneur we create products that enhance your athletic experience, motivate you to start your workout, enjoy the ride, and recover from a workout.

So, how hot is is? It’s warm, for sure, and it takes a few times to get a good feel for how much each individual needs. A little goes a long way, so the first few times its best to apply sparingly.

Its also a good idea to thoroughly wash your hands after application, to avoid rubbing eyes. It also is most definitely not a chamois cream. Avoid using it as such at all costs.

We’ve found it to not only be a critical tool for training and racing (awesome for early spring 12 and 24 hour endurance events), but also for aching backs, stiff necks and sore shoulders. It’s also really nice for recovery. It’s deep heating effect helps to increase circulation. Even after riding, Soigneur has a nice “after heat” that helps relax muscles and avoid soreness. Some of us even use it on days when we don’t ride.

We’re proud to be one of the few teams that Soigneur works with, and certainly the only team on the West Coast.

For more on Soigneur and to order your own, check them out at www.soigneur.net

Sometimes, we race just because. There’s a race in our area, or on our favorite trails, and it just seems right to be there even if we haven’t prepared. Such was the case with this year’s state xc champs.

True, our xc series is long over. And yet for some reason, the state championships were held months after. Personally, I sort of like the timing of the race. It seems fitting to have a state championships held at the end of the summer. Give all riders time to plan and prepare, and come to one last race with their best form and put their best performance on the line. It seems like that would be a great idea.

This year we decided to head out to Vail Lake and to the Fat Tire 50 which would be a good weekend to look forward since it was a few weeks after Interbike. We love going out there for the weekend to race and camp. So when we found that the xc champs were that same weekend – at the same venue, we were excited. But we also knew that after the marathon, we’d be in no form to compete in an important xc event. But we did it anyway. We were there, there was a race in our area (running right past out campsite) and it just felt right to be there even though we hadn’t really prepared.

But after a long day at the marathon, Tim was the only rider who felt up for it. And even then, he didn’t feel great.

He describes the race in his own words…

I woke up not feeling too bad, just a bit tired. After a killer pancake camp breakfast (potatoes, turkey apple sausage, and pancakes), I got my bike ready and headed out for a long warm up. I was a little sore and getting in an extra hour or so of easy pedaling helped loosen up. It was hot already – I drank a full bottle of water in about 30 minutes. So, yeah, I was pretty dehydrated.

The race got started and the course layout was in my favor. There wasn’t an easy way to separate the field, and about 10 minutes in, the first real climb happened and brought the group together. I was feeling really good at that point, and just riding easy. Then, near the top of the climb, I accidentally switched into my big ring – a mistake i haven’t made in years. This put me in a complete stop, and I watched the field pretty much ride away. I had to hike up to the top and then try to catch up. I was able to get back in contact with a few riders, but knew that this race was going to be all about minimizing the damages. This became a ride more about pacing with others, following others lines, maybe work on some passing.

It actually ended up being a lot of fun. I slowed down and felt pretty good. My downhill felt much better then the previous day at the marathon.

We came through the start finish and I got a fresh “cold” bottle from Michelle. I think I said something about my back hurting, which it was. But aside from that, I was having a pretty good time, and the bike (if you must know: Santa Cruz carbon Blur xc with X-Fusion fork and shock, crankbrothers wheels, Formula R1 brakes, and 3×9 XO drivetrain) was riding so good. It really is a flawless machine.

On the 2nd lap, I didn’t make that same shifting mistake and easily spun up all the climbs. But I was running out of steam.

For about the last lap, I was pacing with a Sho-Air rider, Richard LaChina who was putting up a good fight. He was fighting some leg cramps but had a good pace going, and it was way more fun to ride with another rider then be in no-man’s land.

heading out for the 2nd lap. sho-air rider gets a bottle dumped on his head

We came off the dirt trails of the course onto the pavement, both in our big rings and on to downhill street of the campground. We were going as fast as we could, and with just 1 more tight turn to go, he slid out a bit, and unclipped to save from going off course. I jumped, and put 30 seconds or so on him at the finish. Probably not the most honorable, gentleman way to race… but I’m sure any rider would have done the same had I slid out – its what racing is about. It was all good fun, and we congratulated each other afterwords on a race well done in some pretty harsh heat.

In the end, I ended up 8th. We had a small field of riders, and a large number of DNF’s due to the heat.

That race wrapped up a great weekend out at Vail Lake. We’ll be back in November for the final race of the 2011 12 hour series, and we’ll be ready!

Racing in October in Temecula can be a gamble. It can be cooler fall temps with over cast mornings, or it can be blazing all out heat and searing sunshine. We had the later at this year’s Fat Tire 50 / West Coast Marathon Champs, put on by Jason and Heather Ranoa of SoCal Endurance.

This race is just in it’s 3rd year, and its already gaining some traction. A little over 200 riders took to the start in what ending up being a grueling epic.

The trails at Vail Lake resort are easy to under-estimate. We race there with just enough time in-between events to forget how demanding the courses can be. If it’s not the long sustained climbs, its the steep quick little shoots that bring riders off of the ridge. Or its the ridge line descents themselves – fast and technical, with some ruts and rocks to keep you on your toes. Or its the fact that even when the trail looks flat, you’re actually climbing just a bit. Maybe its the variation of trail conditions riders have to manage: hard pack, exposited rock surfaces, crumbly dusty corners, and the every popular loose sand spots. The point is, Vail Lake has something to challenge everyone, and Jason and his team knows how to link ‘em all up for a killer course.

The Fat Tire 50 consisted of a massive figure 8 course 24 miles in length. The front half was a classic “12 hour” course that connects all the favorite sections that riders of the area have come to love. Yes, we even love the dreaded “Damn Climb” – a killer climb that goes on and on, right out of the gate.

The back half of the course is one that we only ride for this event. Its got some crazy steep and loose kickers that force most riders off their bikes and sends them pushing their bikes in an anaerobic death march for a few minutes. Once through that section, the course calms down and drops riders down along Vail Lake, and into some tree cover for some good shady single track. The final gradual climb is a paved climb up from the lake and over a service road. Its just long enough to give leg cramps one more time to flair up, and then its down to the finish.

Riders can go solo, or the can race as a 2 person team. Because the State XC Champs were being held the next day, we decided to enter two 2 person teams. Michelle and I as Troupe, and Monica and Dan as Tail’s End Cycling Center.

At the start (9 am), the temps of the day were already climbing. Michelle and Monica both started. In the first few miles, the girls began to have some difficulty with the heat, but soldiered on. Over time, each found a pace and they worked together to keep moving. At their 12 mile mark, they rolled through the support zone and took on fresh bottles of HEED and headed out for more. They both looked good and were anxious to not let time pass at the feed zone.

They made it back and completed their lap without issue, though they admit to having some moments of irrational thought from the heat. In these kinds of events, sometimes its all about survival and finishing, and they stuck together and got it done.

And then it was my turn. I tagged off from Michelle and headed out on course. Within minutes, I felt like my legs were rubber and like a hair dryer was blowing at my face. Water didn’t make my mouth wet – it seemed to evaporate immediately. I struggled for the first 30 minutes to find my pace and rhythm. I tried to keep my pace high, and passed a number of riders going up the Damn Climb, but my handing felt off, and I was making little mistakes and going too wide through turns, or messing up my speed on small roller climbs only to almost come to a stop at the top of them. Luckily, I was able to acclimate a bit, take in some water a little more quickly then normal and settle in to a pace. It wasn’t lightning fast, but it was a something I thought I could hold for the next couple hours. But it seemed to hurt more then it should.

By now, the temperature was above 100.

The back half of the course kicked hot sand at me when I was down. My back was aching, and it was getting crazy hot. The water in my pack wasn’t just warm, it was hot. And the HEED in my bottle was like some sort of herbal tea. Aid stations had water that was slightly less hot then what I was already carrying, so I opted to press on and not stop.

I had just 1 big hit of Hammer Gel, and the fluids from my bottle and pack. I had popped a few Endurolytes before the race, and that kept the cramps at bay. Still, at mile 20, I was starting to get a bit hungry.

The last few miles are a paved climb. I locked out my suspension, switched to my big ring, put my the bite valve from my pack in my mouth and put my head down. “Just keep going”, was all I could think, and I gradually sipped water but most of ran down my chin.

I finished my leg of the relay in just under 2.5 hrs. Like I said, it wasn’t lightning and I knew it. This ride was about danger management and finishing what we started. Michelle and my combined efforts were worth the 5th and final spot on the podium, even.

That night, we camped at Vail Lake and relived moments of the day around our campfire while “rehydrating” and thinking about the next day’s XC race.

Yep, thats what its all about.