willy in pacifi
04-14-2008, 02:52 PM
This past weekend was the big face off between the Tortoise and the Hare. Jim being the Hare and me the Tortoise. Jim and I signed up to race the Davis 24 hour time trial. He and I both signed up to get a gauge on how we would do on longer 500+ mile time trials later this year. Plus, I always wanted to see how far I could ride in a day. I have ridden many >24 hour rides but never a race or official time trial.
We checked in on Friday evening in beautiful downtown Winters which will be the start and finish. Jim check in before me so he will get a 10 second head start.
Course
The course consists of a 162 mile day loop which has three major climbs. After the day loop you will return to Winters and ride an 18.4 mile night loop which starts and ends at the Winters community center (CC). Some racers will have SAG support to give them everything they need while out on the day loop and to be at the CC after each of their night loops to get them whet they need. Out on the day loop there were 4 aid stations for those that do not had a SAG crew and you could send out a drop bag if you wanted or take what they were offering. I sent out drop bags to each with a big Gatorade, some Sustained Energy powder and some gels. Since it was going to be a scorcher by having drop bags out on the course I could also get rid of any jacket or leg warmers and they would meet me back in Winters when I returned.
Tortoise Strategy
Jim and I have been riding together for about 2 years. Ever since I talked him into teaming up for a relay on the Furnace Creek 508. Jim is much faster than me and will kick my butt on anything up to 150 miles. But a lot of what I, and now Jim, do is longer than 150 miles. On many of our longer rides I see Jim talking off too fast, waiting for me, then taking off again. Then he grabs my wheel for the final 30 or so miles. This really wears him down and I figure this is going to be how I might beat him. Jim also has a tendency to lolly gag at the controls/aid stations so hopefully I can make up time on him here as well. A week before the race I told him this is how I am going to beat him. “Tortoise and the Hare, Tortoise and the Hare Baby”.
The Race
We each start of at about 6:35 with Jim going 10 seconds before me. I immediately pass him and let him know I am officially ahead of him now by 10 seconds. But he sits about 50 feet behind me and we ride out of town. Jim should have been gone like a shot but no there he is using me to pace himself. I think, “Damn, there goes one of my strategies” but smart on him part. So we are both in our Dolce Vita kits and I figure eventually one of the marshals may make him get away from me since it looks like we may be working together. But officially he is back far enough to not benefit from me and no one says anything. After a while it is kind of comforting knowing Jim is there and it just becomes a long ride but I just don’t have to listen to Jim : )
After about 10 miles we head up hill #1. This actually consists of two hills and I have done it twice in the past few weeks while riding the Davis 200k and 300k. It is not really that bad kind of like riding Whites Grade a couple of times. I think Jim is also following me so he does not have to look at the route sheet since I know where I am going. After the hill it is off to mile 44ish to aid station #1. We hit Pope Valley and it is getting warm. I take off my wind breaker and leg warmers and leave them behind. Fill bottle and off we go to the next aid station around mile 77. It is relatively flat with a couple of long rollers until you hit mile 70 in Middletown. Then it is about 4 miles of flat and 4 miles up a tough ass hill. Two weeks ago it was my first time on this hill and man was it a pisser then. Thanks goodness I know about it or it would have been a real pisser today. I seemed to remember it was lined with trees so it will be nice to get some shade. Well I remembered wrong and although it is lined with trees there was not shade at all and it is steep and HOT. I have to take off my sun glasses as sweat is running into my eyes and stinging. By the time we get to the aid station it must be the 90’s. We refill bottles, gel flasks and continue to head up hill. We are riding through tiny towns of 60 people, 300 people etc. The town signs show that the elevation is higher than the population so that is how you know they are small town. One town has 13 feet for every person, another had 50 feet per person. You have to have something to do while you are out there alone. Well almost alone as Jim is right behind me 50 feet or so.
So now we are headed to aid station #3 some 30 miles away. I get about 2 miles up from the last aid station and realize I left my Gatorade there. I am not going back down to get it so tell Jim if I see a 7-11 I have to stop. Up in the middle of nowhere is a small market with just what I need. One of those Gatorades with the twist top and it fits in my cage. So now it is down down, down, as we start heading on Hwy 57 or 53 to ClearLake. We have 7 miles of nice flat hwy until we have to turn right on Hwy 20. Then, according to the route sheet, it is UP. And it is 14 miles on this Hwy until the next aid station. So I resign myself to suffer in the heat for 14 miles of climbing. Not steep climbing but a long gradual climb. But the first few miles are flat so with each mile that is not UP that is one less mile of UP. Then I see the up hill and decide it starts here. But after a mile or so I see the “Truck on Cheese” sign that says “Next 3 miles” THAT IS 3 MILES OF DOWNHILL. This is a very fast section and we are flying getting over 40 MPH. Then more uphill but again only a couple miles or so before…….could it be…..another Truck on Cheese and we only have a few miles to go. So although it is blazing out I am stoked that I am again hitting 40 MPH. At this rate I can get in over 600 miles today I calculate in my head : ) I am very excited to see aid station #3, at mile 108, and I load up what I need then head down for another 2 miles before the turn toward the finish. We now have about 25 miles to the final day loop aid station and it is slightly down hill or flat with very little rolling action. It is a beautiful section as we are in a canyon with a good shoulder and smooth road. I put my aero bars on my road Vanilla a couple months ago and I am now super comfy in them. It takes about 2 months to get your body used to them and your legs work a bit different. Jim just got a new bike and although he has aero bars I told him not to use them as he would not have enough time to get used to them and it would hurt him more than help him. But I am loving it and just plop myself in for a long 30+ mile ride to the next stop.
Believe it or not Jim decides he now knows the rest of the route and takes off. It was nice having him behind me but it is the right thing for him to do. After just over an hour I pull into the aid station #4 (mile 135ish) and Jim is still here. I load up and eat and orange and we both head out together. (Tortoise and Hare) Jim takes off and is gone and I stick with my pace. He will beat me in but not anywhere with the kind of lead I expected him to have. I have 30 miles to go and after about 15 I feel like throwing up. I think this heat is really getting to me as I am just not used to riding this long in 90 degree heat. I don’t feel great but my speed is not effected so I just keep hammering away.
After 11 hours I pull back into Winters and check in. I see Jim still at the van so head over to grab stuff out of the van. I lay on the grass and could have just passed out it felt so good in the shade.
Night Loop
The night loop is just over 18 miles making a big square and not as much as 1 foot of climbing the whole way. At first I thought it would be boring, and it would have been if there was not the race in the race. There of curse was a real race going on but unless you were really racing to win the thing you were just racing to see how many miles you could get in. But Jim and I had the race between ourselves to keep it interesting. In hind sight it would have been fun to have something on the line between the two of us. We both have 162 miles down and ???? to go. Two years ago I did this race but when I got back to Winters I called it a day as I had no one there to cheer for me and I was pooped. So this will be my fist experience on the night loop. I tell Jim I am out of there and he grunts something and I roll out smiling a bit since I again passed Jim (Tortoise and the Hare) As I head out of town, now with my MP3 on for tunes, I hear my phone ring and know it is Jim. I don’t answer and head down the 7 mile straight away. I am on fire and riding along at 20-22 MPH worried the back side of this course will have head winds. But all in all not windy anywhere for the whole night. I pull into the community center (CC) in good time and grab some chicken soup. The Davis bike club provides great volunteers and they provide good bike food. After the chicken soup and a coke I am off for loop #2. I need 7.5 loops to get to 300 miles so that is my minimum goal. Anything less and I would be bummed. I am sure Jim got in before I left but I was out before him. There is a big tally board where each riders check in time is listed. After each of the next four loops I stop for soup and soda before heading back out. There are a couple of volunteers and they are in on our race now. Each time Jim or I come thru we can tell when the other came in but we need these guys to tell us how long they hung around. Knowing what time I leave for a loop when I get back I know when Jim checked in. Since I am now ahead of him I know a minimum of how much I am ahead and after loop number 5 I am about 30 minutes ahead which is half a lap. During lap 5 I had a light following me and I was sure it was Jim even thou there is no way of knowing. You cannot tell even if they pass you going the other way since the lights blind you. Anyways I am hauling butt thinking Jim is after me and pull in in my fastest time of 1 hour 1 minute. I look at the board and I am 30 minutes ahead so reward myself with ….. a bowl of soup.
I stayed a bit too long but head out for lap 6 and make good time and feel good as I come thru the CC again so just head right out for #7 which will get me 9 miles short of 300. About half way thru I realized I should have eaten something and I am dragging. I barley make it back and I am pooped. The only saving grace is………..get this……..THERE IS JIMS BIKE!!!!!!... WOO HOO, I am officially a lap ahead. I see Jim and he gives me a hard time for quote, “kicking his ass”
OK so here is where things get a bit fuzzy. I lie down for a few minutes but decide I need to take a bit of a nap. I hit the van and set my watch alarm for 4 o’clock which is about 30 minutes away. If Jim left right when I arrived after lap 7 that would be 3:30 so he will still be a half a lap back. Well I woke at about 4:20 having set my watch for 4:00pm. I decide to set it for 10 more minutes then add some clothes and head for my bike. I mount up only to see on the board that Jim just left 5 minutes earlier and he is now ahead of me. DAMN, I am so pissed because he probably saw my bike so just turned around and headed straight out. Well I need this lap to get to 300 so I head out after a banana and PB&J. I did not eat before I napped so I was not sure what to expect as far as speed but I was moving really well. So I got in the aero bars and started to look for tail lights. After a couple miles I saw a few and started to chase them down. After about 9 miles I caught the first but it was not Jim. Caught another but still no Jim but there is one just ahead. As I approach I am still on fire and making great time. I see the rider but it looks like there is a camelbak on them and Jim does not use one. But as I get very close I see it is Jim and there are about 2 miles to the CC. So I really ramp up my speed and as I go by I yell “Sucker” and just fly by. If he jumps on my we have a race or we agree to tie and take it easy since we will both have 309 miles after this lap. But he does not jump on and I get to the CC and ride straight thru and get the info that I have 34 minutes left plus my 5 for starting 5 minutes after 6:30. As I ride out for lap 9 I see Jim coming in and I have a couple minutes on him but do not want to see if he heads out after me.
After about 4 miles you can look back to see if there are any lights chasing you and I see one a ways back. Maybe a mile or so. The rule is when your time is up you note the mile maker on the road you last past and report back into the CC. I really did not want to be exactly at the half way point as I would have to ride back 9 miles. So I figured if I really haul ass I can get to mile 11 which will put me with only 7 miles to go and an even 320 miles. Sounds much better than 319 or 309. I still have to make the full loop so I am not sure what I am thinking looking back at it. Well, as I am rounding one of the corners I do not see anyone behind so I know if Jim is back there I will have him beat by at least a mile. I am hammering and pass mile 11 with a minute to spare and stop to have a drink.
I have never been so happy to see 6:35 and wonder in at about 12 MPH sitting up and enjoying the sun coming up over Winters. As I pull into the CC, the last person since I was all the way out at the far corner, everything is all packed up and the only people there are a couple of officials and Jim all dressed out and ready to go home. Where is all the cheering???? Well needless to say Jim did not head out for another lap but just the thought of him chasing me go me out for the extra miles so I can say I rode for 24 hours. I felt bad for calling Jim a Sucker when I passed him but since I snuck up on him I didn’t have enough time to come up with anything else to say.
I do not think I would do it again solo unless I got SAG support as I really think I gave it my all. Jim and I probably spent and hour off the bike during the day, I took a nap for about an hour and I think I was in the CC for about a total of 2 hours based on my bike computer. So if I had SAG support I could use some of that 4 hours to get over 350 but would not do much better without SAG.
It was harder than I thought to get to 320. I have easily made 300 in a day on brevets but riding solo, even without much wind, is much tougher than it seems.
The best part of the day was having Jim to semi hang out with during the day loop and for having him to race against in the night. I have no idea how we did over all and it really does not matter. All that really matters is that the Tortoise beat the Hare….JUST LIKE I SAID I WOULD. Sorry Jim just couldn’t resist.
Willy in Pacifica
We checked in on Friday evening in beautiful downtown Winters which will be the start and finish. Jim check in before me so he will get a 10 second head start.
Course
The course consists of a 162 mile day loop which has three major climbs. After the day loop you will return to Winters and ride an 18.4 mile night loop which starts and ends at the Winters community center (CC). Some racers will have SAG support to give them everything they need while out on the day loop and to be at the CC after each of their night loops to get them whet they need. Out on the day loop there were 4 aid stations for those that do not had a SAG crew and you could send out a drop bag if you wanted or take what they were offering. I sent out drop bags to each with a big Gatorade, some Sustained Energy powder and some gels. Since it was going to be a scorcher by having drop bags out on the course I could also get rid of any jacket or leg warmers and they would meet me back in Winters when I returned.
Tortoise Strategy
Jim and I have been riding together for about 2 years. Ever since I talked him into teaming up for a relay on the Furnace Creek 508. Jim is much faster than me and will kick my butt on anything up to 150 miles. But a lot of what I, and now Jim, do is longer than 150 miles. On many of our longer rides I see Jim talking off too fast, waiting for me, then taking off again. Then he grabs my wheel for the final 30 or so miles. This really wears him down and I figure this is going to be how I might beat him. Jim also has a tendency to lolly gag at the controls/aid stations so hopefully I can make up time on him here as well. A week before the race I told him this is how I am going to beat him. “Tortoise and the Hare, Tortoise and the Hare Baby”.
The Race
We each start of at about 6:35 with Jim going 10 seconds before me. I immediately pass him and let him know I am officially ahead of him now by 10 seconds. But he sits about 50 feet behind me and we ride out of town. Jim should have been gone like a shot but no there he is using me to pace himself. I think, “Damn, there goes one of my strategies” but smart on him part. So we are both in our Dolce Vita kits and I figure eventually one of the marshals may make him get away from me since it looks like we may be working together. But officially he is back far enough to not benefit from me and no one says anything. After a while it is kind of comforting knowing Jim is there and it just becomes a long ride but I just don’t have to listen to Jim : )
After about 10 miles we head up hill #1. This actually consists of two hills and I have done it twice in the past few weeks while riding the Davis 200k and 300k. It is not really that bad kind of like riding Whites Grade a couple of times. I think Jim is also following me so he does not have to look at the route sheet since I know where I am going. After the hill it is off to mile 44ish to aid station #1. We hit Pope Valley and it is getting warm. I take off my wind breaker and leg warmers and leave them behind. Fill bottle and off we go to the next aid station around mile 77. It is relatively flat with a couple of long rollers until you hit mile 70 in Middletown. Then it is about 4 miles of flat and 4 miles up a tough ass hill. Two weeks ago it was my first time on this hill and man was it a pisser then. Thanks goodness I know about it or it would have been a real pisser today. I seemed to remember it was lined with trees so it will be nice to get some shade. Well I remembered wrong and although it is lined with trees there was not shade at all and it is steep and HOT. I have to take off my sun glasses as sweat is running into my eyes and stinging. By the time we get to the aid station it must be the 90’s. We refill bottles, gel flasks and continue to head up hill. We are riding through tiny towns of 60 people, 300 people etc. The town signs show that the elevation is higher than the population so that is how you know they are small town. One town has 13 feet for every person, another had 50 feet per person. You have to have something to do while you are out there alone. Well almost alone as Jim is right behind me 50 feet or so.
So now we are headed to aid station #3 some 30 miles away. I get about 2 miles up from the last aid station and realize I left my Gatorade there. I am not going back down to get it so tell Jim if I see a 7-11 I have to stop. Up in the middle of nowhere is a small market with just what I need. One of those Gatorades with the twist top and it fits in my cage. So now it is down down, down, as we start heading on Hwy 57 or 53 to ClearLake. We have 7 miles of nice flat hwy until we have to turn right on Hwy 20. Then, according to the route sheet, it is UP. And it is 14 miles on this Hwy until the next aid station. So I resign myself to suffer in the heat for 14 miles of climbing. Not steep climbing but a long gradual climb. But the first few miles are flat so with each mile that is not UP that is one less mile of UP. Then I see the up hill and decide it starts here. But after a mile or so I see the “Truck on Cheese” sign that says “Next 3 miles” THAT IS 3 MILES OF DOWNHILL. This is a very fast section and we are flying getting over 40 MPH. Then more uphill but again only a couple miles or so before…….could it be…..another Truck on Cheese and we only have a few miles to go. So although it is blazing out I am stoked that I am again hitting 40 MPH. At this rate I can get in over 600 miles today I calculate in my head : ) I am very excited to see aid station #3, at mile 108, and I load up what I need then head down for another 2 miles before the turn toward the finish. We now have about 25 miles to the final day loop aid station and it is slightly down hill or flat with very little rolling action. It is a beautiful section as we are in a canyon with a good shoulder and smooth road. I put my aero bars on my road Vanilla a couple months ago and I am now super comfy in them. It takes about 2 months to get your body used to them and your legs work a bit different. Jim just got a new bike and although he has aero bars I told him not to use them as he would not have enough time to get used to them and it would hurt him more than help him. But I am loving it and just plop myself in for a long 30+ mile ride to the next stop.
Believe it or not Jim decides he now knows the rest of the route and takes off. It was nice having him behind me but it is the right thing for him to do. After just over an hour I pull into the aid station #4 (mile 135ish) and Jim is still here. I load up and eat and orange and we both head out together. (Tortoise and Hare) Jim takes off and is gone and I stick with my pace. He will beat me in but not anywhere with the kind of lead I expected him to have. I have 30 miles to go and after about 15 I feel like throwing up. I think this heat is really getting to me as I am just not used to riding this long in 90 degree heat. I don’t feel great but my speed is not effected so I just keep hammering away.
After 11 hours I pull back into Winters and check in. I see Jim still at the van so head over to grab stuff out of the van. I lay on the grass and could have just passed out it felt so good in the shade.
Night Loop
The night loop is just over 18 miles making a big square and not as much as 1 foot of climbing the whole way. At first I thought it would be boring, and it would have been if there was not the race in the race. There of curse was a real race going on but unless you were really racing to win the thing you were just racing to see how many miles you could get in. But Jim and I had the race between ourselves to keep it interesting. In hind sight it would have been fun to have something on the line between the two of us. We both have 162 miles down and ???? to go. Two years ago I did this race but when I got back to Winters I called it a day as I had no one there to cheer for me and I was pooped. So this will be my fist experience on the night loop. I tell Jim I am out of there and he grunts something and I roll out smiling a bit since I again passed Jim (Tortoise and the Hare) As I head out of town, now with my MP3 on for tunes, I hear my phone ring and know it is Jim. I don’t answer and head down the 7 mile straight away. I am on fire and riding along at 20-22 MPH worried the back side of this course will have head winds. But all in all not windy anywhere for the whole night. I pull into the community center (CC) in good time and grab some chicken soup. The Davis bike club provides great volunteers and they provide good bike food. After the chicken soup and a coke I am off for loop #2. I need 7.5 loops to get to 300 miles so that is my minimum goal. Anything less and I would be bummed. I am sure Jim got in before I left but I was out before him. There is a big tally board where each riders check in time is listed. After each of the next four loops I stop for soup and soda before heading back out. There are a couple of volunteers and they are in on our race now. Each time Jim or I come thru we can tell when the other came in but we need these guys to tell us how long they hung around. Knowing what time I leave for a loop when I get back I know when Jim checked in. Since I am now ahead of him I know a minimum of how much I am ahead and after loop number 5 I am about 30 minutes ahead which is half a lap. During lap 5 I had a light following me and I was sure it was Jim even thou there is no way of knowing. You cannot tell even if they pass you going the other way since the lights blind you. Anyways I am hauling butt thinking Jim is after me and pull in in my fastest time of 1 hour 1 minute. I look at the board and I am 30 minutes ahead so reward myself with ….. a bowl of soup.
I stayed a bit too long but head out for lap 6 and make good time and feel good as I come thru the CC again so just head right out for #7 which will get me 9 miles short of 300. About half way thru I realized I should have eaten something and I am dragging. I barley make it back and I am pooped. The only saving grace is………..get this……..THERE IS JIMS BIKE!!!!!!... WOO HOO, I am officially a lap ahead. I see Jim and he gives me a hard time for quote, “kicking his ass”
OK so here is where things get a bit fuzzy. I lie down for a few minutes but decide I need to take a bit of a nap. I hit the van and set my watch alarm for 4 o’clock which is about 30 minutes away. If Jim left right when I arrived after lap 7 that would be 3:30 so he will still be a half a lap back. Well I woke at about 4:20 having set my watch for 4:00pm. I decide to set it for 10 more minutes then add some clothes and head for my bike. I mount up only to see on the board that Jim just left 5 minutes earlier and he is now ahead of me. DAMN, I am so pissed because he probably saw my bike so just turned around and headed straight out. Well I need this lap to get to 300 so I head out after a banana and PB&J. I did not eat before I napped so I was not sure what to expect as far as speed but I was moving really well. So I got in the aero bars and started to look for tail lights. After a couple miles I saw a few and started to chase them down. After about 9 miles I caught the first but it was not Jim. Caught another but still no Jim but there is one just ahead. As I approach I am still on fire and making great time. I see the rider but it looks like there is a camelbak on them and Jim does not use one. But as I get very close I see it is Jim and there are about 2 miles to the CC. So I really ramp up my speed and as I go by I yell “Sucker” and just fly by. If he jumps on my we have a race or we agree to tie and take it easy since we will both have 309 miles after this lap. But he does not jump on and I get to the CC and ride straight thru and get the info that I have 34 minutes left plus my 5 for starting 5 minutes after 6:30. As I ride out for lap 9 I see Jim coming in and I have a couple minutes on him but do not want to see if he heads out after me.
After about 4 miles you can look back to see if there are any lights chasing you and I see one a ways back. Maybe a mile or so. The rule is when your time is up you note the mile maker on the road you last past and report back into the CC. I really did not want to be exactly at the half way point as I would have to ride back 9 miles. So I figured if I really haul ass I can get to mile 11 which will put me with only 7 miles to go and an even 320 miles. Sounds much better than 319 or 309. I still have to make the full loop so I am not sure what I am thinking looking back at it. Well, as I am rounding one of the corners I do not see anyone behind so I know if Jim is back there I will have him beat by at least a mile. I am hammering and pass mile 11 with a minute to spare and stop to have a drink.
I have never been so happy to see 6:35 and wonder in at about 12 MPH sitting up and enjoying the sun coming up over Winters. As I pull into the CC, the last person since I was all the way out at the far corner, everything is all packed up and the only people there are a couple of officials and Jim all dressed out and ready to go home. Where is all the cheering???? Well needless to say Jim did not head out for another lap but just the thought of him chasing me go me out for the extra miles so I can say I rode for 24 hours. I felt bad for calling Jim a Sucker when I passed him but since I snuck up on him I didn’t have enough time to come up with anything else to say.
I do not think I would do it again solo unless I got SAG support as I really think I gave it my all. Jim and I probably spent and hour off the bike during the day, I took a nap for about an hour and I think I was in the CC for about a total of 2 hours based on my bike computer. So if I had SAG support I could use some of that 4 hours to get over 350 but would not do much better without SAG.
It was harder than I thought to get to 320. I have easily made 300 in a day on brevets but riding solo, even without much wind, is much tougher than it seems.
The best part of the day was having Jim to semi hang out with during the day loop and for having him to race against in the night. I have no idea how we did over all and it really does not matter. All that really matters is that the Tortoise beat the Hare….JUST LIKE I SAID I WOULD. Sorry Jim just couldn’t resist.
Willy in Pacifica