Saturday, July 26, 2008
Culture Shock
On the way home from kayaking the Clackamas River this morning we stopped off at the local Harley-Davidson dealership where Scott had to return a part he bought but didn't need. As we pulled into the parking lot in the 20-year-old Nissan loaded with kayaks and dog I already felt out of place. A band was playing bad music really loud, a cook was serving up grilled burgers to leather-clad, tattooed, beer-bellied biker types and the parking lot was full of shiny chromed Harleys. We casually made our way into the store dressed from head to toe in Patagonia outdoor clothes and Chaco sandals, dog in tow. When we started looking around for a summer riding jacket for me (I already own winter gear, but don't have any warm weather protective clothing), Lacey, the "motorclothes specialist" jumped on the opportunity to outfit me in something more appropriate. This Harley thing is still pretty new for me and I struggle with the vast abyss between my usual friends and the people we ride Harleys with. Culture shock, for sure!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Gorge Games Adventure Race
Last month when I was home on reserve and got to do things I don't get to do when I'm out of town, I went to the Wednesday night mountain bike ride/trail run with the local adventure racing club. It was fun to see some old friends whom I really miss and meet a few new people.
One night, Renee and Russ were pondering who to get for a fourth person for their team in the 24-hour adventure race at the revived Gorge Games. This is the same Renee who always swears not to do any more 24 hour races after she does one. Even though I had decided not to do any adventure races this year (except the one in Utah in September that Zach and I paid for last year), I said I would race with them if they would let me on the team.
So last Friday after I got home from four days of work at 9:30 a.m., I packed everything on my list and headed to Hood River with Isaiah. We were supposed to meet Russ and Renee at the race check-in area at 2 p.m. After we stopped for food, I noted that we would have to call and tell them we were running late. About two minutes later, we saw Russ's car pull alongside us on the freeway. We were all laughing.
Shane, the race organizer and a friend of ours as well as our sponsor, had promised in an email that it would take at least an hour to complete the check-in process. It only took five minutes, so we had some much needed time to organize our gear and set up our team bin that would get dropped off at a remote transition area (TA). At the pre-race meeting, we learned that the race would be "rogaine" style rather than the traditional "fastest-one-there" format. In a rogaine, there are multiple checkpoints (CPs) in a random placement (not necessarily along a single route) and each CP is worth a different number of points. Unless you're really fast and can collect all the CPs, the strategy is in getting the maximum number of points while still being back to the start by a deadline; points are taken away for every minute past the deadline.
The race started at 5:30 p.m. with a kayak section. We felt pretty smug when we saw an inflatable kayak, a whitewater boat and some other not-so-efficient craft while we unloaded our fancy rented double sea kayaks. Ours were nice, but unfortunately the boats don't paddle themselves. Shane had set a stunning course on the Columbia River but had to abandon it for safety reasons in the blustery wind (meanwhile, it was a perfect day for the windsurfing and kite boarding competitions also going on during the Gorge Games). Instead, we had 3.5 hours to paddle out to an island and back as many times as we could. Every lap earned points. We made nine laps and only got lapped by Team DART twice. We were happy to get out of the boats and start riding our bikes.
We had to be off the water by 9 p.m. and could not start the bike section until 9:30. So we had 30 minutes to outfit ourselves in biking gear, pick up the map for the bike section and plot a course. Shane only allowed two hours to get from the waterfront up to Kingsley Reservoir so I wondered how we would get any CPs at all. In fact, we only got one--twice!
We rode out of the TA later than most of the other teams since we were still looking at our map, but we did pass a few on the road toward Post Canyon. We missed on CP that was right on the road because I was navigating toward one that was on a trail I was familiar with. We did find the trail and the CP that was a mile up it easily. Then we followed the course we had highlighted that would take us back to the road and a quick ride to the reservoir. After 30 or 45 minutes and a series of left turns, we saw a CP right along the trail! It had the same number on it as the first one! It was at a Y in the trail and this time we approached from a different way than the first time so it looked different. We couldn't help but laugh at ourselves. Then we followed our steps back out to the road to figure out what we needed to do differently. We arrived at the reservoir TA around 1:30 a.m., two hours late, only to find out that nobody made the time cutoff and nobody lost points for being late.
We spent almost an hour eating, drinking, refilling water reservoirs, ditching bike gear and putting on warm clothes (it was cold at 4,000 feet!). Then we got the map for the trekking section and set out in search of CPs. With Russ and Isaiah navigating, we nailed two right away and had to hike a short ways down a paved road to a dirt road to hit the third one. This turned into a long ways as we dropped down a steep hill, but finally found the dirt road which also continued downhill. The boys finally decided we were on the wrong road--we were way too low according to the topo lines on the map. So we hiked back up the dirt road to the paved road where we saw another team heading down the same way we had just been. We chuckled quietly to ourselves as we hiked up the steep hill of the paved road. We really had gone a long way, but finally found the right dirt road. The whole while we were hiking, I felt that if I just took the opportunity to lay down in the middle of the road I could sleep quite comfortably.
The next CP was worth 200 points--a high number, so we didn't expect it to be easy. We thought we were close, but instead of the road shown on the map, we found a lot of extremely dense brush. We bushwhacked for a while and Russ even thought he was following an old road bed, but it seemed futile so we abandoned the search to move on to other points. It can be a huge mistake in a race to spend so much time looking for a CP at the risk of missing all the others.
I navigated to the area where the next CP should be--down another old road bed overgrown with brush. This one was fairly obvious, however, until it entered a clearing and we split up to find the CP. Isaiah found it. Based on this CP being where we thought it would be, we now had more confidence that we were in the right place for the previous one. With the sun coming up over the Hood River valley, we decided to go back and get it. This time I knew it was there and was determined to find it! The clue was that it was on a rocky hilltop, so I knew we had to find the top of the hill we were on. The daylight made bushwhacking much easier and before too long I topped out near a small rocky cliff and saw the orange orienteering flag. This was a very exciting moment for me because I am usually not the team navigator and am almost never the one to actually spot the flag. I felt quite triumphant.
The next series of checkpoints went very smoothly. We ran into Team DART who had gotten the 1,000 points for summiting Mt. Defiance (the highest point in the Gorge at 5,000 feet) and were collecting checkpoints at a mad pace before the trekking deadline. Russ check back in after apparently being rather out of it for a couple hours. No one had noticed. We actually got a couple CPs we hadn't originally thought we would have time for, but despite Russ's encouragement, opted out of the 50-pointer in favor of getting back to the TA a few minutes early in order to be ready to leave on bikes at the official start time and be able to maximize our biking points.
After the usual TA tasks--eating, drinking, dressing, gearing up--we joined most of the other teams for the 10:00 a.m. start for the final bike section. This time we did opt for the Mt. Defiance summit's 1,000 points. We were only the second team there on our bikes and were greeted by a film crew. The journey there was largely a hike-a-bike as the steep, rocky road was too technical to ride. A really nice hiker gave us all water. We encountered several other teams on the way up as we rocketed down the hill. That was fun!
We collected several more CPs as we made our way toward town and rode some awesome singletrack on the way. Also some loose, powdery sections that weren't so fun and caused Renee to have a nasty crash that resulted in bruises. But mostly really fun riding! Before we knew it we were in Hood River and had several CPs to hit before the finish line. Isaiah laid out a plan and we checked them all off. The most fun one was along a gravel path above the Hood River. On our way to the last one, we took a street that didn't go through but found a blackberry-bramble-lined path that cut up to the street above. At the top of the path was a railing that separated a parking lot from the blackberry field. In the parking lot was a dumpster. As I pushed my bike past, the wind blew the dumpster lid open and it smacked me hard on the top of the head! Luckily I had my helmet on, but the impact still rocked my head and left me reeling. While I was trying not to cry, the rest of my teammates were laughing. It actually was pretty funny getting mauled by a dumpster after spending 24 hours in the woods.
Then a fast, easy ride to the marina and the finish line where the Next Adventure crew waited with burgers and locally brewed Full Sail beer!
One night, Renee and Russ were pondering who to get for a fourth person for their team in the 24-hour adventure race at the revived Gorge Games. This is the same Renee who always swears not to do any more 24 hour races after she does one. Even though I had decided not to do any adventure races this year (except the one in Utah in September that Zach and I paid for last year), I said I would race with them if they would let me on the team.
So last Friday after I got home from four days of work at 9:30 a.m., I packed everything on my list and headed to Hood River with Isaiah. We were supposed to meet Russ and Renee at the race check-in area at 2 p.m. After we stopped for food, I noted that we would have to call and tell them we were running late. About two minutes later, we saw Russ's car pull alongside us on the freeway. We were all laughing.
Shane, the race organizer and a friend of ours as well as our sponsor, had promised in an email that it would take at least an hour to complete the check-in process. It only took five minutes, so we had some much needed time to organize our gear and set up our team bin that would get dropped off at a remote transition area (TA). At the pre-race meeting, we learned that the race would be "rogaine" style rather than the traditional "fastest-one-there" format. In a rogaine, there are multiple checkpoints (CPs) in a random placement (not necessarily along a single route) and each CP is worth a different number of points. Unless you're really fast and can collect all the CPs, the strategy is in getting the maximum number of points while still being back to the start by a deadline; points are taken away for every minute past the deadline.
The race started at 5:30 p.m. with a kayak section. We felt pretty smug when we saw an inflatable kayak, a whitewater boat and some other not-so-efficient craft while we unloaded our fancy rented double sea kayaks. Ours were nice, but unfortunately the boats don't paddle themselves. Shane had set a stunning course on the Columbia River but had to abandon it for safety reasons in the blustery wind (meanwhile, it was a perfect day for the windsurfing and kite boarding competitions also going on during the Gorge Games). Instead, we had 3.5 hours to paddle out to an island and back as many times as we could. Every lap earned points. We made nine laps and only got lapped by Team DART twice. We were happy to get out of the boats and start riding our bikes.
We had to be off the water by 9 p.m. and could not start the bike section until 9:30. So we had 30 minutes to outfit ourselves in biking gear, pick up the map for the bike section and plot a course. Shane only allowed two hours to get from the waterfront up to Kingsley Reservoir so I wondered how we would get any CPs at all. In fact, we only got one--twice!
We rode out of the TA later than most of the other teams since we were still looking at our map, but we did pass a few on the road toward Post Canyon. We missed on CP that was right on the road because I was navigating toward one that was on a trail I was familiar with. We did find the trail and the CP that was a mile up it easily. Then we followed the course we had highlighted that would take us back to the road and a quick ride to the reservoir. After 30 or 45 minutes and a series of left turns, we saw a CP right along the trail! It had the same number on it as the first one! It was at a Y in the trail and this time we approached from a different way than the first time so it looked different. We couldn't help but laugh at ourselves. Then we followed our steps back out to the road to figure out what we needed to do differently. We arrived at the reservoir TA around 1:30 a.m., two hours late, only to find out that nobody made the time cutoff and nobody lost points for being late.
We spent almost an hour eating, drinking, refilling water reservoirs, ditching bike gear and putting on warm clothes (it was cold at 4,000 feet!). Then we got the map for the trekking section and set out in search of CPs. With Russ and Isaiah navigating, we nailed two right away and had to hike a short ways down a paved road to a dirt road to hit the third one. This turned into a long ways as we dropped down a steep hill, but finally found the dirt road which also continued downhill. The boys finally decided we were on the wrong road--we were way too low according to the topo lines on the map. So we hiked back up the dirt road to the paved road where we saw another team heading down the same way we had just been. We chuckled quietly to ourselves as we hiked up the steep hill of the paved road. We really had gone a long way, but finally found the right dirt road. The whole while we were hiking, I felt that if I just took the opportunity to lay down in the middle of the road I could sleep quite comfortably.
The next CP was worth 200 points--a high number, so we didn't expect it to be easy. We thought we were close, but instead of the road shown on the map, we found a lot of extremely dense brush. We bushwhacked for a while and Russ even thought he was following an old road bed, but it seemed futile so we abandoned the search to move on to other points. It can be a huge mistake in a race to spend so much time looking for a CP at the risk of missing all the others.
I navigated to the area where the next CP should be--down another old road bed overgrown with brush. This one was fairly obvious, however, until it entered a clearing and we split up to find the CP. Isaiah found it. Based on this CP being where we thought it would be, we now had more confidence that we were in the right place for the previous one. With the sun coming up over the Hood River valley, we decided to go back and get it. This time I knew it was there and was determined to find it! The clue was that it was on a rocky hilltop, so I knew we had to find the top of the hill we were on. The daylight made bushwhacking much easier and before too long I topped out near a small rocky cliff and saw the orange orienteering flag. This was a very exciting moment for me because I am usually not the team navigator and am almost never the one to actually spot the flag. I felt quite triumphant.
The next series of checkpoints went very smoothly. We ran into Team DART who had gotten the 1,000 points for summiting Mt. Defiance (the highest point in the Gorge at 5,000 feet) and were collecting checkpoints at a mad pace before the trekking deadline. Russ check back in after apparently being rather out of it for a couple hours. No one had noticed. We actually got a couple CPs we hadn't originally thought we would have time for, but despite Russ's encouragement, opted out of the 50-pointer in favor of getting back to the TA a few minutes early in order to be ready to leave on bikes at the official start time and be able to maximize our biking points.
After the usual TA tasks--eating, drinking, dressing, gearing up--we joined most of the other teams for the 10:00 a.m. start for the final bike section. This time we did opt for the Mt. Defiance summit's 1,000 points. We were only the second team there on our bikes and were greeted by a film crew. The journey there was largely a hike-a-bike as the steep, rocky road was too technical to ride. A really nice hiker gave us all water. We encountered several other teams on the way up as we rocketed down the hill. That was fun!
We collected several more CPs as we made our way toward town and rode some awesome singletrack on the way. Also some loose, powdery sections that weren't so fun and caused Renee to have a nasty crash that resulted in bruises. But mostly really fun riding! Before we knew it we were in Hood River and had several CPs to hit before the finish line. Isaiah laid out a plan and we checked them all off. The most fun one was along a gravel path above the Hood River. On our way to the last one, we took a street that didn't go through but found a blackberry-bramble-lined path that cut up to the street above. At the top of the path was a railing that separated a parking lot from the blackberry field. In the parking lot was a dumpster. As I pushed my bike past, the wind blew the dumpster lid open and it smacked me hard on the top of the head! Luckily I had my helmet on, but the impact still rocked my head and left me reeling. While I was trying not to cry, the rest of my teammates were laughing. It actually was pretty funny getting mauled by a dumpster after spending 24 hours in the woods.
Then a fast, easy ride to the marina and the finish line where the Next Adventure crew waited with burgers and locally brewed Full Sail beer!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Cascade Cream Puff 100 Mile Mountain Bike Race
http://www.cascadecreampuff.com/
As we pulled into the Westfir School to check in for the race, one of my first thoughts was that everyone else seemed to know what this was all about while I didn't really have a clue what I was in for. Camps looked professionally set up; toned,fit mountain bikers rested on cots in the shade. It was the hottest day of the year so far at 100 degrees with near record heat predicted for the race. Luckily, we were staying with Scott's friend Eugene and got to avoid camping in the thunderstorm and taking cold showers in the gym. We did have to sit through an hour and a half long pre-race meeting in the sweltering gym, though. We learned about the course and received the standard “you could die” warnings. We met the hundreds of volunteers who do everything from cook our meals and manage aid stations to clear trees and debris from the trails and rebuild sections that were washed out from the record winter. The final course was in doubt until two days before the race since snow still remains at higher elevations. I won a nice sweatshirt in the drawing before we lined up for the pasta feed. One of the volunteers keeping track of people going through the food line didn't show up, so Eugene took over the task. After Scott and I finished eating, I took over for Eugene so he could eat as well—a little impromptu volunteer work to keep things rolling.
Lots of work to be done before the race still! We stopped at the grocery store for ice to put in my coolers to be dropped at the aid stations and some last-minute snacks. Back at Eugene's house, Scott took care of my bike (securing my number onto the handlebars, checking air pressure in tires and shocks, etc.) while I got my riding clothes ready, prepared food, and sorted the things I wanted into the cooler for the appropriate aid station. This would be Eugene's fourth Cream Puff; one of his roommates was camping on the course and the other would be heading out to Aid Station #4 early in the morning. It seemed like all of Oakridge was involved in this little mountain bike century ride! Finally in bed at 10:30, listening to the thunder crack as I imagined flash flooding on the trails and the hot sun steaming up the forest.
With a 3:45 alarm, we were at the start line at the covered bridge in Westfir at 5 a.m. for the mandatory check-in. At 5:30, the start horn sounded and the lead vehicle rolled out. We were off! I started near the rear of the 200-rider field with most of the 21 other women. It would be a long day—no reason to be in a hurry so soon!
The first three miles were flat pavement, a welcome warm-up before the 8-mile gravel road climb to Aid Station #2. The course was a figure 8 with Aid 2 in the middle; we would pass it four times. After the first climb, we would make two trips around the upper loop of the 8, then one and a half times around the lower loop to finish back at the covered bridge. I rode most of the first road climb,with two guys named Neil and Scott that I recognized from the Test of Endurance 50 two weeks ago. We chatted easily, staying in small gears to keep our legs fresh as long as possible. They stopped at the aid station, however, and I kept rolling. We had only been riding for 1.5 hours and I had plenty .of water and food to make it to the next stop.
Right after Aid 2, the fun really began! The road flattened and we turned left onto singletrack where we would climb, traverse and descend for over two hours . This was really fun riding except for some really tight switchbacks that I had to walk and the trip up Winberry Divide that seemed steep and relentless. I rode bits of it, but everyone else seemed to be walking and I followed suit. It wasn't much faster to ride the steep grade and it seemed prudent to save the legs. Then a fun descent to Aid Station #3 at mile 25. This was a mandatory stop to obtain a sticker proving you got here. Someone offered to take my bike while another volunteer grabbed my camelback to refill the water reservoir. What service! I expected to have to do all the work myself! The volunteers encouraged everyone to hydrate up for the grueling climb ahead. A couple miles up the road I realized this was the part I brought my iPod for and made a brief stop to put my headphones on. As Cake's tempo pepped me up, I cruised past rider after rider on the moderately steep winding grade. I was prepared for a couple hours of climbing and was pleasantly surprised to come around a turn and see Aid Station #4 after only an hour and a half! I had a cooler here with an extra water reservoir, some leftover pizza and a carton of chocolate milk. I switched out the bladder, drank the milk and ate some oranges and bananas from the aid station. A water hose siphened water out of an icy creek for a makeshift shower, so I cooled off before I rode out to the BeeGees' “Stayin' Alive.” It was encouraging to hear that it was only seven miles to Aid 2—the end of the first loop and almost halfway through the race. The grade was also less steep so I was able to keep a good pace and arrived at Aid 2 in only 45 minutes.
Since Aid 2 was by far the biggest in terms of supplies and support (including Scott and the cooler I dropped here), I planned a bit of a break at this point. Someone took my bike to lube the chain, I used a portapotty and applied more chamois cream (if you don't know about chamois cream, suffice it to say that it's the only thing that makes it possible to sit on a bike saddle for 15 hours!) and Scott brought me various food and drinks which I either consumed ravenously or rejected by making a face.
Rested and resupplied (more water, more Heed and Perpetuem), I set out for lap two. It was nice to know what was coming for the next 30 miles (as long as I didn't think too hard about the Winberry Divide hike) and the trail seemed easier the second time around. Another mandatory stop at Aid 3 for a second sticker. I tried to get moving quickly, however, shoveling in some fruit and downing my Red Bull while my camelback was topped off. More Heed and Perpetuem. With the iPod back on, I was feeling surprisingly strong for the second 18-mile uphill grind, again passing quite a few riders. I got a thumbs up from another guy wearing an iPod—we later chatted about how much it helped. Still, my body was starting to feel the effort. One moment, my hand was numb, my back ached and my butt was on fire; a moment later I felt invincible; then back to hurting again. This time I only stopped at Aid 4 long enough to trade my empty Perpetuem bottle for a full one of Cytomax. Since eating is hard for me when I'm hot and tired, the liquid calories and electrolytes were critical; it's important to take things in continuously and not wait until you feel like you need it.
I finished the loop in 4.5 hours, the same amount of time it took me the first time around. I felt good about this, was still feeling strong and decided not to rest at Aid 2 this time. With only 28 more miles to ride, it seeemed certain that I would finish! A quick lube and resupply (more Heed and Perpetuem for Energizer-Bunny-like endurance) and I set out for eight miles of trail I hadn't seen yet, but almost all of it downhill to the covered bridge. The hard part would be leaving the finish line to do another loop! Three women passed me on the downhill—bummer, but I can probably catch them on the climb. My hands were aching from so much time on the handlebars and working the brakes.
When I finally arrived at Aid Station #1 by the finish line, a race official was telling the other women that we should consider our chances of making it to the top of the climb by the 7:30 p.m. cutoff time. We were told that if we were a few minutes past the cutoff time but looked strong we would be allowed to continue. I thought my chances were good and so did they. We weren't quitting now! After a quick bathroom break and with a full camelback, I rode out in pursuit of the other women who had already taken off. A mile later I wondered why my bike felt funny and realized I had a flat. My first thought was that I was done and should just hike the mile back to the finish. But I had come this far and wasn't giving up easily! My left hand could barely function after 13 hours of holding vibrating handlebars and operating brakes for long periods of time and it took me nearly 20 minutes to change my tube. I also drank another Red Bull and got out the iPod.
I rolled through the remaining two miles of singletrack and turned up the road for the final climb. This was the steepest climb of the day, but while the bulk of the field did it in the blazing hot sun, I had cool evening shade. A course marshall on a motorcycle came looking for me, wondering if I was in fact persevering. I was the last to leave Aid Station #1 since the cutoff time was nearing. He hinted that perhaps I should turn back then said that my boyfriend had told him I was pretty stubborn. My position was that if I didn't finish this race it would be because they wouldn't let me continue and not because I voluntarily quit. I finally made it to the top at 7:55—25 minutes past the cutoff.
Uncertain of my fate, I traded my sunglasses for regular glasses and Scott ziptied my headlamp to my helmet. McKenzie, the course sweeper (the guy who rides down last to make sure no dead bodies remain on the trail), had agreed to wait for me despite encroaching darkness. Scott joined us also. I still wasn't sure I would be an official finisher, but felt jubilant that I would complete the course! I did make one brief stop to take in the vista from an open ridge, but we made it down just before dark. Just over 15.5 hours after we started, I was awarded my finisher hat—the one that said “DLBF” on the back (dead last but finished). The results aren't up yet, so I don't know how many finishers there were, but I know there were quite a few behind me who did not have the opportunity to complete course.
Two days later, I'm still a bit in awe that I actually finished. I'm slowly regaining full use of my left hand and the rest of me doesn't feel too bad!
Scott reluctantly went with me to fulfill his yearly race obligations. He did get to visit his friend Eugene and go for a mountain bike ride on the legendary trails of Oakridge, so there were some bonuses in it for him. He joined the volunteer crew at Aid Station #2 for most of the day and actually had a great time. He even said he would do it again. Maybe next year?
As we pulled into the Westfir School to check in for the race, one of my first thoughts was that everyone else seemed to know what this was all about while I didn't really have a clue what I was in for. Camps looked professionally set up; toned,fit mountain bikers rested on cots in the shade. It was the hottest day of the year so far at 100 degrees with near record heat predicted for the race. Luckily, we were staying with Scott's friend Eugene and got to avoid camping in the thunderstorm and taking cold showers in the gym. We did have to sit through an hour and a half long pre-race meeting in the sweltering gym, though. We learned about the course and received the standard “you could die” warnings. We met the hundreds of volunteers who do everything from cook our meals and manage aid stations to clear trees and debris from the trails and rebuild sections that were washed out from the record winter. The final course was in doubt until two days before the race since snow still remains at higher elevations. I won a nice sweatshirt in the drawing before we lined up for the pasta feed. One of the volunteers keeping track of people going through the food line didn't show up, so Eugene took over the task. After Scott and I finished eating, I took over for Eugene so he could eat as well—a little impromptu volunteer work to keep things rolling.
Lots of work to be done before the race still! We stopped at the grocery store for ice to put in my coolers to be dropped at the aid stations and some last-minute snacks. Back at Eugene's house, Scott took care of my bike (securing my number onto the handlebars, checking air pressure in tires and shocks, etc.) while I got my riding clothes ready, prepared food, and sorted the things I wanted into the cooler for the appropriate aid station. This would be Eugene's fourth Cream Puff; one of his roommates was camping on the course and the other would be heading out to Aid Station #4 early in the morning. It seemed like all of Oakridge was involved in this little mountain bike century ride! Finally in bed at 10:30, listening to the thunder crack as I imagined flash flooding on the trails and the hot sun steaming up the forest.
With a 3:45 alarm, we were at the start line at the covered bridge in Westfir at 5 a.m. for the mandatory check-in. At 5:30, the start horn sounded and the lead vehicle rolled out. We were off! I started near the rear of the 200-rider field with most of the 21 other women. It would be a long day—no reason to be in a hurry so soon!
The first three miles were flat pavement, a welcome warm-up before the 8-mile gravel road climb to Aid Station #2. The course was a figure 8 with Aid 2 in the middle; we would pass it four times. After the first climb, we would make two trips around the upper loop of the 8, then one and a half times around the lower loop to finish back at the covered bridge. I rode most of the first road climb,with two guys named Neil and Scott that I recognized from the Test of Endurance 50 two weeks ago. We chatted easily, staying in small gears to keep our legs fresh as long as possible. They stopped at the aid station, however, and I kept rolling. We had only been riding for 1.5 hours and I had plenty .of water and food to make it to the next stop.
Right after Aid 2, the fun really began! The road flattened and we turned left onto singletrack where we would climb, traverse and descend for over two hours . This was really fun riding except for some really tight switchbacks that I had to walk and the trip up Winberry Divide that seemed steep and relentless. I rode bits of it, but everyone else seemed to be walking and I followed suit. It wasn't much faster to ride the steep grade and it seemed prudent to save the legs. Then a fun descent to Aid Station #3 at mile 25. This was a mandatory stop to obtain a sticker proving you got here. Someone offered to take my bike while another volunteer grabbed my camelback to refill the water reservoir. What service! I expected to have to do all the work myself! The volunteers encouraged everyone to hydrate up for the grueling climb ahead. A couple miles up the road I realized this was the part I brought my iPod for and made a brief stop to put my headphones on. As Cake's tempo pepped me up, I cruised past rider after rider on the moderately steep winding grade. I was prepared for a couple hours of climbing and was pleasantly surprised to come around a turn and see Aid Station #4 after only an hour and a half! I had a cooler here with an extra water reservoir, some leftover pizza and a carton of chocolate milk. I switched out the bladder, drank the milk and ate some oranges and bananas from the aid station. A water hose siphened water out of an icy creek for a makeshift shower, so I cooled off before I rode out to the BeeGees' “Stayin' Alive.” It was encouraging to hear that it was only seven miles to Aid 2—the end of the first loop and almost halfway through the race. The grade was also less steep so I was able to keep a good pace and arrived at Aid 2 in only 45 minutes.
Since Aid 2 was by far the biggest in terms of supplies and support (including Scott and the cooler I dropped here), I planned a bit of a break at this point. Someone took my bike to lube the chain, I used a portapotty and applied more chamois cream (if you don't know about chamois cream, suffice it to say that it's the only thing that makes it possible to sit on a bike saddle for 15 hours!) and Scott brought me various food and drinks which I either consumed ravenously or rejected by making a face.
Rested and resupplied (more water, more Heed and Perpetuem), I set out for lap two. It was nice to know what was coming for the next 30 miles (as long as I didn't think too hard about the Winberry Divide hike) and the trail seemed easier the second time around. Another mandatory stop at Aid 3 for a second sticker. I tried to get moving quickly, however, shoveling in some fruit and downing my Red Bull while my camelback was topped off. More Heed and Perpetuem. With the iPod back on, I was feeling surprisingly strong for the second 18-mile uphill grind, again passing quite a few riders. I got a thumbs up from another guy wearing an iPod—we later chatted about how much it helped. Still, my body was starting to feel the effort. One moment, my hand was numb, my back ached and my butt was on fire; a moment later I felt invincible; then back to hurting again. This time I only stopped at Aid 4 long enough to trade my empty Perpetuem bottle for a full one of Cytomax. Since eating is hard for me when I'm hot and tired, the liquid calories and electrolytes were critical; it's important to take things in continuously and not wait until you feel like you need it.
I finished the loop in 4.5 hours, the same amount of time it took me the first time around. I felt good about this, was still feeling strong and decided not to rest at Aid 2 this time. With only 28 more miles to ride, it seeemed certain that I would finish! A quick lube and resupply (more Heed and Perpetuem for Energizer-Bunny-like endurance) and I set out for eight miles of trail I hadn't seen yet, but almost all of it downhill to the covered bridge. The hard part would be leaving the finish line to do another loop! Three women passed me on the downhill—bummer, but I can probably catch them on the climb. My hands were aching from so much time on the handlebars and working the brakes.
When I finally arrived at Aid Station #1 by the finish line, a race official was telling the other women that we should consider our chances of making it to the top of the climb by the 7:30 p.m. cutoff time. We were told that if we were a few minutes past the cutoff time but looked strong we would be allowed to continue. I thought my chances were good and so did they. We weren't quitting now! After a quick bathroom break and with a full camelback, I rode out in pursuit of the other women who had already taken off. A mile later I wondered why my bike felt funny and realized I had a flat. My first thought was that I was done and should just hike the mile back to the finish. But I had come this far and wasn't giving up easily! My left hand could barely function after 13 hours of holding vibrating handlebars and operating brakes for long periods of time and it took me nearly 20 minutes to change my tube. I also drank another Red Bull and got out the iPod.
I rolled through the remaining two miles of singletrack and turned up the road for the final climb. This was the steepest climb of the day, but while the bulk of the field did it in the blazing hot sun, I had cool evening shade. A course marshall on a motorcycle came looking for me, wondering if I was in fact persevering. I was the last to leave Aid Station #1 since the cutoff time was nearing. He hinted that perhaps I should turn back then said that my boyfriend had told him I was pretty stubborn. My position was that if I didn't finish this race it would be because they wouldn't let me continue and not because I voluntarily quit. I finally made it to the top at 7:55—25 minutes past the cutoff.
Uncertain of my fate, I traded my sunglasses for regular glasses and Scott ziptied my headlamp to my helmet. McKenzie, the course sweeper (the guy who rides down last to make sure no dead bodies remain on the trail), had agreed to wait for me despite encroaching darkness. Scott joined us also. I still wasn't sure I would be an official finisher, but felt jubilant that I would complete the course! I did make one brief stop to take in the vista from an open ridge, but we made it down just before dark. Just over 15.5 hours after we started, I was awarded my finisher hat—the one that said “DLBF” on the back (dead last but finished). The results aren't up yet, so I don't know how many finishers there were, but I know there were quite a few behind me who did not have the opportunity to complete course.
Two days later, I'm still a bit in awe that I actually finished. I'm slowly regaining full use of my left hand and the rest of me doesn't feel too bad!
Scott reluctantly went with me to fulfill his yearly race obligations. He did get to visit his friend Eugene and go for a mountain bike ride on the legendary trails of Oakridge, so there were some bonuses in it for him. He joined the volunteer crew at Aid Station #2 for most of the day and actually had a great time. He even said he would do it again. Maybe next year?
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Cascade Cream Puff
At the early morning start
