I spent the past weekend racing at the 24 Hours of Adrenalin @ Hurkey Creek. I got invited to join a 5-man team in the middle-age category (combined ages 200+) that formed just a week or two before the event - thus the team name “Just In Time”.
So basically what you’re supposed to do is to ride as many laps as you can in a span of 24 hours. We started on Saturday at noon and ended at noon on Sunday. Each lap was about 9.5 miles long with about 1300 ft of elevation gain. Since I was part of a team, we took turns going out.
Our team decided to double up on the night laps so we could get more sleep. But it sure is hard to fall asleep under these conditions. And a few guys on our team had light mechanicals, so I couldn’t sleep with them yelling “I need a light!!” and “How come this isn’t working??”.
Lap 1 - 0:56
First lap felt good. Course was in great shape, and it was a bit warm, but not too hot. I was actually surprised at my time, as my pre-ride times were a bit slower. I guess the “adrenalin” takes over.
Lap 2 - 1:02
Lights on! I picked up a Dinotte 400L to use as a helmet light and I couldn’t be more pleased. I actually ended up running the light at 50% due to a lot of weird particles in the air.
Lap 3 - 1:05
Early early morning lap. I can’t believe how cold it was. Someone said it was 30 degrees. I won’t argue that. Just standing there waiting for my team to come in…brrrrrr. I don’t think I ever quite warmed-up for this lap. I kept asking the volunteers at the checkpoints for hot chocolate or coffee, but all they had was water and gu.
Lap 4 - 1:07
Second of a back-to-back lap. Sun was finally up and the cold was quickly going away. I thought I would finish a bit quicker, but I guess the little break I took to drop off my lights cost me a minute or two.
Lap 5 - 1:03
Based on the time I finished my last lap, I didn’t think I was going to go out again. But back at camp after my 4th lap, I saw my teammate pulling manzanita thorns out of his face with needle nose pliers. Since he was in need of stitches, we decided it’d be best that I take his place. Knowing that you’re on your last lap is always the best feeling, but I just wish I had more gas left in me.
We ended up doing 22 laps in 24:30 or something like that, good for 5th out of 13 in our class I initially didn’t think we’d be competitive since we got the team together at the last moment, but we didn’t do too badly. We probably lost about 1:15-1:30 due to light mechanicals and meetings with manzanita bushes, but I guess that’s the kind of stuff that just happens at these races. Something is always bound to go wrong.
Tags: 24 hour, endurance race, hurkey creek, mountain bike race
Summer is over and we’ll be losing an hour of afternoon daylight at the end of next month. I started training for the final 12 Hours of Temecula in November. It’ll be my last race in the beginner class, and hopefully it goes well.
In the meanwhile, I’ll be riding on a 5 man team at the 24 Hours of Adrenalin @ Hurkey Creek in two weeks.
August 2008
Total Distance - 347.78 miles
Total Time - 31:59:41 hours
Total Ascent - 20,924 feet
Total Calories Burned - 20,030
2008 YTD
Total Distance - 2123.70 miles
Total Time - 225:05:11 hours
Total Ascent - 208,215 feet
Total Calories Burned - 174,981
Tags: ascent, bike log, mountain bike
My quest for a stiffer bike for endurance racing has led me to a Turner Sultan 29er. More details after I get a few rides in.
Frame: 2008 Turner Sultan, Medium Bronze with High Volume RP23
Fork: Fox F29 F100
Hubs: 2008 Shimano M975 XTR
Rims: Stan’s Arch 29er 32h
Spokes/Nipples: DT Competition 14/15/14 Spokes w/ DT Alloy Nipples
Front Tire: Bontrager Dry X
Rear Tire: Bontrager Dry X
Brakes: 2008 Shimano XT with XTR Rotors 180mm/160mm
Cranks: 2008 Shimano XT
Shifters: 2008 Shimano XT
Front Derailleur: 2008 Shimano XT
Rear Derailleur: 2008 Shimano XT Shadow
Seatpost: SDG 27.2mm
Saddle: SDG SL
Stem: Race Face Evolve XC 90mm
Handlebar: Easton SL70 Mid-Rise
Pedals: Shimano M540
Weighs in at 28.06 lbs currently.
Tags: 29er, Turner Sultan
Brown Santa dropped this box off this morning.
She’s a medium Turner Sultan @ 6.4 lbs.
Tags: 29er, Turner Sultan
My friends at Chumba Racing graciously lent me one of their prototype bikes to test out around local trails to get my impressions.
So off I headed to one of my local favorites - San Juan. Climbed up to Cocktail Rock and did the Old San Juan Loop around the top. There weren’t a lot of other riders out there and the weather was fantastic.
Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic. Anyways, the prototype did great. It’s very well balanced, where I don’t need to exaggerate my body position when climbing over rocks or dropping down. Nimble would be a good word for it.
And oh..I caught a glimpse of the Salsa Big Mama in the wild today. I didn’t know they were out yet. It must have been a bike industry guy or something. Oh well. Too late. I already ordered another FS 29er. Details to follow later on 
Tags: bikes, gpx, old san juan
I took a leisurely ride around Aliso & Woods canyons today. My route took me up Cholla, down Rock-It, up Mathis, down Meadows and finally back to the car.
I was a little dismayed to see what some kids did to some parts of the park though. I guess they thought it was cool to spray paint some rocks.
I hope they get what they deserve some day. Karma can be a bitch.