Oregon 24 Race Report

reacpped by the wifer:

When I went to Pine Mountain Sports on Friday to pick up my race packet, I was feeling pretty good.  I had my nutrition dialed and had been “tapering” (ie not doing much) for the two weeks prior to the race.   There were only two women signed up online in my category.  That is, until I went to go pick up my packet.  A team racer from California had since signed up, as well as a woman from Portland who had done about every race listed on the OBRA website last year (yikes!) .  And then a Pine Mountain employee and another woman had registered late as well, putting 5 of us in the open women category.  Uh oh.  No time to back out now.  On Friday night Tiago helped move the Airstream into position and I got the car all packed up.  Was a little nervous about the tires I had just replaced Wednesday, since the back tire was taking a while to seal up completely, but it finally seemed to be holding air.  I also threw “Kermit” in the truck as my backup bike, my green 9zero7 fat bike inherited/stolen from Tiago.  He suggested that it might do well in sandy conditions. 

On Saturday morning I got through the Lemans start jogging slowly so as not to hurt my recovering ankle and got into line on the trail. Everything was a cloud of dust for the first lap, which I knew would be the worst.  I concentrated on controlling my heart rate and riding steady, and finished my first lap (11 miles per my garmin) in about 1:10.  My race plan was to do each lap including rest time in about an hour and a half, and since the laps were so short, I did two at a time.  Also because I had two cages on my bike so I had to refuel after two anyway.  The second lap was almost the same pace, so I made myself come in for a break even though I didn’t need the rest yet.  After all, it’s all about pacing. 

Went out for the next two (laps #3 and 4)and still felt okay, and lap times were holding within 10 minutes or less, which I thought was a good sign.  When I came in for the next break, I was feeling a little more tired than I had hoped- after all, I had only ridden 40 miles- not even close to my long rides yet! – but I took my obligatory break and Tiago was there to help me swap out nutrition/water and clean the bike off.  It was also time to eat dinner (ramen noodles=salt and carbs) and drink some mountain dew for a little caffeine (but not too much or it would cause abdominal cramping).  Feeling refreshed, I thought about how my mother would be appalled at my race diet, but hey, it seemed to be working.  I also ate almost an entire bag of grapes- cold and high water content- yum! My new favorite race food.

Laps 5 and 6 were a little harder still, but it was starting to cool off so by the end I was feeling a bit refreshed.  I concentrated on drinking the Infinit (my sports drink of choice- no GI distress with this one and electrolytes included!  Big fan. . . .) and was rehydrated enough to have to pee.  (hooray!)  The light was fading though and it was time to turn the lights on.

Lap 7 was rough.  With the fading light, and more so the fading legs and worsening sand, I had a few falls -on the derailleur side of course.  Remembering that the reason I started singlespeeding in the first place was because of my tendency to be hard on derailleurs, I started to get a bit nervous.  Sure enough, after only 3 miles I shifted into granny going up hill and the chain fell into the spokes so hard it threw me off the bike.  I couldn’t get the chain out no matter how hard I pulled.  One biker asked if I needed help and when I said yes didn’t stop (!), but finally somebody else came and helped me yank the chain out, requiring removing the rear wheel to do so.  I said thanks and got on the bike again, figuring if I avoid the easiest gears I should be able to get back .  I just hoped it was the hanger and not the actual derailleur.  Luckily it took my focus off how loose everything was and I finished the first night laps (close to 88 miles at that point) just at 12 hours into the race.  I remember wishing it was a 12 hour race, because even though I was exhausted at that point, I still felt relatively okay.  Tiago took my bike to the mechanic’s tent to get the derailleur fixed (luckily it was just the hanger) but meanwhile had helped me get the fat bike ready.  I figured the loose conditions in the dark would lead to slow lap times anyway, so why not try the fattie?  Besides, I had taken an extended (1 hour) rest to reward myself for keeping on schedule.  I was feeling pretty worked, but happy with my efforts up to that point.

So I set off on laps 9 and 10 on the fatbike around 1am.  Unfortunately I had asked Tiago to make some coffee before I left because I was really cold at that point, and I didn’t even think about the fact that so much caffeine was not a good thing.  I had pretty bad stomach cramping on that first lap, but they eventually went away and I was able to drink water.  My right knee was starting to ache though, and pedaling around alone in the dark made me wonder what I was trying to prove here.  I did realize though that my uncertainty about not being able to finish a 100 mile race was silly, and that maybe next year I should sign up for a race with a definite finish, which mentally seemed easier to deal with, rather than having to keep pushing myself to go out on laps simply to see what I could accomplish, since I knew that I was 4^th place (second to last!) at that point and really wanted to sleep, and if I am just racing for me then wouldn’t sleep really be better for me?  I had mantras as I was riding to keep my mind off of the pain, and created songs in my head to distract/amuse myself as I went along.    

The good news is that by the end of lap 10, I had ridden 112 miles (about as much as last year) and the fat bike was actually perfect!  Though people thought I was crazy (after all, it weighs about 35+ pounds), the tires were incredibly stable on the loose washout and I was able to keep more speed on the fatbike than the blur. (Speed  being a relative term when you are going as slow as I was at that point.  I only wished I had more pep in my legs to convince others that the bike really was a good choice- I’m afraid my pathetically slow riding was not really selling the bike’s handling abilities)  I would hesitate to say it was fun, since I was exhausted at this point, but I did wonder why the heck I didn’t start out riding this bike.  An added bonus was the gripshifts, since my wrist was starting to hurt as well from shifting. 

I came in around 5 am (with a quick stop between laps to fix the limit screw-- lying flat on my back on the asphalt looking up at the stars while I talked to Mark from Pine as he worked on my bike and acted like my behavior was perfectly normal).  I  planned to take a quick nap and then take a dawn ride.  The dawn ride was my goal- I knew if I could make it to daylight it would be over soon.  The problem was there were still 7 hours left to race and I was hurting- upper back, knees, skin on my backside.  Ouch!  Luckily my husband was there at every lap to help me get the bike ready for the next lap, feed and water me, and generally help with my requests as I lay pathetically on the couch.  He made me some oatmeal for breakfast and I cuddled up with Otis for warmth for my nap.

The alarm went off at 6:00 and I hit snooze.  Then about every 5 minutes I would look at Otis and say “I have to go now”.  I just could not motivate- it was really cold out (and my puppy was so warm and soft!), I was really sore, and I was at a motivational low.  The thought of getting back on my bike made me want to vomit.  By 7am though, I couldn’t put it off anymore and set out for my first morning lap. 

Lap 11 actually made me feel better.  More alert- I was definitely slower (I think this lap was around 1:40) and I had to walk a few technical sections I just didn’t have the energy to power through, but I made it up the climbs and kept it in granny for large chunks of time.  I had been on the fatbike since lap 9, and kept it as the bike of choice for the rest of the race.  When I came in and Mike Ripley the race organizer told me there were pancakes (mmmmm), I almost called it a day.  But it was a 24 hour race after all, and I figured I should do at least one more lap.  Ugghhh it was painful.  I continued to get lapped by all the team racers, and continued to wonder what I had gotten myself into and why I thought this would be fun.  I don't think I could have gotten through it without the support of my husband, but also my teammates on Cascade Couriers/Bend Velo, who showed up to support even if I didn't know they were there (Eric and Amber) and when I did but I was so tired it was a blur (Sami and I'm pretty sure I caught a glimpse of adorable Iris) and anyone else I might have missed.  A big thanks to all who encouraged me before and after as well- definitely appreciated it more than you know!  Also met some of the Deschutes Brewery crew who were camping next door, and saw some old friends on the Boneyard team.  Overall a pretty stellar event, and thanks to Mike and Mudslinger events for putting it on!

Half comatose, we packed up and I took a nap before heading out to the Blacksmith for some post-race protein loading.  Perfectly seared tuna steaks- now this was worth it!  Too bad there is no 24 hour sleeping contest- pretty sure I would have won that!

High Cascades 100 Garmin Data

High Cascades 100 Pix

5:30 came early....300+ riders getting ready for 100 miles of fun...only 26 singlespeed gluttons for punishment signed up.

 my tongue pose heading along 'Funner'

bottom of descent by Skyliners:

finishing up the descent before the big grind / climb

 Lava Lakes - the lake looks cool, the temps were scorching at this point....right before the crux of the day coming up....

 More Lava Lakes

ahhh, 100 miles later.....singlespeed+hardtail+100 miles + old man = OUCH!

High Cascades 100 Race Report

it is a long one so bear with me.....

I had been watching the weather like a hawk over several days prior to the High Cascades.  The forecast was grim...hot, followed by hot, to be topped off by HOTT!  Race day was on Saturday and the forecast was calling for 90's which was less than ideal but the reality was that everyone would have to contend with the oppressive temps and hydrate/eat accordingly.

The Escondido Gorilla (name witheld to protect the innocent...namely, the rest of his family!) and I had coordinated to sign up for the race and make our annual (going on the 3rd year) suffer fest of some kind.  The High Cascades was on the radar this year and it did not disappoint.

EG (Escondido Gorilla) rolled into town on Thursday night and we promptly went down to webcyclery on Friday to pick up his rental bike....yup, you read it correctly...nothing like doing a hundie on a rental.  In order to put this into context, the EG had broken his titanium frame (his 3rd titanium break victim), as well as his backup aluminum frame prior to race day.  His bike quiver was down to his old trusty steel tank with cantilever brakes for the last month of training.

Fast forward a month and we picked up his bike the day before the race.  The EG had never ridden full suspension or a 29'r so my guess is that it would be a hate OR love relationship for the hundie.

Race day arrived quickly enough.  We woke up at 4 a.m. to try and get some calories in our system before the race started at 5:30.  I was afraid to look at the thermometer as it felt like it did not cool off much over night and my suspicions were confirmed when I mustered the courage to look at the temps and see that it was a nice and balmy 63.  This made the pucker factor go up a little.... We made it to the starting line without incident and waited for the 5:30 start gun to go off.  There was a neutral roll out for a couple miles and the race was ON as soon as the neutral roll out vehicle pulled off to the side and did the horn honk.  As the horn honked, the 300+ riders start to settle into our pedal cadence and for me, it was a moment of reflection and realization of what was to come.

I should probably elaborate on the race being 'ON'....all things being relative of course...# 1, most people can't 'race' for 100 miles (other than a few select freaks), and the second part of the elaboration is that the 'race' was 'on' for those with gears.  Those of us on singlespeeds got to watch the 'race' go by us as we spun out on the first 7 miles of pavement.  Within those gearies, was the EG who promptly whizzed by me during this paved section.

Soon enough we hit the junction where Mike (race organizer) was standing and accurately proclaimed, 'Welcome to the apocalypse'.  As soon as we hit the road, the dust was thick thick thick.  You could see  about 3 riders in front of you and then the dust cloud got thick enough that you could not see much further. It quickly registered that in comparison to last year, this was going to be a hotter, dustier, looser affair.

I was able to reel some people in during the climb up the dirt road and about half way up the climb I passed the EG in the middle of the apocalyptic dust cloud.  It is amazing how much of a haboob over 300 mountain bikers can cause!   We climbed until we reached a junction where we quickly turned left and rode up another dirt road for a little bit to catch the Larsen trail.  At this point, the positioning in the conga line was pretty much set until Wanoga.  It was time to settle in and accept the pace of the conga line on the trail.  Larsen was much looser than the prior year and the dust cloud continued to kick up from all the rubber turning.  The conga pace can be a little challenging on a singlespeed when people slow down going uphill and you are forced into a very slow pedal crank to maintain whatever speed the line is moving.
Larsen turned into Tiddlywinks and we cruised through to the junction where we would catch the trail 'Funner' and climb it uphill to Wanoga.  It was fairly uneventful and it made no sense to try to gain positions on this section of trail considering there were few places to pass and it was still very early in the race.

The first aid station was at Wanoga and I kept moving knowing that I had enough water and calories to get me to aid station 3.  We took the upper section of Tiddly to the dirt road and then climbed up the dirt road and eventually towards Vista Sno Park area.  I had pre-ridden this a couple of weeks prior and more or less knew what to expect relative to conditions and climbing.  The descents are always a little tricky in this area as there is usually one good line with lots of eroded and soft lines surrounding it.  Given the dryness and ensuing dust cloud, it could make for a tricky descent if you could not see the good line.  I gave the person in front of me lots of room and knew enough to know where the good line was.  This was a good move as the guy in front of me got caught up in the erosion trough and went down awkwardly.  I slowed down, yelled out 'Rider Down' and asked if he was OK and when he responded affirmatively, I kept moving.

As we made our way up the dirt roads to Vista, I ran into some familiar faces and we had some quick exchanges.

I was still picking my way through people who got well ahead of me from the fast start of the race and felt like I had not yet found my tribe of people that I would end up with most of the day.  It seemed like the race did not thin out as much relative to the prior year.

As we approached Vista, I dreaded the Sand Wall as I knew it would be hike a bike for a short steep section until the pitch and road conditions got better.   We picked up the singletrack trail from the road that would take us down to Swampy.  There was a quick climb and then a fast descent into Swampy.  I skipped that aid station at Swampy since I had enough to get me to the next aid station 10 miles away.  At this point the legs were feeling good and the miles were clicking away quickly.

There was a conscious effort to make sure to stay hydrated in the early parts of the course as the latter half of the course was the 'hot section'.  Any lack of hydration in the first few hours would be very costly later so I drank, drank and drank.

We went up from Swampy and then got to Swede Ridge where we were able to let go of the brakes and haul down the ridge to Skyliners where we picked up road 4601.  Aid station 4 was just ahead (after the switchback) and a quick stop was in order.  You could feel the day getting hotter and it became even more evident as we were on road 4601 and there was no tree cover....it would be a sign of things to come.

I stopped at aid station 4 knowing that we had a nice climb ahead of us and I did not want to run out of water before hitting the next aid station at mile 57 (Dutchman Sno Park).  One of the volunteers filled my bladder in the wingnut and I think he might have spilled more than what made it into the bladder.  I got back in the saddle and could feel water flowing down my back.  It felt good but was concerned that the water would start to chap my hiney!  The weird thing was the water kept flowing down my back.  I stopped, squeezed my wingnut and thought it was just the excess water that had spilled out when filling it up.  After the wingnut wring it was time to keep moving.  I started pedaling and of course more water just kept flowing...something was not right.  I stopped again, opened up the wingnut and noticed that the cap on my bladder had not been closed properly and it was leaking like mad.  At this point there was probably less water in the bladder from 're-filling' than there was prior to stopping at the aid station.

The course took us up a quick connector road that contoured along the ridge and we quickly got on Mrazek where it would be a steady haul to Happy Valley and beyond.  There were a couple of sections where the trail kicked up and it was time to do a little grunting.  At this point, the race was starting to settle in terms of where your position in the race was.

As we went up Happy Valley, it got steep and I dismounted and did a little hike a bike thinking that it would save my legs for a little later.  Going through the old growth was amazing!  The riding up there is always stellar!  There are some great view of Broken Top with some varied terrain to keep it all super aesthetic.  The dreaded cramping was starting to take its toll and I swallowed a handful of electrolytes to try to keep it at bay.  At that point I knew it was going to be another variable to manage carefully going forward.

The course took us up to the top and we started to descend quickly towards Dutchman.  The descent was fun and fast and in pretty good shape relative to everything else we had ridden.

I got to the Dutchman Aid Station where I left a drop bag and swapped out my bottles/calories and had a slight sense of relief knowing that 75% of the climbing was behind us (at mile 57), but I also knew that the hard part of the day was ahead of us.

This is where the penalty for being on a singlespeed really started to show itself.  The remaining part of the race was lumpy and technical and HOT.
As I left Dutchman, I tried to re-set the brain for focusing on what lay ahead.  I hit Metolius Windigo that would take us around Bachelor over to Lava Lakes.  You could feel the heat rising and I tried not to dwell on it and tried to enjoy the riding until the next aid station at Lava Lakes.

About 2 miles into the Metolius Windigo trail I came across a couple of riders that were stopped.  I immediately stopped and asked if they were OK.  I realized...not so much.  One of the guys looked like he took a bad fall and had a pretty bloody face.  The rider with him said he had a concussion and to let the next aid station know.  I hopped back in the saddle with the goal in mind of getting to the next Aid station about 9 miles away to let them know.

The course made its way to Lava Lake via sharp volcanic tuft that made you think your tires were vulnerable each time you rolled over them.  This section of the trail is not very 'flowy' and you just bump along without being able to gain a lot of speed.  On the hard tail singlespeed, it really starts to take its toll as you feel every bump.

The Lava Lakes aid station came up and I communicated the status of the rider 9 miles back.  I drank a cold cup of coke, grabbed a couple of M&M's and moved along knowing the worst part of the day lay right ahead.  We had a 1,100 foot climb ahead of us and it was peak heat in dead air.  Yeehaa!  I swallowed another handful of electrolytes and focused on the grind ahead.
The climb got steep/loose and I hopped off the bike and started the hike a bike / ride alternating.  This would continue for about 45 minutes until I crested and then started the downhill.  For some reason, this section of trail seemed much more technical than I had remembered.  It might have been a function of purposely forgetting, or not remembering from being so delirious, or feeling more tekkie due to the heat, or just feeling beat up from around 70 miles of singlespeeding.
Regardless, I had a hard time finding my flow as not only was the trail rocky, but it was loose and rocky.  Even the little ascents were littered with technical lines that were a combination of firm rock, loose rock, and loose sand.

At this point, I was focused on getting to the next Aid Station ad Edison to get a quick reprieve.  I refilled my water and tried to keep moving without too much delay.  The problem with waiting around is that it gives your brain and body a chance to start griping given the abuse you are putting them through.

There was one significant climb left and then it would be mostly downhill until the finish.  It was time to put on the big boy pants and grind up the last climb of the day.  It was not pleasant...but somehow the bike and body made their way up the climb and there was a certain sense of relief when the descent started.  At this point the body ached and the usually flowy downhill turned into a double black diamond descent for me as each little bump felt amplified as the body let me know just how unhappy it was.
The miles ticked away and it was time to stay focused on the descent and not get too sloppy.  Tiddlywinks descent turned into Storm King and then to pavement...ahhhhhh - at least the last 7 miles would be bump free!
I got passed up by a few geared guys on the 7 mile paved return but all I could think about know was the finisher growler that awaited.

My race was coming to an end as we dropped into the last little section of singletrack that would pop us  onto the finish line...ahhhh, there it was, the finish line....
The missus was there and she took my bike to relieve me of having to look at it any longer.  There was a volunteer there with a cold wet towel and cold water bottle...mmmmm....me likey...

All in all, it was a long hard day as they always are.  The course was more difficult this year in part due to the extra elevation gain, but mostly due to the heat and the course conditions (dry and loose).

It felt great to meander over to the growler finisher area and pick up a growler.  The triviality of having something to show you suffered and finished seems ridiculous but man ohhhh man it always feels good!

as for the Escondido Gorilla....The EG had his own demons during the race.  At about mile 55, he decided to test the 'hardness' of the local volcanic tuft against the 'hardness' of his jaw.  He had a bad fall and stumbled into the Dutchman Aid Station where they looked at him and said 'You are not allowed to continue'.  After about 35 minutes he finally persuaded them to let him keep going (although he had to be accompanied by a couple of riders to 'keep an eye on him').  Each aid station knew to look for #267 and make sure he was OK.

The EG crossed the finish line and we yelled words of encouragement until we saw him up close and realized he was a hurtin' gorilla.  We took him to the medic tent and our priority became his well being as the medics started to check him out.  As they poked and prodded, it was determined he needed to go to the ER to make sure nothing serious was going on.  They put the EG in a neck brace and we took him to the hospital for a CAT scan.  By some stroke of good fortune, there was no broken anything!  Although I would venture to guess that if we were able to find the rock he bounced his jaw off, there might be a good size divet in it.
I could tell the EG was in pain and we tried to keep conversation light as we waited on the results of the CAT scan and the morphine to kick in for the pain.  At this point EG could talk out of the side of his mouth and drink water out of the side of his mouth.

They released him from the hospital we all let out a collective sigh of relief.  I fear that his missus will confiscate his remaining steel steed in his quiver after this last episode and I fear even more that he won't be let out to play with me anymore as something always seems to happen when he gets the green light to partake in some silly pursuit with me.

as a wrap, I would like to thank Mudslinger for an amazing event!  You guys and ALL the volunteers ROCK!

MTB Ashland

In an effort to prep for the HC hundie, I have been easing off on saddle time / mileage in order to let the legs rest a little for the long day this upcoming Saturday.  It is always a bit of an art to rest the legs / body in prep for peak performance.  I have yet to figure out the algorithm but am not sure whether it is poor training leading up to the taper, or the taper proper, or the fact that a hundred miles on a mountain bike is going to hurt regardless of what you do.  I am going with the latter but hopeful that I can fine tune the body enough to help maximize performance on 'race' day.

One of the interim rides of the taper came on Saturday where we were able to sneak out for a quick ride.  There was quite an elevation punch in the short ride so it was good to put the legs under a little stress.  Fortunately, most of the climbing was done about an hour into the ride and we were able to enjoy the downhill.  We descended via Toothpick to Caterpillar to Alice in Wonderland to BTI.  It was a good day out in the saddle but it is still weird to wonder how the legs will feel in a few days.  With a little luck the taper and training will have been timed well enough to survive the day.

The new variable in the mix for Saturday's race is the weather.  We had a great forecast for a while and then the hammer dropped a few days ago.  The forecast temps of low 80's have changed to now forecast mid to upper 90's.  This will definitely throw a new element to manage carefully during the day...hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate....My body does not like heat very much so this will definitely be a very real challenge to have to stay on top of.

Some other pictures from the adventure to Ashland and Saturday's ride:

MTB Ashland - Cars in Wonderland?

We did a quick trip to Ashland this past weekend and managed to squeak in a ride on Saturday.  We made our way up the FS road and took Toothpick down to Caterpillar to Alice in Wonderland and BTI.

The excitement (excluding the Toothpick descent) was when we started making our way down Alice in Wonderland and came across this:

Tyler's Traverse Pix

MTB Tyler's Traverse

The extensive trail network in Bend continues to evolve and grow.  I decided to head over to the Wanoga complex of trails and find the Tyler's Traverse trail that had just recently been completed.  I rode up the paved road to the bottom of Tyler's Traverse and rode up.  Tyler's eventually kicked you out onto a road and it was fuzzy as to where the trail disappeared to.  I decided to ride the dirt road up until the intersection that takes you either to Edison or back to Wanoga.  I decided to take the system back to Wanoga and lo and behold I saw a faint trail that veered off to the right.  I figured that had to be the elusive Tyler's Traverse!  I took the trail down and quickly figured it was Tyler's.

The descent was fun and fast with some nice sight lines that let a guy lay off the brakes and haul booty. Soon enough I was back at the junction where I was trying to find the continuation of Tyler's.  Now it was all puzzling itself together.
From Tyler's, I picked up the Larsen trail into Storm King and back to the car.

It is always cool to find new trail to explore and I look forward to baking that into the standard ride recipes....

as for the legs, it is hard to tell where they are but we are winding down in prep for the HC hundie.  I did not hammer much but the upside is that they did not feel like lead...

High Cascades Hundie Training

This past week marked the last BIG training ride prior to race day in a little less than two weeks.  I will still be putting time in the saddle but no more long rides prior to 'race day'...as always I used the word 'race' amusingly since I will not be racing but instead riding my bike and hoping to finish.

In a way it feels good to know there are no more super long days in the saddle left, but it always leaves a bit of apprehension wondering whether the training was enough, the right time, etc....What is done is done at this point.  There really is not too much to gain relative to fitness prior to the event.  This is more a statement about timing than it is about 'fitness' per se.

HC Hundie Prep

After a romp around the Ochocos on Saturday, it was time to bump up the saddle time on Sunday and log some miles.  The forecast had temps in the mid 90's so the plan was to get up and start riding early in order to get ahead of the heat a little.

It was time to start pre-riding the course and remember what the course was all about.  The course sounds like it is changing a little so I was curious to ride the changes in order to mentally gauge the level of effort at different stages throughout the hundie.  The day moved along until the heat switch got flipped and I started to ride up 4601.  My Garmin read 104 degrees and the road was loose gravel with a bit of a steep factor to it.  Another variable in the mix was that it was the heat of the day, the sun was high and there was no shade at all on the road.
I bonked hard!  The heat just baked and zapped me.  The sun was beating down on the gravel and the gravel radiated the heat back up onto me.
About 2/3 of the way up the climb, I had to find a tree on the side of the road take refuge in the shade for a few minutes.  I was getting dizzy and was starting to go deep into my reserves.  The smart move was to just sit in the shade for a few minutes and drink some liquids and let the mental and physical fatigue try to recover for a moment.
After a few minutes, there was a lone cloud that covered the sun up for a very brief window of shade.  I decided that was my window to get moving.  I hopped on the bike and finished off the last section of road and tied into Mrazek and started the descent back home.  I was still about 15 miles out and it was beastly HOT.  The further I descended, the hotter it got...urggg

By the time I got to the bottom of Mrazek, my water bottles were hot enough to make tea with.  Crazy! I made it back home but paid the price for suffering in the heat.  It was a long day and my only thought after the ride was I sure hope the temps return to 'normal' for race day because triple digits is brutal.

Some pictures from the ride that started at home, then COD to the dirt road that connected to Larsen to funner to another dirt road that hit the sand wall and continued to Vista then to Flagline connect where I decided to check out the spur to the top of Vista Butte....then back down to Swampy, up to Swede Ridge, down Sector 16, Upper Whoops, Skyliners, the inferno that was 4601 to Mrazek to Shevlin and back home...it makes me tired just thinking about it....67 miles and over 7 hrs of saddle time...but it felt like much much more considering the heat.

MTB Ochoco Pix

MTB Ochoco Lookout Mtn

The thermometer has been approaching triple digits recently and the challenge is getting up early enough to ride or finding somewhere that is not quite so hot.  We got an early start on Saturday and met a couple of friends who were going to show us a ride in the Ochocos.  The theory was that it would be a little cooler up there, and the added bennie was that the wildflowers were going off.

It took a little over an hour to get to the trailhead where we promptly rode up a paved road to the pass and then caught a dirt road that continued to climb until the trailhead proper.  The ride up the road was hot and we were all wondering how this would bode for the rest of the day.  Fortunately, that was the hottest part of the day as the sun was hitting the asphalt and that heat was radiating back up on to us.

It was awesome to be riding new terrain which had a very different feel to it than what we are used to riding out of our back door.  The wildflowers were indeed in bloom and the best part was that the trail was pretty tacky!  It was perfect riding.

We climbed up to the summit where we were treated to 360 views.  The views did not disappoint as you could make out the Cascades to the west.  You could see Bachelor through Jefferson in the far distance.  There was a nice breeze at the top and it made for a great place to stop and take it all in...which we gladly did!  There were some punchy climbs and the ride packed in a surprising 3,400 feet of climbing in slightly less than 20 miles.  Yeehaa!

The descent was more technical than I was expecting but it was fun to ride something with a little more 'consequence'.  I was also surprised at how steep the descent was.  It was a really nice grade going downhill and I kept thinking how it would suck having to go up that route.  Between the rock and the steepness, the ride up to the pass on the road was much preferred!

The descent was really fun and fast and you had to pay attention around some of the bends or you could easily launch into space.  The trail was nice and sticky with great traction.  The timing for the ride was perfect.  We will definitely have to keep this in the rotation of rides.  Very cool!