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Temecula, CA 24 hour pics (24 posts)
|  Temecula, CA 24 hour pics | Yeti_Rider
Apr 28, 2003 6:50 AM | | I accidently posted this in General Discussion but I meant to post it here, so here it is......
Here's a few pictures I took of the race this weekend. I was busy riding/dying most of the time so I didn't get too many from out on the course. I just got some at the start and my wife took a few of me towards the end of my first lap.
All in all, my team did pretty well. We came in 7th place out of 30 teams and if we didn't blow a few night time transitions we may have gotten as high as 5th place.
The course was brutal. Here's the profile if you haven't seen it before. That climb at mile 2 is every bit the b!tch it looks like. I quickly learned on the pre-ride that the places to recover were when the trail was just steep, as opposed to friggin STEEP!
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The descent at mile 4 got exciting, especially at night. There's a minimum speed you can really go down that sucker and it's slightly faster than you feel comfortable with. On my final lap, my luck finally ran out after surfing the rut all night and I ended up on my side for the only time in the race. Fortunately, I just tipped over more than anything and was able to quickly get on my way.
This course definately required a good all around rider to do well. The climbs were brutally steep, but so were the descents. Sure, you still make up way more time on the climbs but you could give a lot of time back if you weren't a competent descender. Of course, night time made it that much more interesting. There is a great feeling though when you ride down one of the steep sections and you're passing people as they're walking down. You know the're just thinking in the back of their head "freaking a-hole!"
We completed 20 laps as a team or a total of 230 miles with 37,800 feet of climbing during the race. Of course, Tinker beat us all by himself, but he's not really human anyway!
Anyway, nobody got hurt and we had a good time so that's really all that matters. Here's the pics.
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| Nice... | Timmy
Apr 28, 2003 7:17 AM | | We finished 10th in the 5-person open.
Not traveling at warp speed but having one h*ll of a lot of fun in the process.
Dragon's Back at 1:00 am! that was fun! |
| Nice... | Yeti_Rider
Apr 28, 2003 7:26 AM | | I only got to ride Dragon's Back one time in the daylight - on my opening lap.
the other three laps were all in the dark. I had the sunset lap where it was basically dark by the start of the first big climb, a 1 AM lap, and the sunrise lap, but it didn't get light until just after the hike-a-bike section. So, my strategy was just to keep the bike pointed downhill!
You guys had some very respectable lap times. That course was definately brutal so just to be able to complete the race without any major mechanicals or injuries is an accomplishment!
Michael |
| Nice... | Bonee
Apr 28, 2003 9:44 AM | | "This course definately required a good all around rider to do well. The climbs were brutally steep, but so were the descents. Sure, you still make up way more time on the climbs but you could give a lot of time back if you weren't a competent descender. Of course, night time made it that much more interesting. There is a great feeling though when you ride down one of the steep sections and you're passing people as they're walking down. You know the're just thinking in the back of their head "freaking a-hole!"
Yup, that was me. I hung near tha back of the pack at the LeMans start and was the 2nd to last one past the bottleneck. I passed about 35 people on the way to the 3.5 mile summit. But I suck on descents. I did OK with 3-4 people re-passing me leading up to Dragon's Back. But Tim and I did a test loop Friday, and although I made the two nasty sections at the end of it without incident, my life flashed before my eyes so I decided to run them during the race. Since the field wasn't spread out yet, about 12-15 people passed me as I had to step aside for them in large chuncks. Even the 4 of them that crashed still beat me to the bottom. Luckily on the other laps I only had to step aside for a rider or two (instead of 12-15) and maybe added a minute or so to my other laptimes.
I'm really not ashamed to say I walked it. I saw someone crash there on every lap, one person climbing up from the side drop-off on a night lap. As I ran by him I asked him if he was alright as I ran by. I heard there was one broken collarbone that had been had, but I don't know where it happened.
Tim, Steve and the rest of team D'oh! were pretty spent come 12:00 noon Sunday. But we had a respectable first outing and had a blast, which was the main point. Got home, took a nap, took a jump into the cold pool to cool off my sunburned skin, and thought about what a great time it was. Tim, you may have had this same thought, but I kinda wish one of us had gone out for a 16th lap. Next year! |
| About that 16th lap... | Timmy
Apr 28, 2003 10:16 AM | | Yeah,
After looking at the standings we could've moved up one space and possibly two by running Steve O. out one more time.
And he was ready and willing too..
...Next Time
Tim (did I just say next time?) |
| Next time | Bonee
Apr 28, 2003 11:40 AM | | 24 hours of Adrenaline at Idyllwild! Lets get the band back together. |
| I could be in for that! | Timmy
Apr 28, 2003 12:12 PM | | Only variable is it is about six weeks after the spud's due date.
Since this is a new experience I have no idea what to expect. Safe thing would be to say no, but since I think I've lost all common sense lately well... |
| it couldn't have been that bad | Yeti_Rider
Apr 28, 2003 12:29 PM | | if you're already thinking about doing the next one!
Idyllwild is a great course. Hard, but a different kind of hard than what we had this weekend.
Michael |
| Different kind of hard... | Bonee
Apr 28, 2003 1:05 PM | | What are the differences vs. Idyllwild?
Pretty much if you take out those two last sections of Dragons Back, I thought the course was great. I didn't mind the climbing except for the first lap and getting stuck behind walkers. The rest of the laps everyone was spread out enough so it was easy to get past others.
I heard Idyllwild has a longer descent that is very similar in difficulty to Dragons Back. |
| Different kind of hard... | Yeti_Rider
Apr 28, 2003 1:23 PM | | The Idyllwild course can basically be broken up into three distinct sections. Each on has a climb and a descent so you're not doing all climbing and then all descending or anything like that.
You start with a pretty healthy climb that is fairly technical in that the trail is littered with rocks. AFter that is a fantastic, fast descent into a grassy meadow. You climb out of the meadow and it's one of those climbs that doesn't seem like a climb until you realize that it's HARD! To make matters worse, the soil is pretty sandy and the last three years there's been a healthy headwind ready for you in the meadow.
You make the last steep climb out of the meadow and you have another descent but this one is a bit trickier. it's a bit steeper, looser, and the turns are tighter. It's really easy to miss a turn on this section.
You get out of that one and hit a bit of relatively flat ST and then a short climb that opens up onto a super fast fireroad descent for a little bit. AT the bottom of the descent is a fairly short but steep climb waiting for you. This one can get gruelling but it's over in 8 minutes or so (just guessing, seems like forever when you're on it of course). But, once you crest this hill, you're more or less home free.
You hit some fast twisty ST through the sagebrush and approach a short little hill that used to be a hike but now has a rideable bypass. At the top, you start the most technical of the descents. Sort of loose, sandy, and rutted out at times so you have to pay attention. Not anywhere near as steep as Dragon Back though. This descent gets you back to a fireroad which leads you back to the start finish line. However, just to piss you off, the course takes a right hand turn and heads straight up a short but steep (very similiar to some of the climbs on the opening ascent in Temecula) climb. You're tired adn all of a sudden this hill is facing you. You struggle up this and then you're home free. A bit of descending and then riding through a deep sand pit gets you back to the start line.
I think the climbing in Temecula is what made it hard. Since most of the climbs were so steep, you just had to spin. In idyllwild, I didn't use my granny gear until halfway through my third lap. Not that the climbs aren't tough, but they aren't as steep and they're sort of broken up. |
| I know this is a tough question to answer... | Bonee
Apr 28, 2003 2:13 PM | | But would you say if I felt 95% confident on everything at Temecula minus Dragons back's ending sections, would I find Idyllwild a more friendly course?
Tim and the rest of the team are sending me to Mammoth with a lift pass over the summer to get better on descents...or thats what they said anyway. |
| I know this is a tough question to answer... | Yeti_Rider
Apr 28, 2003 2:18 PM | | If you were more or less comfortable with the stuff in Temecula, you'll do fine in Idyllwild.
Mammoth is a lot of fun too. Even though you take the shuttle, there are plenty of trails to string together to make a more or less cross country downhill rather than heading straight down the hill. You can string several differnt trails together so you can start at the top of the mountian and ride all the way into town. There's a shuttle to pick you up and take you back. I think it was around 23 miles one way.
Michael |
| Oh, the race isn't the issue... | Timmy
Apr 28, 2003 1:16 PM | | We had a great team and I had more fun than I've had in a long time. I'm just glad I put the suspension fork back on otherwise that might have been another story.
The real issue however, (and one I think you will be sharing) is how to escape a 6 week old infant (just a guess) and a post-partum wife.
Yikes! Damn responsibilities! |
| yep | Yeti_Rider
Apr 28, 2003 1:24 PM | | two more months for me.
Apparently it isn't a good idea to ask your pregnant wife how long after the birth will you have to wait before you can go ride again......... :-)
F.W.I.W., the answer is apparently 2 weeks |
| re: Temecula, CA 24 hour pics | David M
Apr 28, 2003 7:19 AM | | Awesome pics! What happened @ that 1st small climb? Looks like a massive bottlenecking incedent! Tinker's in the obligatory BIG RING! |
| re: Temecula, CA 24 hour pics | Yeti_Rider
Apr 28, 2003 7:23 AM | | That was Tinker going out for his second lap. He was already about 6 minutes in front of anybody else. He climbed that little steep hill with the pile-up in the big ring and kept on going.
Michael |
| Oh, yeah | Yeti_Rider
Apr 28, 2003 7:27 AM | | that first little climb was about 1/4 mile from the start so after the Le Mans start, every rider got there at the same time. Once one person f'd up, nobody had a chance!
Michael |
| looks like a 2-ring setup he's got there, eh? (nm) | chickenlegs
Apr 28, 2003 7:32 AM | | nm |
| Very cool. | troy
Apr 28, 2003 7:36 AM | | Sounds like you guys had a blast. Wish I could have made it but was stuck playing Mr. Mom all weekend (which was fun in it's own way). |
| Way to go............ | DIRTJUNKIE
Apr 28, 2003 9:41 AM | | Good job Michael glad to see your still pounding the competition. You should post these on our local site. Jay |
| Way to go............ | Yeti_Rider
Apr 28, 2003 9:59 AM | | Thanks Jay,
I did post the message on the local board, http://www.mybikesite.com/socal/messages/messages/89177.htm
but the clique over there is such that OPP apparently was the only guy to race. Granted he gets kudos for doing that mother solo but every other post is how well he did.
Oh well, I get the love over here! :-) |
| re: Temecula, CA 24 hour pics | Don T. Ride
Apr 28, 2003 9:39 AM | | Yeti_Rider, good job and great pics. You got one of my team mates in two of your pics (team 55). We rode a man down, so I got to ride two daytime laps, then three nighttime laps, then one more daytime lap. Riding around Midnight, there were lights all over the trail, in the canyons and on the sides of the hills. At 4am, it was much lonlier, and much colder. My favorite part was the downhill sections after the hike-a-bike, between mile 7 and 9. |
| re: Temecula, CA 24 hour pics | Howeler
Apr 28, 2003 10:52 AM | | Nice pics and write up. I went out Sunday to watch then rode...man what a course, hated the steep ups but loved the downs. I can't even imagine doing 19 labs like Tinker did -that's about 40K worth of climbing -sic. |
| great writeup | Carter taylor
Apr 28, 2003 12:14 PM | | I was there the whole time but as support for a friend who was riding with Keith Bontranger. I had never acted as support before, but since I know what I need as a soloist I would just use the same methods.
I got to meet many new people, Keith, Rich and Jim who were riding together. The dirtmag crew camped next to us. Roy from NiteRider, I just wanted to thank him for the quality product and support that his company has provided for myself. Th epersonal attention from John Haywood when I really needed some help. Anyway I ended up with a NiteRider T-Shirt. Laird the promoter, I got to spend a little time with. Timari Pruis who was a female soloist. As she was leaving the transition tent late Saturday night, I said "hello, I remember you from the solo championships in BC last summer". To my suprize she stopped and we chatted for what I thought was quite some time about the course, how she felt, race schedules etc., and I also forgot to introduced myself too.
My friend who I was supporting told me I must ride a lap, he said how can I really benchrace if you don't know the course. The whole time I had kept hearing how brutal the course was, so I rode the last lap with him ( mind you behind him, I did no breaking wind and he wouldn't of asked anyway ), the only time I went in front of him was to ride the hike-a-bike, at which I waited and fell back into my spot behind him.
My thoughts of the course after being awake since 6:00 am the previous day: I loved the climb while on the road overlooking the lake. The steep climb after I liked also, i did this section for a 2nd time right after my friend finished the race. But that was as far as wanted to go again and turned around. I'm not sure where I started dislikeing the course, or if I even disliked it at all and was just tired.
The 1st section of down arrows were nothing, there were som Brinko's sunglasses there but I did not stop, I thought if they were still there I would get them the next lap which at that time I planned on doing.
I would think the rutted out downhills and nasty dirt probably is at the base of my negative thoughts of this course. As you mentioned, those ruts have to be ridden with some speed.
Maybe it was the latter part of the course with the corners blown out and the nasty dirt again. I would shift into the big chain ring, just get some momentum and then a hard blind corner would come up. I remeber there were quite a few of those.
Maybe it could of just been the heat and the nasty dirt.
Maybe it could of just been cause I was tired and the nasty dirt.
Maybe it was just the nasty dirt.
I lubed my chain prior to the lap and it was in bad shape long before I finished it.
I think I can now picture why Timari would rather chat with me than go out again, it was a brutal course and congratulations to all of you who raced it.
ps- did I tell you about the 3'(maybe bigger) rattlesnake I shooed off of the road about 10:30 Sunday morning? He was just sunning himself on the section of dirt road after you come off the single track and before the pavement.
Picture of Bontranger's Racers: Rich, Keith, Tony and Jim. |
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