Always Chasing Rainbows

My story "Always Chasing Rainbows" will be featured on Fiction 365 on July 11. 

www.fiction365.com

Rider Airlifted From Laguna Wilderness

My regards to the friends and family of this man.  He suffered a cardiac arrest while riding up Bommer Rd. near the back of El Morro Canyon.  I was riding with  Josh, and we came upon the scene.  It was sad and tragic, even though thoughtful and determined individuals tried to administer CPR, the man, a fellow mountain biker, passed away (I found this out later, although I watched as his caregivers were unable to get a pulse for nearly an hour).  The photo above, credited to Josh Wolff, shows the man being hoisted into the helicopter before a quick flight to Hoag.  It is easy  to say he died doing what he loved, but it that a true sentiment?  Or is it just a convenient way for the survivors and the witnesses to understand a tragedy.  I can't imagine I would go out riding if it meant I would die, even if it would only be one day before my eventual termination.  I'm not trying to be morbid or disrespectful.  A friend, someone I truly admired, died while road riding last fall.  This type of news is always difficult to accept - nothing is more horrific, final, and shocking than having a friend or relative die, so, of course, the inclination is to search for easy answers. 

This man, I know, was 67 years-old.  I hope he had a brilliant and fulfilling life.  I love this image of him being lifted into the blue sky.  Whatever your personal beliefs, there is something majestic about being lifted into the sky after your final breaths.  I watched both my parents die while confined to white-sheeted beds.  I wish everyone could be granted one final ride into the sunset.  Condolences to everyone who knew the man.  We should all try to stay alive, make the choices that promote our own health and well-being, and live each moment, each day, each opportunity, and, forgive me, ride each mountain-bike ride, as if it were the only one we had.

d

LA Festival of Books

 I will be at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books tomorrow (Saturday 4-21) signing copies of my book from12-2.  Look for me in the Menasha Ridge/Clerisy Press booth.

Counting Coup

With Feather at the Finish

Saturday was the big race...well, one of them.  I rode the Counting Coup, my first year as an official participant.  Last year I rode the course, unassisted, on race day.  This year I had a number plate, and I rode through the finishing gate  at 6:11.  I was aiming for six hours, and came close, close enough to be satisfied.

The Beginning at Blackstar

Race time is 5:30 a.m. which means getting up really early.  4:00 a.m. is not a time I like to see on my alarm clock.  This is supposed to be fun.   A few hundred of us line up in the pre-dawn darkness for a chance at suffering.  Actually, suffering is probably guaranteed, the success part is a bit more elusive.  There was a countdown, some drum beating, and a big feathery thing a couldn't see too well.  Then the race began.  The first few miles were quite surreal, riding through the dark canyon guided by narrow bike-light beams.    When the climbing began in earnest, the lights stretched out along the curving fire road.  Within 45 minutes the sun was up and I could see the landscape.  In an hour I was on Main Divide, watching the morning sun climb over the I-15 corridor.  It was a perfect day, views of the San Gabriels, the San Bernadino Mountains, and the big blue Pacific were all crystal clear.

After ten miles of mostly climbing (7 miles on Blackstar and 3 miles on Main Divide), the route reaches Pleasant's Peak.  The next four miles offer less daunting climbs and a few easy fire road descents.   This is the point where I found my crew, the people I would be riding near for the remainder of the race.  We passed each other, talked, joked, commiserated, and formed strategies for completion.  I passed (and was passed by) one rider in a Cadillac jersey.  We joked about his jersey (which he got for free after a test drive) and spoke about making the finish line in six hours.  We both had the same goal.

After 14 miles of dirt road, the course reaches the Silverado Motorway, an oddly named trail that switchbacks down to Silverado Canyon (and the start of Maple Springs Road).   The Motorway descent drops 3,000 feet in a little over three miles, and takes about 15 minutes to ride.  It's not a difficult descent, but it is rocky, and one of the keys to this race is making sure not to puncture or pinch a tire. ( I passed three riders fixing flats on this section alone).  The key is to go as fast as possible, and to stay on the main line.  At one point I had to pass a rider in a narrow gap and ended up rolling off-trail through a bunch of pointy skull-sized rocks.

I reached the bottom of the Motorway in 2 hours 35 minutes.  This is the site of the first aid  station, and I was greeted by a few friendly faces, including my friend Richard who gave me a big boost by riding the remainder of the course with me.    The key at the aid stations is to eat but not rest.  I filled up on water, got a few snacks and started walking.  Walking because I have a temperamental hamstring that needs to be stretched.  After a couple of minutes I was back on the bike.  This segment of the ride is essentially a 12-mile climb to Santiago peak.  There is not much to say about except that I made it.  This is also the portion of the ride - a second big climb - where training pays off.  Did I train?  No, not really.  I had only been on my bike twice in the previous four weeks. Not exactly dedication.  After my failed attempt to finish the Ultraquest (see earlier post), I had difficulty walking for a few days.  I was hamstrung by a sore hamstring and hip.  I decided to lay off the bike for a bit.  Then two weeks after the UQ,  I went out to do the Los Pinos trail (20 miles and 5,800 feet of climbing). I suffered a bit.  Part of the problem on Los Pinos was that I took the ride too lightly and didn't eat enough.  But I was also hampered by my hip and hamstring.  I wasn't sure what to do.  Ten days before the Counting Coup I decided I was out.  I was going to stay off the bike for at least a month.  Then I spent some days stretching and icing my leg, and began to have second thoughts about dropping out.  Five days before race day I decided to do a test run, enlisting Josh and Richard to ride the first leg of the race - Blackstar to Motorway. (Josh also rode the race on Saturday, coming in 34 minutes ahead of me).  I was a bit sore after the test ride, but not that sore.  I decided I was in.

After a seven-mile climb, Maple Springs Road intersects Main Divide and the Harding Truck Trail at Four Corners.  This is the site of the second aid station.  I reached this spot at about 4:12.  So, I was relatively slow up Maple Springs, but my overall pace seemed close to my 6 hour target time.  Richard checked the rider board, and it looked like Josh was about twenty minutes ahead of me.  I only had roughly four more miles to go till the peak, and then I was looking at an hour of mostly downhill.  Yay.  I was close.  I also felt good.  Good enough.  After a couple leg cramps on Maple Springs, I ate some Tums and that seemed to help.  I kept reminding myself to drink water.  More water.  Besides dehydration, eating enough is always a challenge.  I ate a few gels, which go down easy.  On the Ultraquest I bonked completely.  I reached a point where I had exactly zero energy, and had to lie down and nap on the San Juan Trail.  The Counting Coup is certainly not as difficult as the Ultraquest, but it is not to be taken lightly.  My strategy was to eat heartily the night before, and  eat more in the morning.  Then I would eat as much as my stomach would allow during the race, hence the gels.  Usually I lose my appetite after three or four hours of riding.  However, it's never a good idea to stop eating when you are burning a shit load of calories.  I'm 6'8" and roughly 210 lbs.  so I have a bit of bulk and a fairly fast metabolism.  I need to eat.

After two miles of climbing around Modjeska Peak, Main Divide runs level and slightly downhill to the top of the Joplin Trail.  I was getting close.  Less than two miles to the peak.  Then I got a flat. Shit.  I have Slime tubes, and the leak was moderately slow, so I thought I could risk refilling the same tube.  Unfortunately, my first two air canisters were duds.  Richard watched me flounder for a bit and then came to my rescue (simple tasks are difficult when you are tired.)  He had an air can, and he knew how to use it.  We kept going.  I struggled to the top and found Richard waiting for me.  5:12.  I probably wasn't going to make six hours, but there was no stopping at that point.  The first couple miles drop sharply on Main Divide to the Upper Holy Jim turnoff.  I sped down to the turnoff, and Richard was right behind me.  But Richard had tweaked his chain on the fire road.  I looked at it for about a minute, and I told him I had to keep going.  There were a couple race volunteers willing to help him, and I didn't think I would be any more helpful than they would be.  Plus, I had an outside chance at six hours.

Upper Holy Jim is the most technical part of the race course.  It's not overly steep, but it has tight switchbacks, the surface is also loose, off-camber and  boulder strewn in sections.  I typically ride the entire trail save two or three of the left switchback turns (my absolute weakness as a rider).   On race day it was difficult to get a clean run, as other riders were also struggling with switchbacks and rock problems.  I had to dismount a few times, passing riders on foot, and then drag a leg in a few sections where it was difficult to remount.

A short section of Main Divide leads to the lower section of Holy Jim.  The next four miles are  all single track - pretty fast and flowy - except for the first 300 yards which has a steep drop followed by a climb.  Again, someone dismounted in front of me before the climb.  Me and another rider passed him, but we were both too tired to remount for the climb.  Lack of momentum is a bitch.  So we both walked the short, moderately steep section.  Then it was all descending.  We headed down together, passing a few other riders, then I let the guy go ahead of me.  He was faster and gapped me a bit before he flatted.  I felt bad for him, but was happy my Slime tube was still holding (It held till about an hour after the race when it suddenly flatted).  As I passed,  I wished him luck.  He was doing the longer race - The Vision Quest.  I only came upon a few riders before the bottom of Holy Jim, but I passed a slew of hikers.   Perhaps 50 or 60.  The hikers were fairly gracious, stepping off the trail, but still presented obstacles - the trail is narrow.  I also wondered how it must have been for them, having to give way for a couple hundred mountain-bike racers.  But they all had to drive past, and hike past signs and an aid station, so, presumably they had a notion of what they were walking into.

The last section of Holy Jim crosses the creek several times.  Only a few of the crossings are ridable.  I tried my best not to lose time on the portages.  I splashed past more hikers.  Pushing.  I was close.  I reached Trabuco Road and the final aid station at 5:55.  This is the point where Vision Quest riders turn left and climb West Horsethief back to Main Divide before descending the entire Trabuco Trail (including my buddy Dan J.  who completed his first VQ in 8:45).  I was happy to turn right.  Just past the turn, I caught the "Cadillac" rider.   We had been changing places since mile ten.  He shouted to me - "let's go for six hours," and charged off.  I knew the time was unattainable, but charged after him.  We followed Trabuco Road for 4.5 miles, dodging cars, crossing the stream bed, and grinding out the last section.  He made it in 6:10:33, I made it in 6:11:03.  At the finish I saw a few more friendly faces.   People I didn't know cheered.  Someone handed me the traditional feather.  Someone else took my photo.  It wasn't the Vision Quest, and I didn't make six hours, but I did alright.  I had fun.  I got out in the Santa Ana's which is always a treat.  And I finished.

Ultraquest 2012 Results

My second Ultraquest, and the second year I didn't finish.  I felt pretty good until the bottom of Los Pinos, and then I ran out of gas on San Juan Trail.  I made it to Blue Jay (barely) and got a ride back to the start.  Thanks to Brett P. for the ride.  Below are the results with comments from (I believe) Dave W.  These are some pretty impressive times on a really tough course.


1 Joe Lawwill  7:06 - Smoking Joe Wins His First UQ
2 Dave Wonderly  7:11 - Birthday Boy
3 Steve Timm  7:13 - 56 years old killing it
4 Mike Lee 7:14 -  Went to work after the race
5 Larissa Fitchett  7:15  - Fastest Women ever at UQ
6 Wayne Hermes  7:21 -  Battered and Bruised
7 Carl Bauer  7:42  - Mr. Santa Ana's
8 Joey Carboni  7:45 -  Question Marks Displayed
9 Dirk Maes  7:54 -  Off the couch
10 Richard Mainvillle  7:58 -  Shard
11 Sanjay Shanbhag  8:20 -  World's fastest Indian
12 Mark Draper  8:23 -  Where was your 29R?
13 Troy Liposec 8:31 -  Perennial finisher
14 Jesse Beck  8:35 -  Former Winner
15 Steve Morgan 9:01 -  Wheel Wrecker
16 Pat Freeman 9:09 -  Perennial finisher
17 Chris Wilson  9:14
18 Brian Ephraim 9:24 -  Smiling finisher
19 Juan Neptune  9:27  - Cleanest finisher
20 Alex Milewski 9:42
21 Brian Hall  9:49 -  Perennial finisher
22 Scott Johnson  9:49
23 Josh Bedard  9:50
24 Tony Belello  9:54 -  Chubby Checker no more
25 Kevin Johnson  9:54 -  With 10 Stiches in his knee
26 Tom Smith  9:58 -  Most improved from last year
27 Josh Wolf  10:00
28 Tony Zentil  10:18 -  Tortured his Brother in Law
29 Gem Pham  10:18 -  The tortured Brother in law
30 Tani Wahling  10:24 -  Mr. "The Path" Finally gets it done
31 Greg Groom 3:27 10:33 First Runner ever at UQ
32 Gerry Lucatero  10:45 -  Team Commited
33 Hondo Godinez 3:39 10:45 -  Team Commited
34 Matt Vaughan  10:53 -  Didn't give up
35 Travis Engel  10:56 -  Didn't give up
36 Dan Jarwutowski 3:50 10:56 Mystery Man does it

Ultraquest 2012

The Ultraquest looms.  This year it is a forty-mile death march beginning in Trabuco Canyon.  The original route.  The one I  said I would never do:  Up Bell Ridge (who does that?!), down the Yeager Mesa Trail, up the Trabuco trail, down Los Pinos, Up San Juan and Main Divide, and then out Bell Ridge.  Sure, it's only 40 miles, but those miles come with nearly 12,000 feet of climbing.  I haven't been training enough to do this ride, but Thursday I did my best UQ warmup with Josh and Dan.  We rode up Trabuco, down Los Pinos, up San Juan and down Trabuco.  Yes, the same mileage, but about 3,000 less feet of climbing.  And it took us nearly 9 hours! (With a couple of flats and cartridge problems.)  Without any issues (given my current level of fitness), I think the ride I did Thursday would take me at last 8 hours, throw in a trip up and down Bell Ridge (it's challenging, steep and requires hiking both directions) then I am into times that exceed the available daylight.  So Saturday I'm going to do my best.

Last year the course seemed more doable, but I had mechanical issues with the bike and body issues (cramps).  This year I think I have the cramps under control ( I eat Tums during the ride and it works better than all the other solutions I was previously sold on - pickle juice, endurolites, banana chips et al).

This year I am not worried about finishing.  I want to go out and do as much of the course as possible.  And hopefully have fun.  I'm hoping I can make it back to the top of Main Divide, and then descend Trabuco before dark.  If I am above my expectations, I will ride out to Pinos Peak and descend Bell Ridge to Yeager Mesa and ride out Trabuco from the bottom of Yeager.  If I'm far above my expectations, I will shoot for making it all the way, but I'm not betting on that.   I'm not riding Bell Ridge in the dark.  Ostensibly I'm in this for fun.  Not to kill myself.  I guess that last point remains to be seen.  Ultraquest here I come.

2012 Wishlist

It's a bit late for this, but I've just had my birthday so here it goes:

1.  Ride East Horsethief.  I've never ridden the trail, and I've never ridden my bike to Lake Elsinore.  The trail does not go to the Lake, but close enough.  Years ago we used to windsurf Lake Elsinore.  We called it Lake Smell Some More, because it was icky and green, but I diverge.  East Horsethief has been recently brushed.  It is still rugged and remote, but still a trail I haven't ridden.  It also seems not to have the easement issues that make riding Coldwater such an ordeal.   East Horsethief seems to be decomposed granite - similar to Upper Holy Jim because it runs straight down the ridgeline.  Big views, lots of climbing and a technical descent, sounds like a good day in the Santa Anas.

2.  Ultraquest.  The hardest race you've never heard about.  Last year I had mechanical difficulties and kicked out early.  This year I'm in no shape to do the race, and the course seems harder..  But, I'm going to go out and do as much of the course as I can manage - till I drop or die (which may be the same thing).  The course covers many of my favorite trails:  Bell Ridge, Los Pinos, Yeager Mesa and San Juan.  I just never thought about doing all those trails in the same day.

3.  Kernville.  Was supposed to do the Cannell Plunge two years ago and had to cancel due to a family emergency.  I think 2012 is the year I make up that debt.

4. Jalama, Arroyo Laguna and Waddell.  That's windsurfing, and still a month off, but I ready to go and promise to post photos of cold water and waves and guys in thick neoprene.

5.  Moab.  It's time to go back.  Been too long.  A fall trip is in the works.

I will also be returning to Tahoe this summer to work and, hopefully, this year I will have my own bike.  So much to discover up there.  I think at least one SART trip is in order to.  I think it will be a good year.

David