Furnace Creek 508 Fixed Gear Solo Race Report Part 4

Elevation chart for the entire race the section you are about to read is from Mile 253 to Mile 325

Stage Four: Furnace Creek to Shoshone, 73.6 miles. Elevation Gain: 6744'.

Arrive Shoshone Sunday 10:30 am, 29 hours 30 mins Avg. Speed 11.07 mph

Part 4 of 7

From the 508 website

South through Death Valley, the alluvial fans are invisible in the dark, but you climb and descend several thousand feet through Badwater (El -282’) to the base of the exit passes (Mountain Section Six). The first climb starts at mile 300 and climbs about 1000 feet in five miles to Jubilee (El 1285’). A one-mile descent leads to the next climb, about 2300 feet in 9.5 miles to Salsberry (El 3315’). Each climb has sustained sections of 5-5% grade and usually poor road surface; in fact, all of the road is terrible after you pass Badwater.

I felt great as we left Furnace Creek and headed towards Badwater. But my drivers were getting tired and the sleep deprivation was getting to them. By the time we got to Badwater we had been on the race course just shy of 23 hours. I wanted to ride through Death Valley and stop for the night at Ashford Mills. I wanted to feel like I had gotten further on the race course riding Fixed Gear than the year before riding multi-speed.


As we left Furnace Creek I had this feeling that I could actually ride through the night without stopping. I had secretly wanted to beat my time from last year multi-speed and even though I wasn’t moving very fast on my Fixed Gear I wasn’t too far behind my 2006 multi-speed time. If I could just keep the wheels rolling I might makeup some time over last year.

You may recall, in 2006 I had had nutrition problems which caused me to be nauseous and off the bike puking most of the first day. So here we were with a slight tailwind moving through Death Valley and I was feeling great. But by now the crew was tired and once again I knew I had to take care of my crew.



Stretching my back after an hour stop...

We stopped at Badwater so that they could catch a catnap. After talking to my crew chief, we decided it would be a good idea for me to take some time off the bike even if I couldn’t sleep. Up until this point in my Ultra career, albeit short by most standards, I am not able to take 10 min. power naps and get back on the road. If I am to be a better Ultra racer then I need to learn to take power naps. In this case, we stopped for an hour. I laid down on a sleeping mat (crew chief read my 2006 race report) with an open sleeping bag and as usual couldn’t sleep but I heard my crew snoring.

After an hour, we roused up and got back on the road. It was good to be off the bike for a little bit. ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT RIDING FIXED IS SINCE YOU CAN’T COAST IT IS DIFFICULT AT BEST TO GIVE YOUR BUTT A REST OFF THE SADDLE BECAUSE YOU ARE ALWAYS PEDALLING.






long gentle rollers in Death Valley....

The slight undulations of the desert floor are perfect for Fixed Gear riding. The inclines allow you to motor up and the gentle downhill grades don’t require you to spin out as you descend. Things were going well and my legs felt fine and the rest did me good.

At the base of the two climbs on the south end of Death Valley I decided it was time to switch to my full zip jersey so that I could get some extra “cooling”. It was now 9am and it was starting to heat up on the desert floor. A quick change to my Velosport jersey and up Jubilee Pass I went.







I struggled on Jubilee and then again on Salsberry which eventually tops out at 3315 Elevation. By the way, you need to add another 200 or so feet of elevation gain just to get back up to Sea Level. Jubilee is five miles and Salsberry is 9.5 miles. The headwinds were really strong while climbing and just as strong on the descent to Shoshone. I pulled over twice I believe and had to do some “soul searching”. My legs were just giving out. I wasn’t tired. I just couldn’t “squat” anymore. So I pulled over and after about a minute I could take off and start climbing again.











Notice the downhill truck warning-- 8 miles....

It was along this section that I met “Yodeling Plankton”. He was impressed by me being on a Fixed Gear and I was impressed that with the heat he could climb in leg warmers and a camelback. We traded the lead several times and we just looked at each other. I had my headphones on and was just trying to get up the pass. I’m not much for conversation when I ride and especially when I climb.

Can you believe I actually had to stop on the downhill from Salsberry Pass? Well I did I just didn’t have the legs to push into the headwind and down a hill. Pitiful isn’t it? Of course by now I am 325 miles and 29 hours or so into the race.

Arriving at Shoshone I had completed 326.7 miles with 24,670 feet of gain

And now a word from our sponsors....

LET ME TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO RECOGNIZE THE PEOPLE THAT SUPPORT ME TO COMPLETE THESE EPIC ADVENTURES. I AM GRATEFUL THAT MY SPONSORS BELIEVE IN MY ABILITY TO COMPLETE THESE EXTREME EVENTS AND TRUST IN MY CHARACTER TO REPRESENT THEIR PRODUCTS WELL. THEY ARE LISTED BELOW IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BECAUSE NEITHER OF THEM IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE OTHER AND I NEED AND THANK THEM ALL EQUALLY FOR THEIR SUPPORT.

Furnace Creek 508 Fixed Gear Solo Race Report Part 3

Race Profile. This section we will cover from Mile 153.15 to Mile 251.8


Part 3 of 7

Stage Three: Trona to Furnace Creek, 99.2 miles. Elevation Gain: 7538'.

Arrived Sunday 0437, 21 hours 37 min Avg. Speed 11.71

From the 508 website

"Just north of Trona (mile 160) there is a 1000 foot climb up the Trona Bump (Mountain Section Four); the descent from there into the Panamint Valley is winding and may be fast with a tailwind. Some of the road ahead is very rough, but it used to much worse. At mile 200 you’ll begin the 13 mile, 3800 feet climb up Townes Pass (El 4956’) (Mountain Section Five). The climb up to 2000 feet is gentle, then there are steep grades of 10-13% to 4000 feet; the last few miles are gradual. It will be chilly at the top and you have a fast 17-mile, 5000 foot descent to Stovepipe Wells, where it may be hot! Desert rollers take you to Furnace Creek."

We left Trona with a full tank of gas and all our safety equipment on the follow vehicle and bicycle. The first obstacle was the Trona Bump. It is such a misnomer. Nothing that is 1000 feet of gain should be called a “bump”. For most people that would be a hill at the very least. But when the next climb is a 13 mile haul up Townes Pass I guess you could stretch it a bit and call it a bump.

After the Trona bump there is generally downhill rolling terrain as you lose altitude through Panamint Valley towards the base of Townes Pass. I was feeling great during this section but started to get hungry. I had been on an all liquids since the start. I think I had had two halves or a turkey sandwich about a couple of hours apart.

At the base of Townes Pass I thought it would be a good idea to take a little time off the bike and get some solid foods in. I was feeling great but those are “famous last words.” The challenge I had was that on a lot of the climbs I had to stand and that left little time to drink. I had to stand and muscle up the majority of most climbs as opposed to sitting and spinning which would enable drinking. Well as I as eating the sandwich I became naseous. I started heaving and decided "...enough is enough I know I should eat something solid but this is making me sick. I'm going back to liquids."





I was dreading climbing Townes Pass most of the day because on many of the rollers I was struggling just to keep the cadence above 20 rpm. I just knew Townes was going to be a challenge. It is however a a cool sight to see all the lights of the follow vehicles going up the mountain. After the first 1.6 miles the climb got steeper. Then after a few more miles the ramps of 10% or more started to wear my legs down.

The only analogy I can give you is go to the gym and load up the squat rack and start doing squats. And then keep doing squats until you legs start to fail and then keep doing even more squats. You see you can just walk away from the squat rack but on the bike you need to push one more pedal stroke OR YOU WILL FALL OVER.

Alas, I had to pull over a couple of times and finally, almost in tears as I was feeling sorry for myself, I asked my crew for my running shoes so that I could walk. Prior to giving in to the running shoes I had been doing track stands and tacking back and forth to keep my moment going. My crew must have been so attentive to my needs that there are no pictures of me tacking or walking up Townes.

It was at this point that as a decent climber I was feeling more than sorry for myself. How could I succumb to a 13 mile climb? I felt defeated. I’m not one to walk up any climb. But the 49 x 17 gearing I had chosen was puttin' a hurtin’ on me. After about 1/8 of a mile, I got back on the bike and continued the climb without walking again. This was the toughest section of the race for me. I whined like a baby but no one could hear me. I remember looking over my right shoulder and seeing the pullouts on the road where I had pulled off last year. I kept going until the summit. Once at the summit I suited up with warmer clothing because at 5,000 feet it was bitterly cold. I had time for a couple of pictures and then down the mountain I went.






Trust me that really is me...

And now the descent--- If climbing Townes was difficult you would think “oh goody a descent” Nope. Descending steep grades on a Fixed Gear isn’t that much fun. I did use a “drag brake” for the 17 mile descent into Death Valley. I could feel myself going through the different thermal layers as I descended from 5000 feet to below Sea Level. And all I kept saying to myself, “ I can’t wait to come back on my multi-speed next year”.

A few rollers and I made it into Furnace Creek time station. I was feeling really good now that I had “conquered” Townes Pass on my fixed gear. I said hello to Jack “Blackbird” went to the bathroom let my crew do their thing and then told my crew I was ready to roll.

253.2 miles and 17,926 feet of gain completed only 256.7 miles to go

Here is the link for the rest of the pictures.

http://flickr.com/photos/epictrain/sets/72157602346553717/


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Furnace Creek 508 Fixed Gear Race Report Part Two

Long roads behind me...



and long roads before me...



and even more long roads in before me...

Stage Two: California City to Trona, 70.25 miles. Elevation Gain: 4212'.

Arrived Saturday 18:09, 11 hours 9 min Avg. Speed 13.8 mph

From the 508 website.

"From California City, head north over flat desert terrain to the Johannesburg climb at mile 110 (Mountain Section Three). You’ll climb 1500 feet in seven miles; the desert climb is steeper than it looks and grows progressively steeper. After Jo’burg, you’ll ride over a series of pesky rollers before a long fast descent to the road to Trona".

Most of this section went well with many nature breaks. It seemed I was always bursting at the seams with my hydration. It should be noted that I was using CarboPro1200 and Sustained Energy as my primary fuels and hydration. I wasn't eating any solid foods and felt great. The hand ups continued including my Vantage Vo2, Recover and electrolyte supplements in little zip lock baggies.



Everything was going well. I remembered how last year I began to feel nauseous after leaving California City and this year I was feeling great. I was a little dismayed that after working so hard to pass racers on the climbs I would be dropped on the descents. But this would be my frustration for the next 40 hours. I had to continue to console myself that the big picture was I was going to enter an exclusive club of cyclists who took on “the toughest 48 hours in sport” and made it tougher by riding the 508 on a fixed gear.




I remember struggling up the climb to Randsburg and the rollers afterward. Every time I hit a pitch steeper than 8% grade it was be a real struggle to keep the cadence up to reasonable levels. This early in the race there were still plenty of solo racers around me. But slowly and inevitably the teams start to catch me and leave me behind for good.



I wanted to make it to Trona before 6pm which is when you must put lights on your bike and use the follow vehicle as direct support until 7am the next morning. We had to stop just short of Trona to put lights on my bike, a slow moving triangle and yellow strobes on the van. I didn't want to have to make two stops-- one for the safety lighting and then again for gas in Trona. My goal next year is to make it past Trona before 6pm. I like direct support especially at night. The constant drone of the engine is comforting. Besides far too many drivers are not expecting a rider out in the middle of nowhere.

I'm still feeling good regarding my nutrition and hydration. 153 miles done but I know the next 100 miles to the next time station are going to hurt.

Here is the link for the rest of the pictures.

http://flickr.com/photos/epictrain/sets/72157602346553717/


153.9 miles and 10,388 feet of gain completed and only 355.97 miles to go

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Furnace Creek 508 Race Report Fixed Gear Solo Part One

Here is my race report. I will release sections of my report one time station at a time. If I were to wait until it were complete it would take yet another week. And I know you are all just chomping at the bit...ok maybe not. So here is from the start to time station #1 California City.






I will quote from the extremely well document 2D and 3D course description available on the 508 website I believe it was done by Doug “Dog” Sloan. I also see John Gower mentioned as doing the elevation data. If I haven't given credit to someone for their hard work it was not intentional.


Stage One Santa Clarita to California City, 83.6, Elevation Gain: 6176'

Arrived 12:57 Saturday, 5 hours 57 minutes Avg. speed 14.05 mph

From the 508 website

"After a 5-mile group ride across town, the race starts up San Francisquito Canyon (Mountain Section One). In the next 15 miles, you will climb 2,500 feet. The climb is generally moderate; the climb before the turn to Elizabeth Lake is short and steep. A windy flat section through the Mojave Desert leads to the windmill climb at mile 44 (Mountain Section Two). Over seven miles, you’ll climb 1000 feet, probably into a stiff headwind. Another fast descent takes you down to the town of Mojave with a couple of quick turns. There is a shopping center and Subway on the right before you leave town where the crew can grab food. Then it’s a fast shot into California City."





Rolling out of the start I was thinking “am I making a big mistake?” I also remember looking at the other racers’ bikes and thinking “I have a light bike like that…I have carbon wheels like those…I have aero-bars like that…I have a PowerTap like that…” But I kept telling myself, “you wanted to do the 508 in the hardest possible form so here you are doing it Fixed Gear”. Just think about all the bragging you will do when you are done. Little did I know at that point how difficult the course would be for me.

Here are the rules for the Fixed Gear Division of the 508.


”E. Fixed Gear Division: Bikes must use the same fixed gearing (ring/cog/wheel) for the entire event. Bike frames shall be steel, traditional double diamond design (forks are unrestricted) and wheels (maximum 25 mm rim depth) with 32 spokes minimum. Aerobar attachments and aero-designed parts are prohibited. Wheel switches are permitted only for wheel failures, and must be identical or essentially identical to the failed wheel. Bike switches are not permitted. Riders may not coast with feet off the pedals. Riders must declare their gear (ring/cog/wheel size) choice at check in, which may not be changed thereafter.

Fixed gear division riders may abandon that division and switch to a multispeed bike in the "open" division, then complete the race on the multispeed bike, provided that they or their crew notifies an official as soon as possible; they will then be treated as having ridden the entire event on the multispeed bike.”

Oh and the second paragraph was given its due consideration and the idea of a spare multi-speed bicycles was dismissed just as soon as it was suggested. I did not want to have an out and I was going to finish this event FIXED even if I was outside the 48 hour time limit.




FOR THE RECORD MY ROUND TUBE STEEL FRAME, WITH 32 SPOKE WHEELS, 2 WATER BOTTLES AND A LIGHTING SYSTEM WEIGHED 26 LBS.


So there wasn’t any advantage gained by using a fixed gear bike compared to one of my ultra-lightweight carbon frames that weigh less than 16 lbs with 2 water bottles. Not to mention the availability for granny gear action.



As mentioned before I had assembled a great crew. Brandy had crewed for me on Race Across America (RAAM), Terry is the current RAAM Race Director and has raced and crewed many Ultra events, and Timmer who has just started doing Ultras but is very eager to understand the crewing process.



So we roll through the neutral start and it gives me a chance to talk to old friends and make a few new acquaintances. I rode with my friends Kenny Souza and Greg Matherly again (same as last year) and chatted. Of course they teased me because I was doing it FG and Greg even mentioned he might have some derailleurs lying around in his garage.

Well I am not that crazy, there have actually been seven other riders who have done the 508 FG before me Jeff Parrot Bauer, Sam Seal Beal, Barley Boar Forsman, Emily Archaeopteryx O'Brien, John Sabertooth Tiger Spurgeon . The 2007 class would include Terry Lentz and me. We would make a total of seven riders that have finished the 508 fixed in 33 editions of the race since 1983. So you see I wasn’t breaking new ground.

The racers go the first approximately 25 miles without support. No issues there, we train many miles a year unsupported. But this is the second time I have done this race and making that right turn onto Johnson Rd gives me huge sigh of relief.



I knew I was in trouble with my gear selection in the first 20 miles. I felt I was putting in more effort than I should’ve been for the climbs. There is quite a bit of elevation gain in the first 25 miles (almost 3000 feet) and it continues throughout the race of course. If you look at the course profile it is a steady and continuous climb from the start to mile 25 or so.

During this section the energy is high and the crew is excited and motivated. Hand ups from the side of the road are the norm and it is beautiful sight to see a well executed hand up. To the uninitiated, you run at full speed along side the road looking straight ahead not looking back at your racer and the racer just “swoops” by and snatches the bottle from the crew member without breaking his cadence or rhythm.



One of my favorite sections of the race is the windmills. I think back to how wonderful it must have been when people first discovered that they could harness this natural energy source. Of course, that is all well and good until the winds are whipping up over 60 mph gusts and your shack of a home is rattling and threatening to collapse and blow away.




After the “Windmills Climb”, which was into a stiff headwind, there was a general downhill section and into Mojave and then California City.

I felt good and strong throughout this whole section. I must have peed four times before getting into California City. A tribute to how well my hydration and fueling program was being executed by Brandy the designated "feeder".

83.60 miles and 6176 feet of gain completed only 424.90 miles to go

Here is the link for the rest of the pictures.

http://flickr.com/photos/epictrain/sets/72157602346553717/

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Still paring down the pics

We have it down to 283 pics from the original 800+. And I am still working on the race report. Yes unforttunately work gets in the way of my fun and games. Continue to use the link on Wed's post.

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So many great pictures were taken during 508 and the challenge now is paring them down to a reasonable sized slideshow. We currently have it down to roughly 450 pictures from over 800 that were shot during the race. Please enjoy this set!



http://flickr.com/photos/epictrain/sets/72157602346553717/

Once you've clicked on the link you can choose to navigate through the pictures manually, or choose "view as slideshow" on the upper righthand side of the screen.

My thanks to my wonderful crew for really capturing this race in photos. Terry and Brandy shot all of these pictures and there should be more to come once we have access to Timmer's. Thank you again!

Still working on pics

You can see the bulk of the pictures now by clicking on the Flicker icon. But we are still reducing the amount of pictures because there are hundreds of them. If you can't wait for the polished version feel free to browse what we have uploaded.

Here are some interesting numbers

Pre Race weight 156.5 lbs
Post Race weight 162.5 lbs


Energy Expenditure 27,156 Calories
Number of Heart Beats 371,749 beats


Average Heart Rate 137 bpm
Maximum Heart Rate 187 bpm



Average Speed 13 mph
Maximum Speed 31.3 mph
Distance 508.1 miles
Odometer 21,989 miles

Minimum Cadence 4 rpm
Average Cadence 61 rpm
Maximum Cadence 148 rpm

Gear Selection 49 x 17
Gear Ratio 2.88
Gear Inch 76.7
Pedal Revolutions 133,735

Gear Inch Calculator used http://epictrain.com/files/Gear_Inch_Calculator.xls

Pictures are coming

Brandy is hard at work getting all the pictures we have loaded up on Flickr.com. So far we have uploaded a total of 482 pictures from two different cameras. We will be sifting through them for the best pictures to provide a slide show and possible post it on youtube.com. As you can imagine this is a huge undertaking but it must get done and the sponsors also deserve the exposure. So hold on for pics.

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