Stagecoach 400 Discussion 2012

[groundedkiwi]

Roland, Matt,
Thanks for the updates.  I am done!!! yay!!  Trackleaders shows me camping outside of town about now...must be a few updates behind...but I made the shop about 7:50pm.  The sign-in sheet had me in 15th place, not 13th as TL shows.  Presently in the hotel with a finished meal, beer and chocolate!  Jill is right on my tail and should be done real soon.  Yes, there were some rather unflattering photos taken as I stumbled across the door mat, so I'm sure they'll be out soon.
Everyone, this route is phenomenal!  Truly amazing what you can see in such a short amount of time. This will be classic in no time, if not already!  How Brendan and Mary put this together is beyond me, but as Roland said, the type of trails and riding you could never imagine could be linked together so compactly (if you call 380 miles compact!!).
I highly recommend at least touring this route, if you do not join the race at some point.
As noted there was a small snafu at the beginning, with a (very) nonbikerfirendly land owner.  Hats off to Brendan and Mary who heard the commotion, backtracked and escorted a large group of us via two single track connectors to get back on the route.  Not too sure what us out-of-townies would have done if it wasn't for them doing this.  At least all of the first day(or two) B & M were out there helping with directions, getting people fed and watered and genuinely making sure everyone was OK and having a great time (as we were!).  They were/are fantastic hosts.
The group of racers were a superb bunch and everyone seemed very willing to help everyone else out.  The night before the race the eventual first and third placers were helping me finish a .gpx upload on my gps.  The first day (yes even with said gps working) I still missed a turn and it was the hooting and hollering of a racer behind me that got me back on track a lot sooner than I would have otherwise!!  After the second half of day two I only saw about four other racers, as the field spread out so much, so the camaraderie early on was very welcomed.
Roland, remind to tell you a story about my cages!!   It was a pleasure meeting/biking with you.
Huge congrats to Estzer, Tracy, Jill and of course all the boys as well!!
I'm off to sleep! 
Groundedkiwi

[hikernks]

That's a lovely accent you have there.  New Jersey?

On a serious not, congrats groundedkiwi, and all the other racers who finished, and those who gave it hell.  What an awesome event for the first year.  It's only going to get better, and there is already talk of an October Stagecoach .004 (double ot four).  I for one demand a rematch!

[hikernks]

Ok, Jill(eo) Homer clocks in at 11:55!  Also takes lead contestant in the punch-drunk contest, haha.  Great race Jill!

[Jilleo]

Wow, Stagecoach 400. What a dynamic adventure. Came in at midnight, sleep at 2, and up again at 6 wired and ready to bike all day again. Weird I don't have to.

Matthew, thanks for waiting up. I wanted to apologize for being such a drunken space case at The Hub.I was already curled up on the couch half asleep chatting with my boyfriend, who insisted I needed to return to the bike shop to sign in. I didn't expect to see anyone and the prospect so confused me that I was incapable of basic comprehension. Now thinking about it I wish I had written something in the favorite memory box. Like the time I was trying to find my way back to Idyllwild on the singletrack that we used on day one to route around the restricted road. No longer having the trusty GPS track to follow, I predictably got myself lost. I wandered through the sage and hoisted my bike up a 50-foot near-vertical rock outcropping before I was finally willing to admit I was not on the right trail, then panicked because I was lost, proceeded to try to run back down the rock outcropping while hoisting my loaded bike, slipped, managed to butt-slide rather than tumble face-first over the bike and into the abyss as I nearly did, and ended up crumpled in a heap at the bottom with rock rash and bloody shins from hitting the pedals on the way down. Eventually I made my way back to the right trail and found my way out, But I laugh when I think about how I nearly killed myself six miles from the finish. I'm sure fellow Stagecoach riders are full of stories like that. Yourself included. (Crazy story, hit by a car right at the beginning.)

I'm in awe of Eszter's ride. Huge congrats to Tracey, Kiwi Katherine, and all of the other finishers. And thanks to Brendan, Mary, and everyone else involved. It was a great adventure.

[hikernks]

Having ridden that singletrack down in the daytime, I can't even imagine trying to go back up in the dark.  Amazing effort, on everyone's part!!

[Von Petrol]

The first 100 miles was fun and challenging!

The race started 2.5 hours late because of the lost shipment of Spot trackers.

Two weeks prior to the start of the Stagecoach I had totally tuned up my bike. I had then loaded all my gear up and ridden 124 miles to San Diego.  All was great. A week before the start I went back down to Torrey Pines and rode the section of the Stagecoach 400 to Escondido. I stealth camped at Lake Hodges. My bike and gear worked perfectly.

I had hope for a 4-day finish of the Stagecoach. I gave up racing 19 years ago because of my asthma I acquired in my late 20’s. I just could not compete at my pervious level. I enjoy long rides and adventure and I’m insomniac, so this race fit my skills.

We all rolled out at 10:30. In the next mile or so we start to climb. My legs are not warmed up at all. It normally takes about 5 miles to set in. So I shift to an easier gear and my chain pops in between the cassette and the spokes. Great, I see real fast how this ride is going to go. I lose about fifteen minutes fixing this issue.

Soon I come across a racer who is already lost. The route for the group roll out was not part of the narrative directions. I got us on track. I stop one more time to adjust my rear derailleur just as half of the racers come flying back towards us. Mary Collier screams out re-route. It seems that a landowner along with a ranger had stopped half the racers and made them turn around. However, before I go any further I need to fix my problem once and for all. More time lost.

Now I have no idea where they all went for the re-route. More time is lost deciding where to go. I find a single-track and wonder if that is the way they went. I zoom out my GPS and see Hurkey Creek Campground about two miles away. I take it. About halfway down is a fork in the trail. I take the right trail because it follows the creek on my GPS, but the left turn looks faster. I now come to a little bridge near three horseback riders. I stop about 100 feet before them. They motion me forward having me talk as to not scare their horses. They are very nice people. They had issues with riders in front of me. I talk to them for about ten minutes while letting their horses smell and look at my bike. My PR done I ride into the campground.

I check over my bike one more time to make sure all is good to go. I also loosen my left pedal all the way because my shoe is not releasing. I always dab with my left foot and this will become another issue to deal with later in the day. I also realize that I had lost my raincoat, my only warm layer during one of my repairs, nothing I can do but ride.

Unable to release my left shoe, I crash dropping into Anza. I make my next turn where a police officer had pulled over some lady. I later learned that a racer was hit by a car and that must have been where it happened. He is good, but his bike is toast.

Before heading to Coyote Canyon, I stopped at a market for water. I view Trackeleader.com on my phone to see that I have lost a lot of ground on the riders ahead of me. Cool I am the Lanterne Rouge.

I have wanted to ride Coyote Canyon for years and now the time has come. It is an awesome ride. Being the last person I can see where other racers have crashed in the deep sand. Body prints and tire washouts. I had few too because of my dam left pedal.
Going through the middle jungle section was amazing. The weather was perfect.

Back on pavement I high cadence toward Borrego Springs arriving at 7pm. At a garage I solved my lost raincoat dilemma, a large garbage bag. I plow through two large tacos and several cokes.  I than strap my Lights & Motion light to my helmet while plugging in my 17-hour battery. I ride pavement into the dark of night until the next dirt section.


My original idea for the race was to do between 90 to 100 miles a day in daylight. I have no plans of being hit by another SUV like last years adventure. I was only going to ride at night where I felt safe.The road out of Borrego Springs had a nice wide bike lane, while the short RT78 section had very little shoulder.

I started thinking that this part of Anza Borrego might be a good place to ride all night. It would be cooler, less water needed, I was not sleepy and I could be back in the middle of the pack. Than I hit more soft sand in the Kane Springs road section. I crashed once again when I could not get my left foot out in a sandy section. Twenty years of riding clipless pedals and dabbing with my left foot is a hard habit to break. Bicycle lights were not able to pick up those soft sandy areas. Fighting with myself on the lost opportunity I set up my bivy. I traveled 73 miles.


I awoke at midnight staring at the stars until I got going at 5am. The whole time I was just thinking of all the time I was wasting. I was cursing my pedals more than the sand. Using the small amount of lube I had, I poured it all over my pedals. Problem solved. Why did I not do that sooner?

I had caught Steve Horton and his wife at Fish Canyon campground. We talked for a few minutes and Steve lubed my chain. They left while I was sorting my stuff and making breakfast. A camper offered to top off my water. I had 5 liters of water to get me to the next water source 31 miles away. I estimated it to take 4 to 5 hours to get to the Stagecoach RV Park, arrival time about noon. I know what I am in for because I have explored these parts of Anza Borrego in my Land Rover.

By 9:15am I was close to the half waypoint. Yesterday’s weather was perfect and today’s I could tell was going to be brutal! I knew I had to make haste. I have cycled the backcountry of Death Valley, the Mojave, along with the Great Basin in Wyoming and know that my body can handle the 90’s but not the 100’s. Also at this time I said out loud “It’s going to be a hot one”. Just then I saw a bike and thought I had caught back up to Steve. No it was someone else.

His name was Karlos from Florida. He was on his last water bottle and not looking too good. He said that four racers had just past him. He tried to get their attention, but for whatever reason they did not see or hear him in the wide wash. I gave him a bottle of water. We talked for a while and Karlos wanted to try to ride.

We traveled about a half a mile when it became very clear that I had to get Karlos into the shade. He had no cycling energy and was sweating like I have never seen before. I quickly got him into the shade along the canyon wall.

I am worried about Karlos. I get him water and food. He is very scared. He keeps telling me he is going to die and all he wants is to get out of the canyon. I tell Karlos he is not going to die and I will get him out of here. I got him comfy and relaxed.

Now I need to get him out of the canyon. I have not seen one Jeep so far and not sure when one would come by. I tell Karlos we have two options. Before I say anything else Karlos says he does not want to use the 911 button on the Spot device. I know why he does not want to use it and seeing that I have him cooling down and stable I agree. Looking at my cell phone I have one bar signal. I tell Karlos that I need to call for a park ranger. Karlos said he did not know that that was even an option.

I climb up the side of the canyon. Because of the weak signal, I decide to call my wife, Andrea. The connection is bad. I tell her what is going on. I give her our exact location, a quarter mile west from Sandstone Canyon heading to Pinyon Mountain, and to get the park ranger out here. Oh, I tell her one more thing: Do not tell them we are in a mountain bike race!!

I go back to tend to Karlos. Twenty minutes pass and I climb back up the canyon to call Andrea. She tells me that there are a lot of emergencies going on in the park right now and a ranger will be out as soon as possible. I go back to tend to Karlos. He has a lot of muscle twitching and cramping. I tell him of the situation with the ranger. Karlos tells me to leave to continue the race. I tell him I am not going anywhere until he is safe with the ranger. Besides I am only in this for the adventure. I also know that this will end my ride and for him not to worry about it. Karlos tells me his next child will be named after me, too funny.

Another twenty minutes pass. I tell Karlos that I hear something. It turns out to be the park ranger airplane. I go to the middle of the wash waving my arms. The airplane rocks its wings to let me know they see me. The do a few large circles before using the PA system. First they say to raise an arm if I need an ambulance, I do not. They ask something else, but I do not remember what it was. Than finally they say raise an arm if I need a ranger, I do.

Another twenty minutes go by with the airplane doing large circles around us. I hear a siren. I go out to the wash here comes the ranger. Earlier I told Karlos to not mention the race to the ranger. The ranger jumps into action. First aid kit, ice water and ice packs come flying out of his truck. The ranger gets Karlos’ vitals and all his information. Now the ranger asked if we are part of the race that started in Idyllwild. Neither one of us says anything. The ranger goes back to working on Karlos.

Than the ranger looks at me and says “You know your riding in an illegal race without a permit?”

What can I say, so I say nothing?

A few minutes go by and Karlos asked the ranger how he knows of the race. The ranger says we have our ways. I think to myself  “Same way you know Karlos”. It also does not help that a reporter was at the starting line doing interviews and taking pictures.

The next question from the ranger to Karlos was “ How far did you ride yesterday?”
Karlos: “From Idyllwild to the start of Fish Creek Canyon.”
The ranger just shakes his head.

As we are putting Karlos in the truck his hands start to cramp bad. His hands look like that of a busted up ex-football player’s. The ranger tops off all my water containers and whisk Karlos back to Borrego Springs.

This whole ordeal started about 9:15am and now it is 11:45am. I should be at the Stagecoach RV Park by now. I have about 17 miles of riding to get there. The canyon has a slight incline, but the deep sand is what makes it hard.

It takes me two hours to cover five miles with timeouts in the little bit of shade to be found. The heat is pushing 100 degrees. I am about 2.5 miles from heart attack hill when three jeeps approach. I ask for water. During our conversation they asked if I would like a ride out. I don’t want to, but I start to think about Karlos and Johnny Lee. Sure I will take the ride.

Everything happens for a reason. If I did not run into all those delays I would not have been there to help Karlos. I also would not have met John, Emily, Kevin and Dirt my new jeep friends!

Until the next Stagecoach,
Colen










 

[Von Petrol]

hikernks,

I hope you a feeling better! Getting hit by a car is no fun.

Colen

[mbeardsl]

The first 100 miles was fun and challenging!

Well, you certainly got your adventure!  Nice write up and kudos to you for lending the helping hand.  It's easy to freeze up with the rangers.  A simple "out for a ride" never seems to trick them eh?

Karlos has about the worst luck I've heard of in these things.  I'm curious what did him in, hopefully he will post up in case it's something that affects others, although I assume it's just overexertion.

[Roland Sturm]

It appears that Rich Wolf finished, leaving as far as I can tell just a pack of 4 on the trail and they should make it before midnight. Trackleaders still stubbornly claims 28 active riders, but chances are that there only are 4 left on the trail.

I'm curious to see the final dropout rate. Initially  I didn't think there would be lot, but the first 100 miles are surprisingly hard for being downhill! Then the climbing starts. So could attrition have been as high as 1/3?

[hikernks]

Rich Wolf did finish yesterday afternoon!  There was a really high attrition rate for the first year, but overall an amazing route, and I can't wait for attempt #2!

[et3surge]

I am still in LA, visiting my son still need to get to Idyllwild for my car and a drive home.  I bailed in Point LOma with Al Maxey.

I will write a good blurb later but this gave me loads to think about, it was my first attempt at bike packing and desert overnight traverses.  What a lesson!!!

Brendan et al created an epic course, next year I will earn my signature on the clipboard or sheet of paper they used to track the finishers.

Intense intense intense!!!

More from me later from a computer.

Sergio

[thelocust]

first part of my writeup is here http://calestravels.blogspot.com/

[kdinger]

Just wondering if anyone else passed through Los Penasquitos at night, and if so, whether they had the same surreal experience with green lasers that I did.  One of the multistory buildings on the mesa south of Penasquitos Cyn. had a green laser mounted on top (or near the top).  It would shine over into the canyon and jump around erratically, only staying on one spot for a fraction of a second and then jumping to another spot.   It would do this maybe 20 or 30 times over several seconds, then turn completely off for a while and then repeat.  At first it was aways away from me.  But as I made my way upcanyon, it definitely followed me and mostly shined on spots near (but rarely directly on) me.  Very bizarre and I was glad when I finally got out of sight of the building.  I don't think I imagined it, though I had not yet slept at this point.

-Keith

[Jilleo]

I put some photos of the race up on my Facebook page. I figured I would link them here for anyone who might have been racing too fast to take photos. http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3453441588909.142343.1656886970&type=1

[mtnbik]

I see Sharon Sell and Mike B from Alaska made it right under the 4 day mark- way to go guys, you two were having a lot of fun out there taking pictures and camping every night along the way and and as you said this was your vacation so you made the most of it.  For vacationing you sure were going fast!  Sharon, if you have a chance please post your pics as you said you had a lot of them, and thanks for your help out on the trail.   And thanks to Brenden and Mary for putting together such an incredible event.  

[thelocust]

Just wondering if anyone else passed through Los Penasquitos at night, and if so, whether they had the same surreal experience with green lasers that I did.  One of the multistory buildings on the mesa south of Penasquitos Cyn. had a green laser mounted on top (or near the top).  It would shine over into the canyon and jump around erratically, only staying on one spot for a fraction of a second and then jumping to another spot.   It would do this maybe 20 or 30 times over several seconds, then turn completely off for a while and then repeat.  At first it was aways away from me.  But as I made my way upcanyon, it definitely followed me and mostly shined on spots near (but rarely directly on) me.  Very bizarre and I was glad when I finally got out of sight of the building.  I don't think I imagined it, though I had not yet slept at this point.

-Keith

hehehe we were probably 2-3 hours ahead of you here and definitely did not see anything like that.

[the tortoise]

What a great time I had. It is definitely in the top one of adventures that I have ever done. The route was great but more importantly the people doing it were beyond amazing. From the fast folks to the first timers everyone, was super friendly. I had the honor to talk to Jay Petervary for some time before the race and the insights he gave me helped me get through the course. In an event like this there are a million things that can go wrong to end your race. Thankfully I avoided all of them!
I read a few other race recounts and the one that sticks out in my mind was Jill Homer's final climbing reading of around 43,000 feet of elevation gain. The initial guesstimate from the organizers was around 30,000 feet of elevation gain. I live in Julian so I know the areas pretty well (in spite of my extra credit miles I put on!). We always average around 100 feet of elevation gain per mile ridden so it seems to me that Jill's stats are more in keeping with the route we ran.
A huge thanks to Brendan and Mary for putting this all together. How they ever managed to put this together, run a business or two, have a two year old kid, figure out the spot tracker mess at the last second and actually line up at the start is beyond my comprehension.
And the ladies in the race were beyond incredible. They all look like super models and they just crushed it. I don't know the exact dropout rate but it sure was a heck of a lot lower than for the guys. I rode with Mary Collier for a while and she looked like she was just cruising it. She scratched to take care of biz but if she was solo I am sure she would have finished well up the leaderboard.
To be a part of the first year event was an experience that will never be repeated. A small enough group to be intimate but large enough to give it a great atmosphere.

[Roland Sturm]

Totally in agreement about the event, absolutely impressive on all dimensions.

But I think Brendan was right about total climbing. I had a GPS with barometric altitude (rather than one that uses satellites for altitude, which is very noisy) and the total came to 31,500 feet. That is almost exactly what Brendan said it would be at the beginning of the race. Even barometric measurement will overstate total climbing, though, because it captures all the pressure fluctuations as climbing. So what are other people coming up with?

[Jilleo]

I used a Garmin eTrex 30 in the Stagecoach 400. It also has a barometric altimeter. I've used it regularly for about a year now in my riding and running, and the elevation estimate has never been more than a few hundred feet off the expected number, even in very long rides. So I'm surprised you and I came up with such different readings, Roland. But yeah, my GPS registered 43,500 feet of climbing over the 385 miles I rode. I had a few "extra bonus" spurs but nothing long off course. I was very diligent about starting at that purple line on my GPS, often to the detriment of my downhill riding.

[thelocust]

and part two of my race report is up as well.

http://calestravels.blogspot.com/