This blog chronicles the story of a guy, his bike and a strange obsession with finding the outside edge of his personal limits.
In this chapter, having broken the UMCA record, recovered from a bone-crushing crash and achieving a top 15 finish at the inimitable Furnace Creek 508 we find our hero grappling with the realities of completing a 100km foot race.
For the complete story, follow this link, and read from the back to the front. The story won't make anymore sense when you've finished, but at least you'll know as much as the rest of us.
9 miles til Baker and Ross looks terrific. Still a bit of a headwind but nothing compared to this morning (or worse) last night. He’s on a steady 20MPH pace on the flat and shows no material sign of fatigue.
(Tom McDonald)
Posted at 15:39 - Comments (View)
No connectivity for hundreds of miles so I’ve been making mock posts. Rather than risk losing the connection again I’m going to paste them all here now… we can make it pretty later. BTW, we’re 15 miles outside of Baker as of now.
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Saturday
12:38pm
Just ran a smoker’s marathon… about 100 feet up and back, without stoppng! Phrase coined by Matt as I staggered back to the car. I was running up to see the condition of the railroad tracks ahead but Ross passed me with a, “Where ya goin Tom?”. Doesn’t sound funny here unless you imagine it with a Canadian accent and the special Ross inflection.
(Tom McDonald)
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3:15pm-ish
We stopped in Trona to report time, get a bit of gas and water and, on the advice of many of the vets, grabbed ourselves killer burritos from a stand outside. Excellent seasoned beef for me and Matt, chicken for Larry. We at them later while waiting for Ross at one of the water swaps. Wow! It may be a long night in the van though. They seemed worth it at the time. We’ll see.
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4:08pm
Heading down Panamint Valley (I think). Insane winding grade. We have to be care ful not to go too slow and hold up the riders but it’s tough to keep the car going that fast with such a steep descent. Ross is just gone…. way ahead of us.
(Tom McDonald)
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5:05pm
Ross hit the 200 mile mark. Just over 10 hours for a double century?!?
(Tom McDonald)
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6pm
Climbing Townes Pass, all lit up, hazard triangle mounted on the back of car… we’re golden. But this hill is a monster and keep running into a vicious headwind. Ross’ back is hurting pretty badly. Popped a couple of advil and had Larry “crack his back”.
(Tom McDonald)
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7pm
Ross summits Townes Pass at exactly 12 hours. Beautiful. Larry throws on Ross’ vest for some warmth, a smoothie and fresh bottle of amino water. Now the crazy downhill for 17 miles.
(Tom McDonald)
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7:15
Tom does not like being so close to the rider but it is needed so he can see. Larry and Matt are having a blast seeing watching my anxiety. :) He was doing 53-54 mph for a while… Tom’s heart rate was likely 200bpm.
(Tom McDonald)
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8pm
About 8 miles past Stovepipe Wells. The wind had subsided on the downhill grade and through Stovepipe. But now wind has really picked up. Sand is blasting Ross, initially from the side but now as a direct headwind and heading slightly uphill. Larry and Matt estimate 30-40 mph constant with 50-60mph gust. Brutal.
Meanwhile Larry is not only supporting Ross’ nutritional needs but mine and Matt’s as well. He just mashed up a few cans of sardines and dumped some spicy mustard into some pita bread. My first time trying sardines AFAIK. IT was a tasty and healthy meal to help get us through the night. Thanks Larry!
(Tom McDonald)
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11:35pm
Wind is insane. With a slight uphill and direct headwind Ross is standing on the pedals and doing 1-2mph.
(Tom McDonald)
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Sunday morning.
Long night for all (mostly Ross of course. Very little sleep and moderate level of insanity ensuing through the night. Matt drove from the start through 12:30am on Sunday before I took over. By 6am I was nearly delirious but Matt had grabbed a few winks and took over. Larry has been doing all of the support and might have dozed off for a minute here and there but he’s way short on sleep.
We saw quite a few solo and team riders seem to give it up during the night. I can hardly blame them because the raging wind, likely gusting at over 70mph at times, was relentless. But I know Ross and there’s no way he’s giving in to the pain.
All of us are finding too much humor in the most ridiculous conversations. Sure sign of lack of sleep.
(Tom McDonald)
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9:15am
Just left the Shoshone check-in point. Matt and Larry work on Ross’s raw hands as well as correcting some bike issues. Ross is *tired*. Not just “I’be been up for 28 hours” tired…. This is more like, “I’ve never worked so hard in such a short period of time in my life *and* I’ve been up for 28 hours” tired. We have about 180 miles to go which is looking like 12 hours of fairly hard riding.
(Tom McDonald)
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10am
Ross’ appetite seems to be returning so we stopped for 5 mins for him to wolf down some oatmeal. Larry dumped some oats in a piece of tupperware, poured some water in and sat it on the dashboard to hat in the sun. Never did get very warm but the oats got soggy enough for consumption. Ross is back on the bike and riding stronger than I’ve seen in a couple of hours.
(Tom McDonald)
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10:40am
Summited Ibex Pass and on the other side is what looks to be a huge dust storm that spans the entire horizon. Wind is blowing pretty hard from Ross’ right side, pushing him around a fair bit. He’s got his bandanna over his face Jesses James style.
(Tom McDonald)
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Posted at 15:09 - Comments (View)
If I didn’t know any better I’d think Ross and Larry planned what just happened. When Ross was giving us final prep instructions he stressed that we take lots of pictures. Need to make sure we capture memorable events like food prep, perhaps the blender top blows off while Larry is making a smoothie or some such thing.
Well, we didn’t use the blender to make the smoothie… it’s more of a shaker with a flip top for easy pouring. So Larry fills it proper with water and chocolate Ultrameal and gives it a good shake and the damn top flies off. Everyone is covered in sticky chocolate goop and the car? Well, I’ll need to get it detailed before I let Kerri see it.
We don’t have a bunch of extra clothes with us (or any in a reachable location) so Larry wipes himself off and turns his shirt inside-out. He immediately smirks and says, “Chocolate on the inside…”. hence the title of this post. Snapped some pics just for you boss Ross!
(Tom McDonald)
Posted at 14:11 - Comments (View)
Signal will be going away soon so wanted to get this in. Ross is in great spirits and much more relaxed than the start of the race. The leaders have spread themselves out a bit which is nice because there are fewer cyclists for us to worry about as the roads begin to twist more.
Ross has a decent climb coming up. It’s beginning to warm up: 70 degrees.
(Tom McDonald)
Posted at 12:23 - Comments (View)
Ross dropped two bottles and picked up two fresh ones, one each from Matt and Larry. We drove ahead toward the bottom of a hill. Those folks are *bookin*. Had to be doing 50mph.
(Tom McDonald)
Posted at 11:49 - Comments (View)
Bah! Cell signal very spotty… trying another upload. Ross was in great spirits this morning. Some joking around but you could see the focus in his face and mannerisms.
Crew: Matt Minton, Tom McDonald (me!) and chief Larry Optis. We’re having a great time so far. Should be seeing riders in a few minutes… will get more pics and try to get them up before the signal goes away completely.
(Post: Tom McDonald)
Posted at 11:22 - Comments (View)
Tomorrow I race.
Its been a long time coming and now that time is here. Tomorrow morning at 7am PST, I will turn the pedals on my bike and start an adventure of over 500 miles.
The Furnace Creek 508 Invitational is an ultracycling event like no other. Each year cyclists gather in southern California to start this inimitable race. The course winds its way through some of the most adverse conditions and terrain found on this contintent. Sandstorms, heat, hills, wind - the race has something for everyone.
Many riders don’t complete the journey, many do.
I’m here to race. I will do my best, but above all else, I will have an adventure. I will finish the race safely and I will have a lot of fun with my crew and competitors along the way.
It won’t be easy, but there’s nothing I can do now that will make it easier. I haven’t checked the forecast yet - I am sure it will be hot and windy. Some of those winds will be helpful and some will not. At night, the temperature will drop and it will be cool, or maybe even cold. I can’t change these things any more than I can smooth out the hills.
What is important now is that I focus on riding well, competing well and take everything that I’ve learned in my training and apply it to what comes next.
I will expose myself and I will experience it, and for having tried, I will be a better person, regardless of how I finish.
This race doesn’t use numbers to identify its riders, it uses animal totems. Traditionally, a totem is an entity that watches over an individual or group. I picked mine to represent a small bit of family history. My mom’s family all adopted CB handles that they used to communicate with one another at their lake in northern Ontario. Each had a different handle using the Wolf theme. Last summer, my grandpa Collier passed away while I was riding across Canada, and although I didn’t get a chance to tell him, I made the entire trip with a photo of him in my back pocket. He was ill, and I was thinking of him the whole way, even before he passed. I’ve carried that same photo on most of my long rides since.
When I was thinking of which totem to pick, I wanted to include him in there some way - he has been with me for all of these rides, and I could really use his help on this one. Claiming the Gray Wolf as my totem seemed like the obvious choice.
I also try to dedicate each of my rides to someone special. My record breaking ride across Ontario was dedicated to relatives and friends that were, and continue, to fight cancer. Similarly, with this ride, I am doing the same. I’ve spoken with these people, they know who they are, and although I won’t be naming them here, I would request that you include them in your prayers over the next few days. I will be thinking of them as well, and they could all benefit from our collective positive energy.
There’s nothing left for me to do now, but shower, sleep and get on my bike. Thank you to all of you for your support, assistance and motivation during my preparation for this race.
My special love and thanks to Amanda for having the patience to let me do this.
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I promised some pictures - here is one that I haven’t posted to Facebook yet. This was taken on Tuesday in the area just before Towne Pass. The temperature was more than 40 degrees, the wind more than 40 miles per hour, and the sand was blowing pretty insistently across the road. This is what I have to look forward to on Saturday.
Posted at 11:00 - Comments (View)
The Furnace Creek 508 won’t be broadcast on network TV, but there will be a few ways that you can follow my progress on the web.
First, stay tuned to this blog. We will be posting audio, video and photo updates from the race as often as we can.
Second, follow me on twitter.
Third, check out the AdventureCorps Furnace Creek 508 Webcast.
Finally, watch my time splits.
Posted at 0:14 - Comments (View)
Yesterday, we drove 400 miles of the race course and took some time out to climb and descend Towne Pass - the “queen stage” of the Furnace Creek 508 Invitational.
We arrived at the base of the climb, a 16 kilometer behemoth, in the high heat of the day in the middle of a brief dust storm. Temperature was approximately 40 degrees celcius on the tarmac, with winds gusting between 40 and 50 miles per hour.
The climb itself went well, taking just over an hour, we summited at approximately 30kph with the benefit of a nice tailwind that pushed us over the top. The descent was a bit tricky as the high winds really pushed the deep dish Zipp wheels around a lot.
We saw a lot of really cool things throughout the day. I will post some photos when I get a chance. My favorite was watching the sun set over Death Valley while standing in the Badwater basin, the lowest spot in North America at 283 feet below sea level.
We drove straight through to Baker, California, where we turned back towards Los Angeles. We learned a lot about the race course, terrain and have a much better idea of what it will take to do well in this race, although we didn’t get back to the hotel until after 1am.
Today was a quiet rest and recovery day in Simi Valley.
We slept until 9:30 or so this morning and generally took it easy for most of the morning. Early this afternoon, we headed out to the local Starbucks to sit down and finish out our planning by applying a lot of what we learned to our “run of show” - the general plan and schedule that we’ll be trying to follow for as much of the race as possible.
For instance, we were able to take our new knowledge of the geography to be more strategic in our selection of where we’ll be doing bottle feeds from the crew to me while I’m on the bike, where we will be stopping to install the lighting on the bike, how we will be handling the self-support requirement in the first 24 miles of the race and where we’ll be using the fast bike instead of the light bike. We also took some time to apply the weather forecast to the projected time splits so that we’ve got a clearer understanding of where I might be facing headwinds and how that will affect our race plan.
Of course, none of this will mean anything once we get out on the road and find out exactly what it will take to do well in this race.
We’ve been avoiding restaurants for the most part and this evening was no different. We made our menu selections at the local Von’s and took our repast back to the hotel. Tonight we had a simple dinner of salad, fresh bread and other finger foods out by the pool.
We ran out of time today to get all the things done we wanted to do, but truth be told, we’ve got lots of time to take care of the final details we need to worry about. We’ve really worked hard to come up with a plan that will present the least amount of complication combined with the highest potential for race performance. That translate into a lot more time for me and the crew to focus on what’s really important instead of worrying about details that won’t affect the outcome of the race. I think there’s a life lesson in there somewhere.
Tomorrow we shift our operations to Santa Clarita. Just two more days until the race.
I can’t wait.
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This picture describes my race plan for the Furnace Creek 508. Its not often that you come across such a clear statement of strategy in a grocery store.
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