W

hen I saw Sam ahead of me I knew that it was time to attack. Glory was at hand. Sam was the strongest rider amongst the group of friends I was racing the 2010 Julian Death March with and if I finished ahead of him, I would be first among my friends. It was Go-Time.

The Julian Death March is an 86-mile mountain bike race that gains 14,000 feet of elevation on everything from clean pavement to hike-a-bike jeep trails. I first raced the JDM last year and completed the first 62-mile loop in about 7 hours before calling it quits. Not being able to complete the full course last year left a sour taste in my mouth and I was back for redemption. I would do everything to finish the full Death March this year.

The race started at 8:00am from Frank Lane Park in Julian which is really just a dirt parking lot. About 80 riders rolled out of town on pavement with a police escort. We turned left onto a rolling country road making our way into the hills. I was in a group just behind the leaders, watching them quickly spin away. Placing high up in the JDM was out of the question; my goal was to simply survive the race. In order to survive, I needed to keep an easy pace early on and let the leaders go. My friend Sam was in that front group – he’s a serious hardman.

Mickey and I looking fresh before the race.

The gap was widening when a rider flashed out of our group, sprinting to join the leaders. She was going all out to chase them down and I seriously wondered if she knew this was an 86-mile race. If it was so important to stay with the leaders, she should have been with them from the start. Chasing at full power in the first half hour of the race can’t be good.

The leaders disappeared and soon we were flying down the 8-mile descent along Eagle Peak Road. Down, down, down we went on gravel roads. It’s eerie losing 2,500 feet of elevation all at once because you know you’re going to have to get it back soon enough. After 20 minutes in free-fall, the fun was over and we made the left had turn onto Cedar Creek and began climbing rugged jeep trails.

Great fisheye perspective on the initial 2,500 foot descent.

I kept an easy pace and focused on proper nutrition – it was going to be a really long day. The jeep trails gave into gravel roads and then quickly into smooth pavement as I began the climb up Engineers. I was feeling much better than I did racing last year and made quick progress to the top.

I was racing with several friends. My friend Sam was with the leaders. Dr. Hodges was somewhere ahead, not sure how far ahead. And my friend Mickey was somewhere behind, taking a slightly easier pace to finish the day. So, I considered myself 3rd among friends, which isn’t bad – it’s at least on the podium, right?

Sam, Dr. Hodges, Mickey and I.

After a quick stop to refill bottles, I began my descent down Chariot Canyon. I was feeling great and kept a quick pace as I turned down Rodriguez Canyon to the base of the infamous Oriflamme climb. Oriflamme is an absolute beast climbing 1,600 feet in just 3.5 miles over a rutted and rocky jeep trail. It was in the early steepness of Oriflamme that I discovered that my lowest gear was worn out, the chain skipping whenever I tried applying high torque. I walked a lot more than normal telling myself I was preparing for the hike-a-bike sections of the Leadville 100.

At one point I was passed by two women racers. They looked super strong and were climbing fast. I remembered passing them earlier and said “Hello” as they rolled past me walking. I caught them up near the top as they apparently stopped to pee. We would spend the rest of the race leap-frogging each other. The only reason I ever caught them was when they stopped to pee. Funny.

Back at the top of Chariot Canyon I felt déjà vu descending again. But, instead of turning towards Rodriguez this time, I kept left headed for the base of Banner Grade. I found Dr. Hodges at the Aid Station at the bottom of Banner Grade and we left together in search of the new section of the JDM nicknamed “Wayne’s Trail”.

Headed to Chariot Canyon after Fages Monument.

The trail turned out to be little more than a goat path through the rocks and weeds. With my lowest gear out of commission, I was forced to walk a lot and got frustrated and a bit bonky. I was not prepared for the climb back into Julian to be this difficult and I suffered as I watched Dr. Hodges go off the front.

The Girls passed me at some point then another woman racer passed me that I recognized as the one who’d sprinted to join the leaders early on. How the heck did she get behind me? She must have gotten lost along the way. She climbed ahead of me and then dropped down another trail to the left and began to accelerate away. I didn’t think there was a descent here so I stopped and consulted my Garmin to find out she’d just gone off trail again. She was headed back for the bottom of the climb. I shouted “Wrong way!” to no avail. I remember seeing her wearing earbuds…

On Hwy 79 speeding towards Soapstone Grade.

I finished the remaining bits of the climb and headed back into Julian, the first 62-miles of the race complete. This is when I had quit last year, too exhausted to go for the final 22-mile section. When I had checked in last year they asked me if I was headed back out and I had answered, “Heck no!” This year, when I checked in I told them I was headed back out before being asked. I wanted to commit to going back out.

Dr. Hodges was just finishing up refilling his bottles when I arrived. We decided to head out for the second section together. As I was mixing Perpetuem I saw Brent Prenzlow (race winner) who said “Hello”. We chatted a bit and it dawned on me that he’d won the entire race 20 minutes faster than it took me to complete the first 62 miles. Damn, that’s fast.

Dr. Hodges and I heading into the Santa Ysabel Preserve.

Within minutes, Dr. Hodges and I were speeding towards the Santa Ysabel Preserve and the final miles of the race. I was feeling good and optimistic about a strong finish. We hit the initial sections of dirt in a strong clip and Dr. Hodges admitted to feeling a bit knackered and suggested I go on ahead. He couldn’t follow any strong pushes now. I thought about it but decided to finish with him. I had nothing to gain by being a few minutes ahead of him so we continued on. We caught the Girls (peeing again, I believe) and descended to the bottom of the hill. They caught us up on the climb and everyone was friendly about it. They were getting to be old friends at this point. They must have stopped again for some reason because we caught them just as it started to flatten out in a faster section of the course. I spotted Sam ahead just after passing them.

I accelerated up to Sam to see what happened and could tell immediately that he was struggling with The Bonk. He said something about being surprised we had caught him then mentioned he probably hadn’t eaten enough. He looked confused and pale and his eyes were almost rolling in their sockets. I offered him a GU which he accepted and then I was off the front, hammering to put some distance between us.

I don’t know who this guy is, but he sure is having fun!

I was ahead of the Girls, Sam and Dr. Hodges. I was the first of my friends on the course – in my mind it became a Stage Win that I was after. I doubled-down on GUs and sucked at Perpetuem to keep myself from bonking and forced my legs to go harder. I spotted a rider ahead of me and made it my goal to catch him on the next hill. I did that and then spotted another rider and another.

I caught a rider just as we were leaving the Preserve and dirt trails for good. The only thing ahead of us was the 3 or 4 miles of pavement back to the Start/Finish line. We had to dismount to get through the gate and I made sure to use a cyclocross move to get going again faster than him. He said something like, “Well, I hope you’re good on the road” and I thought to myself, “Actually, yes, I rather do enjoy the pave…” I hammered it hard to keep a gap to him, but never really looked back either.

Completely wiped out, but very happy after the race.

My legs were searing, on the verge of cramping up. I was dead tired. Salt encrusted, sticky from GU and Perpetuem, I had been on the bike for NINE solid hours. I was scared shitless that a revived Sam would chase me down in these last miles so I kept the pressure on, not believing that I could stay away. And that’s when it hit me…

I absolutely love this shit.

I got pretty emotional at this point. After all the hard work, long hours and endless miles of training. All the energy and preparation, it was really worth it. I was doing something that was extraordinarily hard and I was doing it well.

I wiped the tears away and continued to hammer back to Julian. I finished the Julian Death March in 9:27:10 in 18th place overall, 7th place in my age group. Of the 80 riders who began the day, only 28 would finish the entire course.

Good night, Julian. Thanks for a great race!

The series of thunderstorms that passed through California last week, giving San Diego such strange May weather wreaked havoc on our Monster Climbs plans. Instead of radiant sunshine and azure skies in the Eastern Sierras, it looked like we’d be in for rain, snow, wind and 35f temps in the high-altitude passes. To save the trip, Voris (trip captain) re-organized everything to base out of Death Valley instead of Bishop. That’s where I chickened out and bailed.

Instead, I planned my own little 3-day Monster Climbs adventure here in San Diego. I missed being with the team, but was glad for the company of my Dirt Bros and enjoyed recovering at home instead of at a motel.

Day 1 – South Grade of Palomar

The South Grade of Palomar Mountain is often compared to Alpe d’Huez, a legendary climb in the Tour de France. Having climbed both on a bike a couple of times, I can confirm the similarity with the exception that the 21 corners of L’Alpe are almost flat, making the ramps steeper when you consider the average gradient. Palomar is almost perfectly the same gradient throughout.

Mark and I parked at the casino at the bottom and headed straight up. The idea was to use the 6,000 feet of climbing Palomar as a warm up for the weekend. I was hoping to pootle to the top, but Mark set a nasty pace right away. Knowing I could only hold that pace for a few more minutes, I went to the front to slow it down. I got lucky in that Mark decided to sit in rather than drop me right then and there. He’s nice that way.

Up and up we pedaled, each lost in our own iPod playlists. It was nice and quiet – I guess the Moto-GP guys don’t get Friday’s off. About halfway up, I was feeling ok and began to plan my attack. I thought Mark might have some weakness near the top so I resolved to attack as we passed the 5,000 foot sign, about a mile from the top.

With 5,000 feet of climbing in 21 switchbacks, Palomar is very similar to Alpe d’Huez

Mark beat me to the punch, launching a voracious attack with several miles to go. I went with him and was able to keep his wheel. I prayed that he’d have to slow down soon and he did. Hoping that he was spent from the attack, I counter-attacked, but Mark kept my wheel. Still convinced he was on his last gas, I pushed hard one more time, but it turned out that I was the one on the edge and I imploded. Mark went right around me. I still got about 1:30 for the South Grade which is not a personal record, but not bad either.

Mark pedals the final meters to the Palomar Observatory

We moseyed up to the high point and did a lap to the Observatory before heading back down the grade to the car. All in all, we got 6,147 feet of climbing in just 38 miles over 3:06. Nice warm up.

Day 2 – Epic Mountain Bike Adventure

I love Saturday morning epic mountain bike adventures with Mark and Andy and last Saturday did not disappoint. As we headed out to Cuyamaca under blustery skies, my thoughts were with the Descenders. If we were getting weather this far south, I wondered what it must be like in Death Valley – hopefully no wind or rain.

The Dirt Bros at one of our (glorious) rest stops

Mark, Andy and I headed east on new trails, bound for Indian Creek and the famous Noble Canyon descent. We stopped along the way to chat with and get directions from other riders. I was very happy for the stops as Mark was continuing to push a hard pace – when does that kid slow down?

Gotta love Cuyamaca – the weather made it even more beautiful

Awesome singletrack trails led us to Deer Park fire road and the start of the Indian Creek trail that would lead us to the top of Noble Canyon. A narrow swath of rocky singletrack lead ominously uphill into the scrub. Up and up that trail went, like the rocky spine of some ancient dragon. Mark and Andy have much better skills than I and motored ahead while I was forced to stop and negotiate several obstacles on foot. This was by far, the most technical climbing I’ve ever done. Absolutely relentless as well – it took me 35 minutes to travel just 1.8 miles up that hill.

Don’t try this with 50psi, that’s for sure

Taking a picture of this switchback was the perfect excuse for a break

Finally at the top, we decided to bomb down Noble Canyon, a legendary singletrack descent with sections named “Stairway to Hell”, “Barney Rubble” and “The Widow Maker”. Yeah, right… Mark and Andy sped off with their “mad descending skills”, leaving me to pick my way down in quiet solitude. Honestly, 95% of Noble Canyon is super-fun twisty-turny singletrack running through oak and pine forest, opening to chaparral and scrub at the bottom. It’s the 5% that makes the trail treacherous and kept me on my toes. Go flying around a sharp corner to find a 6-foot rocky dropoff – oh, is that stump actually used as a ramp? Wow.

Near the bottom, I found Mark and Andy waiting at a creek crossing. Mark had an owie from one of the obstacles and you could tell that the fun had worn off. We continued down the canyon and took the early exit to start making our way back to Cuyamaca.

Mine is the orange one

Deer Park Road is paved until you get to the “Big Oak Tree” with sections as steep as 15-20% and is a nice way to warm up the legs after the Noble downhill (not!). We picked our way west back to Cuyamaca, the car and all that cold beer. I was feeling good and there was no good reason not to leave it all on the trail so I attacked right off the front. It felt really good to be hammering so I kept it up, all the way to the top of the ridge. I looked back and realized I was finally putting the hurt on Mark so I let out some kind of rebel yell, I was almost at the point of laughing – funny how after 5 hard hours on the bike you can feel so good. Mark caught me on the descent into Cuyamaca, which is expected. He’s ballsier than I am.

What a beautiful day

We re-grouped at the highway and took the singletrack back towards the car, passing several runners participating in the San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run – seriously – 100 miles?!? They were at mile 46 or so and some looked fresh and others looked to be struggling. The winner finished in a little over 18 hours so everyone planned on running all night. Yeah, that’s just crazy…

The trails that connect Laguna and Cuyamaca are awesome

We continued toward the car, being careful to give the runners the right of way. Still feeling good, I waited patiently for another opportunity to hammer and got it when we turned off the runner’s course and onto the last 2-mile stretch of singletrack leading to the parking lot. I gave it everything I had, feeling really good again. Mostly flat with lots of twists, this section is one of my favorites. Splashed through the creek, gingerly negotiated the switchbacks and zoomed the final turns.

Mmm, Levitation Ale and a handmade BLT with turkey

Cold beer and an awesome lunch awaited (thanks Tami!). Does it get better? Day 2 totals: 35.5 miles and 5,945 feet climbed in 6:08.

Day 3 – Pie Run to Julian

I love riding to Julian and I always suffer on the way home. I couldn’t find anyone to join me, but was looking forward to the six hours of solitude on the bike.

I got ALL the town signs

After 10 solid hours of sleep and a leisurely morning, I set out to Pie Town. I kept the pace moderate, knowing it’s all about getting home and the last 2,000 feet of climbing. I was hoping that my new nutrition plan would keep me feeling good all day. If I am to survive Leadville, I’ll need to be able to ride for up to 12 hours and I’ve always had trouble around hour 5. Today would be a test.

There’s something about this tree…

The miles drifted along and soon I was climbing out of the Ramona basin toward Santa Ysabel. I chatted with another rider for awhile who turned out to be Tony Ellsworth of Ellsworth Bikes. He’s a heck of a nice guy, I’m going to have to check out his MTB line. It’s cool to have a bike manufacturer in town.
I didn’t set any records to the top of Old Julian Highway, but that’s ok. I kept rolling on to Santa Ysabel and was still good on water so I decided not to stop and just roll up the grade to Julian. Left turn on Wynola Road for the bonus miles and to avoid some traffic. Wynola is one of my favorite roads – it’s so picturesque. Very nice to climb and descending is very exciting.

Favorite town sign of the day

Rolled into downtown Julian a little after 3 hours, sent a text to the fam, turned around and headed for home. I don’t really take the time to eat the pie anymore, the break seizes my legs up and the pie is good, but not what I need to get home.

Every time I head to Julian I tell myself that I can get bonus miles by coming home via Highland Valley Road. But every time I get to the HVR turnoff on the way home, I’m feeling so horrid all I want to do is crawl into ditch for a nap. So, I never take the bonus miles. Last Sunday, I felt great and turned onto Highland Valley; one of San Diego’s best cycling roads. Twisty, steep and in the middle of almost nowhere, it’s majestic. Lucky to be climbing the shallow side, I enjoyed the exciting 40mph descent, even powering up several of the “attack ramps” – places where the road briefly turns uphill during the descent where you can gain time on others by hammering.

Wynola Road is one of my all-time favorite roads

Finally deposited on Pomerado Road, I began the final 10-mile push home. I passed a tandem going uphill at about mile 85 and they passed me on the downhill. Weariness was finally working into my legs and I was happy to jump on their wheel for the draft. They turned off at the bottom of the final 350-foot climb up Pomerado Road. At mile 92, this hill causes me to re-think the decision to buy the house I did. The houses at the bottom of the hill are just as nice…

Still felt good going uphill so I pushed it and found some reasonable power. Very nice. Totals for day were 93 miles and 7,831 feet climbed in 6:38.

In The End…

I got some emails and photos from the Descenders saying how great their Death Valley trip turned out. Awesome, I’m really glad it worked out. And I’m really stoked to have gotten in 159 miles with 19,926 feet of climbing over almost 16 hours of saddle time.

Perfect training for Leadville.