Rio Stampede 6 Hour Solo Race

Sunday was the Rio Stampede 6 Hour Solo race. It was my third race in 3 weeks which made it feel like my hardest race of the year. This should really be 4 posts, but to keep it organized I've kept it as one monster post and broke it up into four sections. Pre-Race, The Race, Post Race, and Thunderstorm.

Pre-Race

The vehicle of choice for the drive up to Steamboat was the M Coupe. It actually gets better gas mileage than the Tacoma and the Honda with two bikes on the roof. Space was another story though, we stuffed the back completely full with clothes, gear and a 40lb bag of dog food for Doug who let us crash at his place. It was so tight in the back we had to lay 1 gallon water jugs underneath our legs on the floor, luckily we didn't buy those until we got to Steamboat.

Packed to the Brim

We made it to Steamboat in a brisk 2 hours and 45 minutes, skirting the edges of a several monsoonal thunderstorms on the way. As we descended into the Yampa River Valley a huge storm was looming just Northwest of Steamboat. We met up with Brandon who had rode his motorcycle down from Portland with his mountain bike mounted on saddle bags and picked up our race packets.

Making Good Time

(about to pass a Honda!)

Brandon's Bike Rack

The plan was to set up a tent in the solo pits at the race start, but lightning strikes close by made that unsafe so we headed into town for dinner instead. The storm was intense and packed showers with silver dollar size rain drops. One hit me in the eye as I was taking lightning pics and I nearly fell down from the impact. We enjoyed a front row view of the storm as we shared a few laughs and got caught up with Brandon over dinner. Afterwards we headed to Doug's who kindly offered us his basement apartment for the night. I can only imagine how miserable it would have been camping in the rain all night. Thanks Doug.

Lightning

Saturday morning the alarm went off at 5:15am and I did not feel good. My fatigue level was high from poor sleep during the week and my legs were heavy from the two previous week's races. On the way to the start we looked for a place to grab breakfast, but nothing was open. The start was hard to find due to massive construction at the base of Steamboat Ski Resort. It was nestled in the construction zone behind the Sheraton which was a mud pit from the all the rain that fell the night before.

The Start / Finish

Doug let us borrow a tarp which would be much quicker to lay our gear, nutrition and water bottles on then setting up a tent. After setting up, Jo and I found a bagel store nearby and got breakfast, but eating so close to the start was a mistake. I would be burping up Superfood and wheat bagel the entire first lap. After the start meeting there was only about 15 minutes to warm up. It was too short, but better than nothing.

Jo, Alex, and Brandon

(it looks like it, but we're not holding hands - that would be wierd)

The race format was to ride as many laps as you could on the 11 mile course in 6 hours. You had to start your last lap by 2:00 pm, but be finished by 3:00 pm or it wouldn't count. This meant that some strategy would be involved to meet the 3:00 pm cut off with the most laps in the shortest amount of time. The course started with a steep 2,400 foot climb up to the top of the gondola where an aid station was located. The climb was a steep mix of fire roads with short singletrack sections. A guy with a cycling specific GPS told Jo the average grade was 11% with some sections as steep as 18%. At the top the fireroads gave way to three sections of tight switchback-filled singletrack that, except for a few small climbs, was mostly downhill. This opened up into steep downhill-style doubletrack that snaked it's way though a series of tight turns with high burms back the Start / Finish line. The only solo class was the Open Class which consists of everyone from pro's to beginners, although I doubt any beginners were there!

THE RACE

The race started at 8:00am with a Le Mans start. While Brandon took off like he was running the 200 meter sprint, I followed a strategy that was successful in past 24 hour races and took my time on the run keeping my heart rate down. It was a good opportunity to heckle Jo who was doing the race on her single speed. I was one of the last people on the bike, but quickly worked my way to the front of the pack. I settled in about 6 people behind the leader riding at a frantic pace. Brandon was one of the leaders, riding strong in third place. I kept him in sight for a while, but soon realized I would crack if I didn't let him go. I wouldn't see him again until the end of the race.

The climb was steep, much steeper than I thought. My climbing form reached its peak in early July as a result of climbing specific training in May and June. After the Triple Bypass, I switched my focus to riding flats for the Laramie Enduro. I felt it at Steamboat. Even though I let Brandon go, I cracked pretty bad near the top of the first lap. I was burping (and farting) a repugnant mix of bagel and Superfood. Even in my granny gear, the power required to keep the Superfly's 29" wheels turning at a high cadence on the steep sections would haunt me in later laps. This was a hole in my training and if I'd planned on doing this race in advance I would have come prepared.

By the top I was looking forward to some relief on the singletrack and the descent, but alas, this wouldn't be the case riding a hardtail. At the start of the singletrack I settled in behind a guy riding a Santa Cruz Blur, with 4" of rear suspension. He was a skilled descender, but I stayed with him determined not get dropped on the hardtail. Lush undergrowth due to a wet year in Northern Colorado was closing in on the trail making it narrow and hiding numerous obstacles along the edges. It was a constant dance of lateral moves to avoid an endless onslaught of logs, rocks, and aspen trunks lurking on the inside of every turn. Throughout the race I never found a good rhythm on the singletrack sections and ended up riding them disorganized, with no flow. There were two obstacles that got me on every lap, a low hanging vine over the trail on a sharp left turn and a rock at the base of a sharp climb to the right.

Singletrack

Near the end of the last piece of singletrack I was following too close to the guy on the Blur and didn't brake early enough for a sharp right turn. There was nowhere to go but straight over the edge. The Superfly and I soared through the air, landing about 6 feet below into a nest of 4' tall shrubs. The thick shrubs cushioned my landing, but it was hell untangling the bike and myself and getting back to the trail. It was a stupid mistake that was well below my skill level. After the singletrack opened up I made up some time, eventually catching the guy on the Blur. The first lap took me 1:14:52.

On the second lap I settled into a good race pace. I was slower, but consistent on the climb and faster on the descent. A guy riding his first lap on a two person team caught me as the singletrack gave way to double track and signaled to pass. I said "Come on by man, what side do you want?" He said "On your left", but couldn't muster the acceleration to pass. I wasn't going to slow down, so I just picked a line off the trail so he could have the full width. Eventually he passed, but crashed right in front of me at the base of the burm on a lefthand turn. He skidded into the turn and up the burm which sling-shot him and his bike into the air. It was a spectacular crash. I stopped to see if he was okay and helped him get up once he realized nothing was broken. He eventually caught me again near the bottom of the descent. When he asked to pass I gave him plenty space this time and as he went by I could see blood and trail rash soaking through his mangled jersey. The second lap took 1:18:02.

On the 3rd lap the climb started taking a toll on me. It hurt bad and seemed never to end. It was getting hot and I ran out of water near the top. I originally planned to carry a Camelbac, but switched to only water bottles thinking less weight would help me get up the climb faster. This proved to be a flawed strategy because I ran out of water on the last two climbs and lost valuable time stopping to refill bottles at the aid station. I would have been quicker with the Camelbac which showed in my third lap time of 1:26:26.

I started my fourth lap at 12:00pm. To meet my goal of 5 laps I'd have to average 1:30 per lap to finish by 3:00pm. I drank two bottles in the pit zone and even though I was faster than the previous lap, the climb was still getting to me. My aerobic engine felt like it could go all day, but my legs and back were sore, my training holes were catching up to me. I just wasn't strong enough to spin the Superfly's 29" wheels at a good cadence. I found myself stalling out where guys on 26" bikes were spinning away.

At the top of the singletrack I crashed again. This time is was a result of fatigue and poor hydration. I lost my balance on a tight switchback and just fell. It shouldn't have been that bad, but I ended up bruising my left knee and the inside of my right calf. The Superfly also took some damage. My stem slipped so my handle bar was out of line with my wheel and I bent my de-railer hanger. Riding the rest of the race slightly crooked was weird but doable, unfortunately the bent de-railer hanger was not. Every time I shifted into my granny gear my chain would wedge between the cog and my wheel. It happened twice on the descent and took me about 2 minutes each time to work it loose. I finished the lap at 1:35pm with a 1:35:45 lap time.

Now I had a decision to make. Did I have the legs to ride a 1 hour and 25 minute lap on a crooked bike with no granny gear or should I call the race with four laps? I felt horrible, probably the worst I've felt in any race this year. I was digging deep into the well just to turn the cranks over and fatigue from racing the Laramie Enduro and Winterpark the two previous weekends was setting in. My demons were screaming for me to quit and the voice of self doubt was loud, but I had to give it a shot. The pain was not a valid reason to quit.

I started out up the climb at a solid pace. My determination kept me completely detached from the pain of my legs, back and now right foot, which hurt bad for some reason. I would need the granny on most of the climb. I managed to manually get the chain on the cog and tweak the adjusting knob on the shifter to keep it there. It held steady for the first mile allowing me to settle into a good pace and start feeling like I could really pull it off. Then I got to the first bump of the climb about 1.5 miles in. When I laid down power the chain jumped and wedged in against the wheel. I managed to get it out relatively quickly in about 2 minutes and tweaked the adjustment knob a turn or two. Mentally, I weaved a quick web of denial and clung to my hope of finishing before 3:00pm. "Yes, those 2 minutes were crucial, but you'll just have to make it up by riding harder!"; I told myself. Then it happened again. This time it took 4 minutes to free the chain. I weaved the web of denial thicker. "Anything is possible..." Then it happened again. This time I struggled for almost 6 minutes to free the chain. It was wedged so good and I had to remove the wheel to work it loose. Those 6 minutes cut through my web of denial like a blow torch. There was no way I could make up 12 minutes, even if my shifting was fine. It was a lost cause. I turned around and coasted back into the pits a defeated man.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relived to be done slogging up that climb, but it did sting a little to have mustered all I had to keep going only to give in to a frustrating mechanical. In the end it would have only gained me one spot and the pain I'd be feeling now (2 days later) would be much worse. I finished 6th out of 12 total with 4 laps (my lap 5 attempt didn't count) for a total time of 5:35:04. My GPS showed distance of 41.2 miles (it consistently reads low) and 9824 feet of climbing. Check out the elevation profile below, each triangle shows a lap.

Elevation Profile (4 Laps)

Post Race

I washed off in a hose under the Gondola and grabbed my camera to snap a couple pics of Jo and Brandon as they finished. Jo rolled in first. Since she was the only single speed woman so she switched into the women's solo open class making it a total of 3 women. She finished in 1st place, beating both other girls on their geared bikes. Damn that's hot! She was the only solo woman to ride 4 laps in a total time of 6:25:19.

Jo Finishing

Brandon rolled in next, finishing in 3rd place. At the top of the first lap he sheared a cleat off his shoe and rode the entire descent one-footed. His time on that lap was still 1:09:07! Even after spending 10 minutes to change out cleats and shoes, he rode 5 laps in a total time of 6:27:23. Not bad for supposedly being "out of shape"!

Brandon Finishing

Thunderstorm

The Rio Stampede consisted of a 6 and a 12 hour race. After our race was done there was still a 12 hour race going on. It consisted of solo, 2 and 3 person classes. As we were packing up Friday's weather pattern repeated itself and a huge thunderstorm rolled in. It came so fast that instead of neatly packing everything up I just bundled everything in the tarp and carried it like Santa's bag of presents to the shelter of a parking garage.

Torrential Rain

Under Cover and Relieved to be Done

The storm's gust front collapsed the Start / Finish structure and blew over the barricades that marked the course through the pits. Then a wall of water followed by moth ball size hail unleashed on us. I could only imagine the misery of the riders still out on the course as I ran for cover being pelted and stung by hail. I found a good spot to document the carnage and watched and cheered as riders slowly trickled in with panic stricken looks on their faces. The heavy rained quickly turned the construction dirt into a giant mud pit with tiny flash floods forming small creeks through the tents. As a result of the storm the 12 hour race was cancelled.

A 12 Hour Racer Finishing his Lap in the Storm

(note the collapsed barricades due to strong winds)

One of Many Small Floods

The awards ceremony was postponed until 7:00pm so we packed up and grabbed a bite to eat. After dinner Brandon had to leave for Portland so Jo and I stayed to pick up the prizes. As usual, the awards ceremony took way longer than expected. We didn't get home until after midnight, but it was a great time and I didn't mind rolling in late. I feel good about my finish and think I did well all things considered. It was great to see Brandon and I'm happy for both him and Jo for their excellent finishes.

Looking Tough for the Camera

Jo on the Podium