Post Vision Quest Post

From VQ 09

Now that Vision Quest 2009 is done, it's time for a lengthy post. I've been keeping my little blurbs few and far in between, but today I'm going to write quite a bit.

I was in good spirits and felt pretty optimistic before VQ this year and even though I had some problems on the ride, I feel ok about the entire experience. Last year I was very upset after Vision Quest because I had built the ride up as the most important ride of the year. I focused heavily on it and had very specific goals. When I didn't meet those goals I was very disappointed.

So this year my goals were to finish and to beat my time from last year. I was secretly hoping for a little under 7:30, but I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself to achieve that.

In retrospect I am pleased with my preparation this year. I rode as much as I could between bike problems and sickness. I had a plan and I followed it. Unlike last year I have no regrets in regards to training and a nutrition plan. I feel like I've finally started to figure out how to properly prepare for a big endurance event.

With all this in mind, it's time to do a blow by blow recap ...


Start to Beek's

Woke up at 4:25AM, showered, got dressed and took off. With all the rest the week before the race I was actually in a good mood and was anxious to ride.

I lined up with Doug in the middle of the 380 riders at the start and that was a mistake. Next year I'll make sure to get to the front.

The trip up to Beek's was uneventful though. I rode it all in my middle ring and I sort of regret not being in a higher gear. I was happy that no one posed a problem or got in my way. I've said it so many times, but I am still amazed at how hard some people start. Guys would pass me but they would be breathing as if they were doing a cross country race - not an endurance event.

My time to Beek's was a little under an hour, which is definitely a little slower than I would have liked. But I was trying to pace myself and figured it would pay off later.


Beek's to Motorway

Nothing really exciting here either. I was going back and forth with a few guys here and there. I'd get passed, I'd do some passing ... nothing crazy. I was trying to stand a lot and get out of the saddle to keep the blood flowing in my legs and to rest them periodically. I thought that would help to prevent cramping or fatigue.

About a half mile before the Motorway I went to shift in the rear and it didn't feel right. My shifter indicated I had shifted down for a climb, but the bike felt hard to pedal. I looked back at my cassette and realized it had not shifted at all.

As it turns out I frayed my rear shifter cable underneath my bottom bracket and the bike was not shifting in the rear. What was even worse was that the lack of tension caused it to actually shift _up_ and not down when I tried to shift.

I reached the top of the Motorway at about 2:08 and that was with a quick stop to look at my bike and see what was wrong.

From VQ 09

Down the Motorway

Don't have too much to say here. Was actually a very similar experience to last year. Some things in life just really push my buttons. Certain sports teams, certain political issues, bad drivers, etc. Right up there on the list is people going super slow down the Motorway and not getting over for faster riders.

There was a guy holding up about four of us and when he finally decided to stop to let us pass I ran into him. Not hard, but a gentle nudge in the back. He picked an absolutely terrible place to stop and I had nowhere to go but right into the back of his bike.

When I hit him two things happened instantly. First my right leg totally seized. Quad, calve and hamstring. Top to bottom, the entire thing locked rock hard. Great. Next thing I noticed was that my chain had come off.

I limped to the side of the trail to let other people go and tried not to lose my temper. I waited for my leg to relax and set to fixing the chain. It had actually somehow gone over my crank and pedal and so it took a little longer than normal to set it back onto the big ring.

I rolled into the bottom of the Motorway a little before 2:30. A terrible time. Two weeks prior I had reached the bottom at about 2:18.


Maple Springs to Peak

At the first aid station Rob was there to help me swap bottles and give me a new gel flask. He was a tremendous help and I can't imagine making the transition any other way.

I wanted to keep going and just figured I'd pick a gear on my bike and finish the ride as a singlespeed. The tension was gone in the cable and so with Rob's help I put the bike into 1x7. Small ring in the front and the 7th cog in the rear. It was an awkward gearing, but I wanted to easiest gearing possible for the trip up the pavement.

I just could not get the bike to stay in a smaller gear. Every time I placed the chain on a bigger cog in the rear it would just slide down the cassette into a smaller cog.

About half a mile up the pavement the bike clicks and I go from riding in 1x7 to 1x8. Great. I am proud to say I cleared all but 10 yards in that gearing, but it was incredibly difficult. I've done the paved climb on two other singlespeeds and this was considerably harder than the previous two efforts.

When I reached the dirt I was putting pretty much all the energy I had into every pedal stroke. It sounds dramatic, but all the guys riding around me were shocked that I wouldn't shift down. I had to explain to several of them that I couldn't.

I managed to reach the first turn on the dirt and was really encouraged by Josiah, James, Melissa and Jeff. I wasn't in the best mood and I wish I could have been in better spirits when I reached them. They came out and hiked up just to cheer people on all day. It was awesome.

About a quarter mile past the cheering foursome I stopped. It was time to either quit or fix the bike. I simply couldn't get the pedals around anymore. I couldn't stand and I couldn't sit. The gearing was too tough and I had spent too much energy.

I told myself that if I did not finish the entire ride that I would give my event shirt away because I'd be too ashamed to wear it. Three things kept me going:

1. I wanted to wear the shirt.
2. I did not want to ride past my four friends in shame and failure.
3. I did not want to face my riding buddies in shame and failure.

I realized I could increase the tension to the rear derailleur even with the frayed cable and set out to get the bike into the largest rear cog I could get.

I was very fortunate to see my friend Ross ride up and when he asked if I needed help I said, "YES!" He helped by pulling the cable while I held the derailleur in place and tightened the rear bolt. The bike was now stuck in 2x1, but I figured that would work because I knew I could climb the rest of the course in that gear.

Ross and I rode together until Modjeska Peak. It was great to just cruise and talk with him. I felt a little bad though because on some of the easier sections he would push ahead and I had to stay behind. I'm not sure if he was waiting for me or if I was catching up here and there, but somehow we managed to stay close all the way to Four Corners.

All the talking helped distract me from the reality that my overall time was going to be pretty far below what I wanted. But at least I knew I could finish and that felt good.

I cramped again on the rocky climb right before Modjeska and tried to ride through it. The first few cramps passed, but eventually the legs locked so hard that I had to stop and get off the bike. Ross gave me four salt pills and I ate two on the spot and saved two for later.

The rest of the way up to Saddleback wasn't tough. I was in a very easy gear and just spinning away. I ran into Nick at the base of the climb up to Saddleback and talked to him for a while before he took off.

When I finally reached the peak I was surprised to see so many people sitting down and taking a break. What the heck? I simply turned and headed down towards Upper Holy Jim.


Descending the Jims

I caught Ross on the way down to Upper Holy Jim after he had disappeared on the climb to Saddleback. Not sure how that happened. It's interesting to me that for whatever reason I'm fast on that section of downhill. I always seem to catch people there and the loose rock stuff - or snow in this case - doesn't bother me at all.

Originally the plan was to stop and lower my seat for UHJ, but I decided against it. I rode the easy stuff and walked what I didn't feel comfortable riding.

When I hit the bottom of UHJ I saw Don Jackson and it was really cool to see yet one more person that I know. (He kept calling me "Quad Attack" before I corrected him with "Quad Damage" ... Haha) Honestly eight hours on the bike doesn't seem so bad when you're constantly surrounded by friends on the bike or at checkpoints.

Going down lower Holy Jim was again uneventful. I tried to go faster than I normally would and I felt really good and in control. Saw quite a few hikers and managed to do very well on the lower switchbacks. At this point I was starting to have fun - especially since my hopes of a good time were dashed. Haha.


The End (The first half)

Second aid station was fantastic. Rob gave me what I needed and I was out of there in a minute or two. Last year I was cramping bad at this point, but this year the four salt pills had started to kick in. At least I think that's what it was.

I managed to get up to West Horsetheif in about 32 minutes. This was very exciting for me and I consider it a highlight of the day. I would say that it was close to the same time I would have had if I had been fresh. The gearing I was stuck in was actually perfect for the climb and I cleared quite a few tough loose sections.

It was also nice to have a singlespeed guy behind me watch me clear stuff and encourage me every time I made a tough spot.

Three things happened right before I got to Horsetheif.

1. I saw Matt coming down and that produced a mix of emotions. The first emotion was frustration and disappointment. Matt was finishing with a crazy good time and I was just starting the worst part of the course. The second emotion was happiness for Matt. Everyone just wants to have a good race and it was obvious he was having a fantastic event.

2. I ran into a girl right before Horsetheif that was also wearing a Sho-Air jersey. Even though there was no one else around she was talking to herself. Not just mumbling either. Loud and constant. "You can do this! Hiking is just 5 minutes away! And then some climbing! And then downhill! I can do this! Hiking!" It was just odd.

3. I saw Frank the Tank. This made me feel good because I know Frank is a good rider and I didn't know he was even doing the event. We talked for a little bit, let the psycho girl pass us on the hike and then I eventually separated from him.

One funny note ... at the top of Horsetheif I remember from last year that Jason got this awesome picture where he is riding the last tiny steep section near the trailhead. I wanted that picture.

So I prepared, rested and psyched myself up to clear that section. In my mind I would stand up, hammer and then *SNAP*, GLORY! Unfortunately I made the climb and no one was there with a camera.

Since time had stopped being an issue I figured I'd eat a burger and enjoy the experience a little longer. I ate about half a burger while I talked to a guy that recognized me from a group ride. Again it was cool to run into someone that I know and talk riding in general.


The End (The second half)

The ride over to Trabuco stunk. I was tired of riding in 2x1 and decided to risk gearing up. I managed to get the bike to go to maybe 2x4 but it was skipping too much so I settled back to 2x1. Also the burger I ate 10 minutes prior started to cause problems with my stomach. It occured to me in that moment how really stupid it was to eat a HAMBURGER and then ride some more. (But it was a _really_ good burger) Haha.

Right before Trabuco I saw a guy on the side of the trail and I thought he was a photographer. So I decided that as I approached him I'd wait for him to lift his camera and then in that split second I'd stand up to give him a great shot. Hahaha. I wanted a picture that made it look like I was really going hard.

When I finally got up to where he was at he simply said, "138 ..." and wrote my number down. Haha.

Before descending Trabuco I had to get off my bike and shift up and get the chain to stay in a good gear in the rear. I think I managed to get it into 2x8. The plan was to ride out to Trabuco Creek Road in that gear and then go to my big ring for the trip to the finish.

The bike would shift up, but the lack of tension prevented it from shifting down.

I bombed down Trabuco and caught a singlespeeder about halfway down. My hands and arms were fatiguing a little, but I've gone down Trabuco super tired so many times that I wasn't worried.

The bottom part of Trabuco was fun as always - and especially so because I knew no one would be riding up. I wish I could have done that on Holy Jim. It's so nice to just fly around corners knowing that no one is going to be there. At least the odds are very good no one is there. Haha.

I was pacing another guy doing Vision Quest on Trabuco Creek Road the entire way out and my plan was to attack in the last 100 yards and finish ahead of him. We were very close and when I attacked he saw me and matched my effort. His little lead on me was maintained and he got the best of me.

Still I rode into the finish line laughing and smiling because it was a fun way to finish - hammering as hard as I could trying to beat some random guy by a second or two.

My time was 8:06, which was two minutes faster than last year. My goal is to work hard for another year because I'm pretty sure I can take another two minutes off with a lot of dedication and sacrifice.


Conclusion

Doesn't every paper in school end with a conclusion?

I'm a little upset about how things turned out, but what can I do? Sometimes things just happen and you just have to deal with it.

My big thing is that I just want to live up to my potential for any race I do. Based on how much time I put into training I felt like my potential was somewhere between 7:20 and 7:30. That's if things went well and I worked hard on race day. I definitely did not have the potential to break 7 hours. I don't live in some fantasy land where I make excuses and always claim that something held me back from having a really fast time. I thought 7:30 was realistic.

So I'm disappointed that I did not meet my potential, but I'm happy to have finished. I learned a lot from this ride and I think those lessons will help in future events. Endurance riding is all about trial and error for me and I'm glad to have some things nailed down for the future - like nutrition, tapering, eating, resting and on and on.

I'll post something soon about lessons learned and plans for training for the next few events.