Ride Report 12 Hours of Temecula Race Report

Well, it’s over. The 12 Hours of Temecula is now in the record books as the first race I have completed. That would be the same for Chris, this was our first race and I have to say it was a success, for us. We went in knowing that we didn’t stand much of a chance standing atop the podium with all the PRO teams involved. Regardless, we wanted to have a good time, turn in some good lap times, and gain valuable race experience. We accomplished just that.


Knowing we needed to be at the race bright and early Saturday morning, we camped out at the local Holiday Inn Express. It’s a good hour and a half drive to the course from my place, which made staying in a hotel 10 minutes from the event very appealing. We thought about actually camping but the thought of a nice warm bed the night before a big endurance race was too tempting.


We sneaked the bikes up the stairwell into the rooms.Reminded me of old BMX days. The hotel was loaded with other riders as well.





Chris’ secret weapon!





Finished up registration and waiting in line for our free T-shirt. There was a big raffle after the race but we scooted home early to eat and rest. I hope our tickets weren’t the bike winning numbers!!





The entrance gate for the race was also the special pit area for SOLO racers.





SocalTrailRiders in full effect! Traci setup a great pit area for the group.





Neil’s bike stable along with a few of the other guys bikes.





We setup next to the gang under the RVCA tent Chris brought home from work. Here he is giving his bike some last minute checks before the gun sounds.





The Evolve getting prepared. I really love my bike but it’s time for me to build a race bike if I am going to continue doing these kind of events. I learned that races really abuse bikes and this being my only bike makes it costly on repairs. Hopefully, I can afford a second bike this year.





Waiting to take off I spotted one of those carbon weaved bikes. The name escapes me but I do remember reading about it in Bike Magazine costing well over $10,000. Seems a bit ridiculous to me! Let’s hope all those connections stay together.





They gave Carl a pretty sweet race number!





Didn’t take very many race pics, was too busy. Here is a shot of Carl and Walynn passing by on the first lap. The course went straight past our pit area, it was a perfect spot. Walynn sorry if I misspelled your name!





Special thanks to Chris (SarBoats on STR) for being everyone’s mechanic for the day. After my first lap I realized my rear wheel had a pretty good wobble in it. Chris quickly deduced that one of my spokes was completely busted and sadly I did not have a replacement. I went into pit row and tracked down a spoke nipple from the Trek Team, thanks guys! One thing I definitely learned is to be sure to pack spare parts. I will be more prepared next time. Chris did an amazing job stripping the wheel, replacing the nipple and getting my wheel straight as an arrow. Thanks again my friend, my day would have been over quick without your help.








My first lap was pretty tough. The first 2.5 miles are all climbing, those slow gradual ones that really work your legs before you get warmed up. I rode all of it but was quickly pooped once I hit the first ridegeline. Riding the ridge was tons of fun and I finally felt my legs getting warmed up. The middle part of the course is very fun, I would actually come out to ride the course again just for fun. Chris had taken the first lap of the day which meant I had been sitting waiting to ride for an hour while he was on the course. I think the waiting part of being on a team was the hardest part of the day. My first lap time came in around 58 minutes. My goal of sub 1 hour laps was under way!


My second lap came over 2 hours later. Chris decided to do two laps in a row because the wait time sucked. Waiting an hour cooled down your entire body and it was basically like started all over again. Next race I am going to bring my trainer so I can spin a little bit in between laps. Chris turned in two solid laps but sadly I broke the mount on the Garmin so I couldn’t hand it over to him as planned so we aren’t sure what his laps times were. Pretty sure both were around or under the 1 hour mark. Since he did two in a row it was my turn to toss in a double. Racing side by side PRO racers was amazing. It’s very humbling. As fast and hard as you think you are going, someone still passes you like you are standing still. Tinker Juarez was racing and was lapping just about everyone including other top PRO’s. The first time he passed me he was really nice and said “Hey man have a good race” I was pretty stoked he took the time to say hi. Half way into the second lap I realized this lap was tougher than my first. Why? The wait time killed my legs and they were not warming up as fast as I had hoped. I think I came in around 1:02, bummer.


Riding into lap three my legs were ready to go and I was tackling the climbs like a beast. I passed a good number of riders and of course was still getting passed quickly by the PRO’s. Man those guys/girls are fast! I ran into Carl or I should say Carl ran into me and asked me to ride with him for a while. I think I kept up with him for about 500 feet. Bastard is fast! Lap three felt really good and I came in around 59 minutes.


Chris wanted to do another 2 laps and off he went while I took yet a 2 hour break. The wait time sucked. I was cooling down way too fast and starting to get sore. I now understand why some people say 2 man teams are often harder than doing solo races. Solo you are riding more but at least you don’t have to take huge breaks in between laps. It had started getting dark and after Chris’ next lap he came in and I setup his bike with his Nite Rider lights and sent him off for his 5th and final lap. He was going strong and doing great.


After about an hour I headed over to the start/finish area for him to arrive. He came in looking pretty beat up and ready for a nap. It was dark now which meant I was heading into the night which at first made me very nervous. I don’t have much night riding time so this would be yet another test for my riding ability. Much to my surprise my legs were raring to go from the start. I think the mental side of racing kicked in and I kept telling myself “I can do it, I can do it, I can turn in my fastest lap time of the day.” Riding the course at night was a blast. I was on it and gave it every last ounce of gas I had. I knew this was most likely going to be my last lap of the day and I put out every last bit of effort I had to give. The climbing miles were slow but I made it up them and then atop the ridgeline my vision was getting a bit blurry. The constant bouncing around from the lights was getting to me but not stopping me. I really need to practice riding at night more. I kept attacking the clock every chance I had, my legs were cramping, my lower back was hurting, but I had to go go go. The downhill sections were a bit confusing at night, I just let the bike go and held on for life. Fortunately, I made it down them all without bloodshed. There are a few flat sections of the course and this is where I would make up time. I dropped a gear, stood up and tried to hammer through them as fast as I could. I knew I was doing well but half way through the lap I accidentally hit STOP on the Garmin so I lost track of my lap time, damnit.


Now is where I introduce this picture. As I came in to our pit to stop for a breath, Chris and Nam were already pretty drunk and proceeded to call me SLOW and a P*SSY and slap my arse telling me to get my arse to the finish. It was pretty damn hilarious! I think they were trying to lift my spirits, and that they did otherwise there is no way I would have been cracking a smile. I was exhausted. I was done. I made it to the finish with my head down and my shoulders over my handlebars. They asked me for my number and I didn’t even look up to reveal it. The guy at the gate helped me lift my head up and called out “204 is in”. I sat down for a minute and then headed back over to the pit.





The race was a great experience and both Chris and I learned a lot. We learned about proper race nutrition, bike maintenance, racing etiquette, and preperation. We didn’t stick around for the podium stuff or the raffle. All we could think about was food and rest. In-n-Out burger had just what the DR ordered on the way home. Some double-double goodness.


Race Totals = 9 laps , roughly 90 miles, roughly 11,700 feet of climbing.


I need to thank a few people


Chris (Towmater) - Thank you for being my race partner and being a great friend. Thank you for helping push me to my goals. You put in 5 strong laps my friend, good work! You are going to kill the Coup!


Traci (Surlygal) - Thank you for letting us pit with the group and helping us with support. You are a really great person and you did a lot for everyone. Without you all of us would have had a much tougher day. Your help is MUCH appreciated. Also, thank you to Neil (1×1clyde) for the pit support as well and letting me use your trailer a few times. You both are a true bike riding family!


Chris (SarBoats) - Thank you for helping me and everyone with all of their bike issues. Without your help my day would have ended quickly.


Sonya Looney - Your tips on nutrition and race prep were invaluable. The gels worked great and I plan on incorporating them into my normal riding routine now. Your pre-race advice was perfect as well as the many other tips you have given me over the past several months. Thank you!


To all of my other friends as well as Carl, Walynn, Nam and the other guys/girls that raced with us and pitted with us, thank you for the support. I have to give props to Neil, Walynn, Carl and I think her name was Vanessa?, you all are animals! I think you all did around 8 or 9 laps each! Seriously, you all rock!


To everyone else that wished us luck, thank you!

 

Okay, who loved 12hrs of T-Town!

So, I started from the LB in drizzle, wet roads, wipers clicking out a tempo as I drove out to Temecula, full of confusion. Confusion as to why I woke up so friggin' early, loaded my car in the damp predawn darkness knowing I was going to a race that most likely will be a mud, sand, and rain freeze fest. Confused because I could have stayed warm and cozy, written off the $108.00 and had a day with the kids and wifey. Instead I was heading for uncertain conditions, with a still fresh memory of the November CrampFest starting in lap three and finally owning me by lap five. Still here I sat, driving, yawning, ?dreading?, my impending doom. #-o

Well, as the race Gods would have it, the sky cleared off the 15, with areas of scattered low clouds, green foothills, and the roads, though damp, showed dry under wheels. Could this be Epic? Sticky, fast, perfect conditions? Hellz yes! Arriving, the vendor town was in full swing Ellsworth, Turner, Intense, among others racking demo candy and racers and families cruising around in pre-race stoke. The vibe was - Good.

Registration was smooth, however the kind lady at the first station should have had a recorder to direct traffic - I'm sure she lost her voice and wont find it for days.

9:00 a.m. Parade Lap

Then we are off!

Sticky sand, quick climb, recovery, climb, climb, military hill down - bomb, bomb, bomb, around the track, up, down...spin, spin, spin -

What? The switch back, tempo free, heartspiking first real climb, it was a doosy:-s. Big thanks to Jason for putting that right in the early part of the fun. It separated the big dogs from the puppies, I whimpered and sucked hind teet on that one. Marlin climb was the other spiking butt-whooper. Amazing diversity of terrain, climbs, sandy single track, sweet fast ridge bombing, bumpy bermy, drops, fast fire roads, JUST PERFECT!

Thanks Jason! Another smashing success.:clap: Beer time:drunk:.

 

Good race report Jordan, you and Chris did awesome! Congrats on finishing your first race.

Congrats to all the racers that I wrenched for: Neil, Carl, Whelan, Duke, Doris, Shannon, Jordan, Chris, Troy and Greg. You all did great and it was a pleasure to keep you guys rolling during the race.

BTW, speaking of Tinker, I hear he is a lurker here on STR. http://tinkerjuarez.blogspot.com/2009/01/review-of-dred-tred-on-socaltrailriders.html



Here are the pits:


Jordan getting geared up. "Big Beer, Big Wood!"



The Pit Crew Chief. Don't f*ck with the Boss



Maddie and friends poaching a hike-a-bike section

 

It was fun, I am tired. Single speeding is a fad, don't believe the hype!

Great riding/racing with all the peeps...Allison and Justin is was great riding with you guys!

5th place in solo SS, 9 laps of wtf:lol: but hey, why not?
I was extremely pumped to see that I had matched lap counts of 2,3 and 4 man teams...all on a SS lugging 240 lbs around the course
Coverted my Spider 29er into a FS SS for the day, what a blast that rig was!
Actually felt real strong all day long, that was a first!


Real proud of Carl, Weyland, Shannon, Greg, Doris, the closet Clyde- you know who you are!:lol:- and Troy for putting down great laps and beating all their expectations!
Thanks Chris for the support and Nam for letting Traci celebrate her "birthday" once again:beer:!

 

Anyone know who won the mens solo, or maybe even top 3?

 

Wow, the course was awesome. Turned out 5.5 laps with my slowest being my first as I had a flat and got a 1:01, then nothing being slower than :53 after that and with my fastest being 49:43. Unfortunately on my sixth lap my light decided to die while descending the first ridgeline descent(big time bummer). My partner(the man, the myth, the legend) Hoser(the guy with feathers in his helmet) turned out 6 laps so if I had not had the light snafu we would have had 12 laps, oh well, next time. My favorite part was cutting 2 minutes off my fourth lap time on my fifth lap. It was nice meeting a few peeps, talking with Neil(1x1clyde) out on the course and a few others. Meeting Michael(shudder) in the pit area and having a good chat with him. Both are super nice guys. Overall, I am very satisfied with my and Hoser's performance and can't wait for the next one(also look for us at VQ). Oh yeah, way to go Willie, pulling 7 laps is bad ass!!!

I know Dezmin Wilder won Solo SS with 15 laps(insane) and I am pretty sure Tinker got the win in Pro Men. I did the math on Dez's race and came up with 135miles and 20,400ft of elevation gain. In case you didn't know he's the same guy who won the fall 24hrs of Adrenaline at Hurkey with 22 laps(also insane).

 

very very cool race. congrats to jason and his staff: this IS the best race series out there... and probably one of the best endurance events in the country. i noticed more out of state competition coming, which is really a sign that this event is growing up, and thats great to see. the new timing system was really cool, too. i think everyone that was there can agree that this event picked up right were the november 08 race left off. i thought attendance might be down because its so early... nope. it was full on.

the course was so cool. despite having some really really (really) bad back issues, i was having too much fun and stayed out for 1 more. as i came in for my final, i considered going out for 1 more - the course was that good!

troupe rode well - we had a 4th in the solo sport, 2nd in the 4 woman, and a solid team of 4 guys in a very difficult 4 man. my solo race didnt go as planned, but thats fine - still had a blast!

really looking forward to more events out there. next stop: rim nordic! that race is gonna rock - two of socal's best things combined into 1!

jason - job well done. thanks for all your hard work.

 

Thanks Boats for the shades and quick repair, had some good laps ..Nice to see everyone ..Shudder,Greg,Carl,Weyland,Troy,Carl,Neil,Traci,Duke,Allison,Justin,Nam,and anyone else I missed, squeezed in 7 laps yesterday without a scratch or cramp. Im sure everyone's back is sore today.

 

it was a tough race. 10 laps for me. i think i went out too hard. i was on track to do 12 laps at the half way point but faded hard and gave up early. today i think i should have gone back out and done 11, last night it seemed impossible.

good to see some STR peeps out there. everyone did awesome. very proud.

Troy - thanks for keeping me company on the last lap. i was hurting so bad and having you to chat with helped more than i can tell you. stoked for you with 8 laps!

 

Wow that just about sums it up for me. This was the first time I have ever done an event like this or even raced for that matter.

I left the USC campus on Friday at about 4:00 PM, 3 hours or so latter I arrived at Vail Lakes to set up camp. Lucky for me it was raining. Not too hard but wet none the less. Set up was quick and luckily the rain stopped shortly thereafter. I didn't get much sleep but glad I didn't have to get up at 5:00 AM and drive from Pasadena. No rain all night until right when I woke up. Set up and take down in the rain. Great start.

I got down to the registration and pit area before things go too crowded. After a quick registration I set out to get my pit area set up. Being solo I had to make 3-4 trips to get all my gear down to the pit area. I found a nice little spot by the pool and right on course to set up my pit. I set up my little yellow/orange tee pee Mountain Heardware tent with my chair and gear inside. You might have seen my pit when you rode by. I think I was the only one without an EZ Up.

I was a bit nervous at the start not knowing what to expect. All in all I think it went pretty well. On the first lap I rode everything but one short steep climb due to a bottleneck. First lap time was 56 minute including the parade loop. Second lap was my fastest at 53 minutes.

I really didn't know what to expect of the course going into things. The course more than exceeded my expectations. This was a SUPER fun course. I loved bombing the ridgeline and all the other descents. Some great turns out there you could totally rail sans breaks. The weather also held up wonderfully.

I competed in the Mens Solo Beginner class. My goal was 6 laps and I ended up with 8 in 7:54. I felt really good on my 8th lap. I was passing people in the second half of the course on the fireroad sections, which was a bit unusual for me. It was dark at this point but I figured I could slowly suffer through at least one more lap. I needed a break and solid food so I sat down for a few minutes. At this point my body gave up. I was cold, wet, shivvering nearly uncontrollably, seriously lacking calories, and behind on my hydration. Looking back now I know what I needed to do. I needed to eat warm soup and change clothes. Not having any means nor someone to make soup I could have at least changed cloths and headed out. Ah hindsight. All in all though I am very happy with my 73.76 miles (according to my Garmin). This is by far the longest MTB ride I have ever done. I think I finished in 4th place to boot.

My Stats:
Distance: 73.76 miles
Gain: 13,125 feet
Total Time: 9:18:48
Moving Time: 7:37:24
Avg Heart Rate: 150 bpm
Max Heart Rate: 187 bpm
Avg Speed: 9.7 mph
Max Speed: 33.3 mph ( :bang: )

 

I went way too hard in the first 4 laps chasing (turbo) Graham around. After lap 5 I was dealing with some insane gas problems in my stomah and arse. So I took a shower and a 30 min nap, Drank a coke and set off for the other half of my race.
I then switched to drink Heed and cokes for the night laps. strange combo, but It kept me going. I rode a couple laps with pro woman Mary anf that kept my alive till the finish.

Ended up 4th in the 40+ masters w/10 laps, right behind GregC. Who seemed to be every place I was during the ride:wave:.
Some notable moments:
1.watched Willie do a crazy nose stand right in front of me when we all checked up at the grass first lap.
2.Cut Allison off (by mistake, sorry) at the first hill out of pits and passed 4 people in the the process
3. followed Tinker from the to of tunnel to the bottom where he left me wondering why I just wasted my all my energy.
4. Nice meeting everyone out there Friday night in the pooring rain and sleet.

 

If you are an STR member then is the STR pit area open for you? I see it has STR logo all over it.
Is there an STR mechanic or can your own pit guy stay in the STR area or is it a private STR pit?
Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Another Temecula even in the books, And it couldn't have went better (well I could have podium-ed:? but other then that all was great.

Huge shot out to Traci who made the best roast ever I ate a ton of it. BTW Traci Hows Captain Treating you today:lol:

Chris, thanks for the wrenching, I was almost out of it there before you stepped in with your skills.

Carl-Great riding with you again.

Wayland- I hate you but really you road awesome, well earned 2nd place.

Shannon-:-({|= your days are numbered

Neil-Awesome job with the full squish single speed- even though you never turned on the squish.

to everyone else, great job yesterday, there is nothing better then doing an even like this with a group of friends, I wouldn't do it any other way.


as for me, I walked away with 8 laps. I dint even know what place I got, I will have to wait until Jason posts the results. My legs are destroyed today, my whole body is sore, I think I pushed it too hard and should have not done that last lap. But if I stopped Traci would have let me have it.

 

The way i usually run it is that if an STR member needs a repair I am more than willing to take care of them. Technically neither Stevie B or Jordan were part of our pit but I still hooked them up when they needed it. As for having another wrench under the canopy that is up to Tracy since she is the boss.

 

no kidding, great race!! a lot of improvements; course, competition, timing booth to name a few. Nice to have all the demo bikes out there to try out too.

Sore and tired today, I was on a 4 man team and only did 4 laps, not sure how you some of you guys/gals do the multiple laps but that is pretty cool!!

 

Great ride report guys. Great pics too. Sounds like everyone had an awesome time and pretty much achieved what they wanted to. Congrats to all. I appreciate the insights as my goal this year is to complete the 12 hour event in November. It'll be my first endurance style race so I'm really sucking up what everyone is dishing out! Thanks.

 

Really good race reports....almost makes me want to start racing again,NOT!!!

Dammit, Neil haven't you heard? Big guys don't ride the way you do!

You'll get em next time Justin.

You kicked arse Jordan and you race report had me feeling the pain, thanks for the reminder.

Brian, I didn't know you were racing, good job. I would of really expected you to take first in the beginner cat though.

Yeah, the first time I did Temecula David (Tinker) passed me running up a HAB section. I was running too as I still was training for marathons and as he passed me he said, that's the way to do it. Real cool guy.

 

Thanks Mike, now I feel bad J/K I will try to do better next time. Being totally solo the entire day takes it's toll.

 

I keep hearing that but thankfully I don't listen:lol:, appreciate the props though Mike!

 

I've asked Chris to come out and be my wrench for the last few races, its nice to have someone work on your rig right when you roll in.
He's been gracious enough to help out the others that camp with us but the best bet on that is to ask him if its ok, its his time.

Traci and I have been storing the STR tents since last summer so it seems only right to bring them to events for a little advertising etc and it brings out the lurkers/newbs to say hello so that in itself is nice.

Is it a community pit?, that I don't know but it seems to happen.