2009 VQ/CC (vision quest/counting coupe) - Ride Reports - pics

Great day out there today..first CC and had some great people to ride with...will post more later..with only 3 or so hours of sleep before the ride..time for my beer then bed....thnx to everyone out there today!

 

Great time out there today. I've never had so much fun getting my a$$ handed to me by myself :bang:

Was feeling surprisingly strong all the way to Aid #2, then made the mistake of sitting down to change socks: insta-cramp inside both thighs. Walked it off, but had to dial it way back for the climb up Trabuco and WHT.

The back loop took almost exactly 3 hours, which got me to the finish right around the 9 hr. mark. Not a threat to set any records, but my goal of finishing the VQ was definitely met and I can now strike this beast off my list.

And if I never hear the words "west," "horse" and "thief" in the same sentence again, it will be too soon.

Congrats to all the participants--this is one heck of an undertaking. And big thanks to the Warrior's and volunteers for putting on yet another top-notch event.

 

Check out #288.

LOL!

 

Congrats to all! We were doing a training ride and saw some of our buds at the top of WHT. Luke looked so fresh it was like he had just started riding!

Anyway, congrats to all that tried. Even if you didn't "finish" you at least were out there going for it! Good job!

 

Congrats to all that raced and a double congrats to those that finished in time for the cut offs.

Last Man Standing in the VQ.... I guess the results were favorable from Trail Angels!

 

Congrats all!

 

Great job everyone!
Looks like it was a beautiful day!!!

 

Sanjay is the man.

Congrats everyone who rode.

 

I finished!!!!:bang: I think right at or around the 7 hour mark.

It all started with the trying to keep pace with a few people that I had no business trying to keep up with, but made it up to beeks at 1:13. Found Davidb along the main divide and swapped places back and forth until the top of Motorway. Then I lost sight of him til 4 corners. I was really surprised to see that I made it down to the bottom motorway under 3 hours. Since I was still feeling pretty good, I just caught my breath and downed a pack of GU Roctane, and headed up maple. Made it to 4 corners at 10:34! I sat down for around 5 minutes in victory.....:lol: Then the real pain begins ( at least for me). Trying to ride up the shale area of the main divide on a HT was a biatch! I kept spinning out on the lower gears, so I kept trying to push a bigger gear and standing up to keep moving forward. That was a bad idea at that point of the ride. My muscle just above the knee was on fire and ready to cramp. Then I realized that I can almost walk up as fast as I was riding, so I walked to really loose sections and spun the granny up to the peak!

Then the real fun began! I haven't descended upper and lower holy jim in a while, but I haven't had that much fun coming down a hill in a while! Cranked the music up( at that point rockin' out to Motley crue), and uncovered the bear bell and let er rip! Although I almost went OTB trying to ride through the second creek crossing ( dang rocks...). According to the clock on my GPS it showed 12:07 at the lower holy jim parking lot - aid station 2 ( dang it I missed my mark of noon by 7 minutes), and I click it into the big ring and hammerd to the finish! Jiggling down that road on a HT SUX!!!!! The looks that I got whenever I passed lifted trucks going down the road was precious! It was Whiskey Tango Foxtrox exemplified!:lol:

And the rest is history! I gotta get faster on the climbs! I may even ponder riding the VQ if I can improve on the climbing speed.............. This could take some work though......

Thanks to everyone that came out to spectate or work the event! My first official MTB event is in the books! Big thanks to the warriors society for puttin on this event!

 

does this mean you'll buy me a congrats brew at Beachwood!? :?::beer:

 

Wow Gene sorry you had such a bad day, you seemed ready and very anxious to get going. Would have never guessed you would have been the one with the trouble.


So where is Tim, David , Kens reports?

Ok I can Kens name off the list:lol:

 

First off, thanks to the Warriors and to all the volunteers, supporters, and fellow riders out on the course. You all made it a fantastic event, and the enthusiasm and camaraderie out there was amazing. Thanks also to Beth, Lety, Kevin, and Dan, all of whom provided great support during numerous training rides together. I hope you all enjoyed the experience today as much I did.

And huge thanks to MtnKitty, who came out to support and encourage me today. She was at the start, at the Maple Springs aid station, and at the finish line, and seeing her beautiful smile made it all worthwhile.

This was my first CC, after having to pull out the day before last year due to a family emergency. Fortunately all was well this time. The start line was a buzz of excitement (and someone nearby was getting a little buzzed too!), but fortunately no incidents that I saw. Unfortunately for me, as I got to the pipes and prepared to start climbing, my rear shifter (a nice new XO) decided it was done for the day. Luckily I was in the next to the lowest gear, so I was able to ride it as a 3x1 and could still climb everything. It helped force me to pace myself, but I think it definitely cost me some time though (maybe 15 or 20 minutes overall)

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Got to the bottom of Motorway feeling pretty fresh, but bonked a bit partway up Maple. I spent the rest of the day trying to find a balance between stomach cramps and getting enough fuel in. I walked a few of the loose/rocky sections on the approach to the peak, but got a nice second wind once things pointed downhill. Met up with XHusker at the end of Upper Holy Jim, and along with another rider, we had a fun run down Lower HJ, where we met Elisheva at one of the last water crossings. She had been stressing over lack of sleep and a million other things, but i guess it was nervous energy, because once we hit Trabuco Creek Road she put the hammer down all the way to the end! Great finish!

So now I've got a CC feather and a whole lot of sore parts. My legs are dead, my arms are dead....heck, even my teeth hurt. But it was soooo worth it!

 

I just looked at Erics Pics? Was this on a downhill section? David has n O-S**t look on his face.:lol:

 

Awesome stuff.

Next year...I'm in!

 

That's the way it's been 3 years in row which is why this event is not easy. I managed to finish them, but sooner or later, it'll go my way.

It's the Silverado Motorway.

 

Congrats to all who finished!

Just in case you didn't know, Neil wasn't really joking about the tazer, he was ready to use it if you guys eased up too much (that's why he was in the crouching tiger position).

We were out on the Main Divide for about 12 hours--much easier in a heated FJ, but we got out at every check-point. I can't believe you guys rode in that friken cold! MY fingers hurt!

You all rock, just for showing up! ESPECIALLY Lety, who had just injured her back, but still wouldn't back down from the start line. Lety, you've proven that you can face any challenge, now heal up and come back out next year to truly enjoy the whole ride!

Again, congrats to ALL!!!

 

Congratulations to everyone who gave this ride their all.

I would like to give a big thanks to all of the volunteers, the race today was supported second to none. Brian's Warrior Burgers at the top of West Horse Thief hit the spot. He even made up a cheeze burger for me while I my legs were twitching and I was stumbling around for something to drink. I took advantage of the post-ride meal, and the shuttle service back to the Blackstar parking lot was nice.

There was a great vibe on the trail. Everyone was so cool. People were kind enough to let me pass when I going a little too fast down the singletrack at Moto and Holy Jim.

I also want to thank one friendly rider (didn't get his name but he was riding a white FS). At the lower pavement section of Maple Springs my quads started cramping and my energy was drained. By the time I was mid-way to 4-corners I was really suffering. I started having serious doubts about being able to complete the ride. One of my biggest fears going into the race was cramping. So this rider passes me, offering some encouraging words, and helped to raise my spirits. It was the little fuel I need to keep the cranks spinning. I drudged on, blasted some metal as loud as I could stand it, and over the next hour life slowly came back into me and I made it all the way to the peak without anymore issues.

 

awesome photo's Eric. Thanks

 

Did VQ for the first time this year. My ongoing battle with cramps has continued.

I've boiled it down to two causes:
1) Extreme Heat - No enough Electrolytes
2) Going out too fast

Well - it definitely wasn't hot today. In fact, it was bone chilling at the start.

I'm looking at my Garmin logs now, and my avg HR was 168 to Beek's and 170 from Beek's to Motorway. My max is only 189. Looks like I got caught up in the excitement and went out too quickly. Ooops!

Cramps started after I lifted up my bike over the barrier at the bottom of Motorway.

I had to use my granny all the way up Maple Springs up to the Peak. I actually stopped a few times to try and walk..but that was tough too!

Surprisingly enough, I still made the last cutoff, and waiting for me at Aid Station #2 was a bottle of Pickle Juice Sport. Funny enough..the cramps subsided - enough to allow me walk up West Horsethief. Like others have already mentioned..that thing sucks...especially on tired legs.

So I finally stopped the clock at 9:13 or so. I was hoping for a sub-9 hour performance, but that's not going to happen with crampy legs.

Ended up eating 6 pieces of chicken from El Pollo Loco afterwards. Good times.

Good to see a bunch of familiar faces out there - Neil, Troy, Stevie, Qingyu, Gene, Carl, Craig, Tim & Simon.

Not sure what the plans are yet for next year. Short term plan is to figure out how to walk again with these super sore legs!

 

Could not have asked for a better day to hold the Pow Wow; the weather was absolutely perfect. Even the chill at the start was gone after a few minutes of pedaling. WS did an amazing job at supporting everyone. Someone was always there at the top of a climb or at a trailhead with some water that they brought on their own. Thanks to everyone. I'm looking forward to seeing all of the amazing pics that were snapped with cameras that had to cost more than most of the bikes that were out there today--trail paparazzi were out in full force today!

I caved on Thursday and swapped out my 18 tooth cog for a 20 tooth...and am damn glad I did. Being able to sit & spin for more of the course was a god-send; I may have been walking the *entire* climb to the peak had I not made the switch.

MotorWay & UHJ were absolute torture rigid, as always. Both of my wrists are fried; I whimpered like a little girl lifting my bike into the back of my truck after the shuttle dropped me off. My traps & lats are going to be on fire tomorrow...I'm not even sore *yet*, which means the real pain will hit tomorrow.

If felt good making both of the CC cut-offs in VQ time, but I completely backed off on the climb to the peak. The cramps that I was able to fight back around Eagle Road came back with a fury & that had me walking more and cranking even slower when I was pedaling. But I was able to make it down LHJ faster than I have ever done--even when doing it with suspension. Something just clicked when I hit the peak; I got a much-needed second wind.

MotorWay sucked, Maple Springs pavement sucked, UHJ sucked. Hell, maybe now that the Pow Wow is over I can hit these with gears and suspension to see if I really hate them as much as I claim to! But, I wouldn't change a thing if I had to do it all over again. Training rides are grueling solo events where it's just you and your own limits. Seeing SO MANY people out today cheering us on and calling me crazy for running SS rigid made for an incredible experience.

Ya'll rock...:beer:

EDIT: Oh yeah, fininshing time was 7:16. I was hoping for under 7, considering how quickly I made the cut-offs. But I am not kidding when I say I backed *way* off for the climb to the peak!!!