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

Just wondering....where did you get the official results?

thanks

 

any results posted for the entire race? what was winning time, manny i presumre?

 

Manny did finish first in 5:14:45. Simply amazing!!!

 

???

I finished CC, and I think someone had stuffed two feather stickers in my back pack. I thought the stickers were for VQ finishers only. I don't want to put these anywhere unless I've earned them. Does anyone know if these should have gone to CC finishers as well?


Also, I've seen a few post with "official" results. Are they posted somewhere already?

 

Congrads to everyone hopeing to join you next year!

 

My first CC, such a blast! Many thanks to all the volunteers along the way. Especially one near Beeks who said, "Why are you smiling so big, girl? You're on a Single Speed!" Kept me laughing for awhile. Definately felt the legs drag in the middle of Maple Springs. Thanks to the rider who told me a few jokes on our way up, you rock! Thanks to the rad volunteers at 4 Corners who cheered us on by name (think I felt a tear or 2 well up)....Wasn't prepared for UHJ, ended up running alot of it. Much more to work on for next year! The feelings accompanied with crossing the finish line, seeing my fiancee & family, and getting my feather were indescribable! Thanks for the opportunity!!

 

Wow, what a difference a year makes.

Last year, my first CC was a very painful experience.



Back then my only goals were to finish and to do it in less than 8 hours. Training didn’t go as well as I’d hoped due to a crash in January that kept me off the bike for 3 weeks. Not being able to pre-ride most of the course (due to fire closures) made it more challenging. More than half of the course was new dirt to me. I finished in 7:46.

Fast forward to this year and my training plan went much smoother. I was able to infiltrate the orange curtain on a weekly basis for the last month and a half and get to know the course much mo betta. My confidence grew.

Coming into Saturday, I figured that I could possibly improve my time by around 45 minutes. But my main goal was to have a good, strong ride. I LOVE riding and not only did I want to finish with a smile; I wanted to smile throughout the ride.

Didn’t really notice how cold it was at the start line, I was too excited. I had to remind myself to relax a few times so as not to go out too fast. Got to Beeks in about 1:10, about 5 minutes slower than usual but figured that’s awight. Kept on moving and got to Aid Station #1 in 2:45, cool, back on schedule. I expected Maple Springs to be painful but it wasn’t too bad. I was able to keep moving. When I got to Four Corners and realized that it was 9:56 am I got excited and pushed on. I probably should’ve stopped to eat something because within a mile or so I felt a twinge in my hamstring. Time to pull over for mustard packets. Walked a little but then was able to ride most of the way to the peak. UHJ was a blast. I was flying with riders and hikers courteously moving out of the way. Riding into the entrance to LHJ was a high point because I was bummed out that I was too tired to ride it last year. I love riding technical stuff. A quarter of the way into LHJ a second twinge hit the hamstring and again I had to pull over for mustard intake. From there, I took it easy until I got to Aid Station #2 and the fire road out to the finish.

I felt strong and definitely smiled throughout most of the day. I finished in 6:20 something.

A big thank you to the Warriors Society, Switchback Cyclery, all the volunteers and everyone else involved in putting on such a great event.

 

In years past, feather stickers(1 small and 1 larger)were for VQ finishers only. This year, small for CC large for VQ. Someone at the finish made a mistake.

You can hold on to the large one for next year when you finish the VQ, you'll have an extra one. Thanks for your input and honesty.

 

My Vision Quest

So, 2 years ago when I had been riding for less than a year some friends of mine were doing VQ and CC and I thought it seemed a bit crazy to ride so far. Just to find out, I unofficially rode CC and it kicked my butt. It took me about 8 and 1/2 hours to finish and with a good crash on UHJ I was beat up. Last year I rode CC officially and was much improved finishing under 7 hours with no injuries. I was so happy afterwards that my friend Maurice challenged me to see if I could make the cutoff and finish VQ. I agreed when he said he would do it too. I NEVER thought he would, he used to be sooo slow and spent most of his time on the couch. He suggested we train together and I thought I might be able to beat him. Well . . . he started training and got super strong. He ended up waiting for me quite a bit on Saturday. He could've finished way faster on his own. However, we did it together. He helped change my flat tires, he encouraged me constantly and tolerated me when I was crabby. I had done a practice run about 6 weeks ago and only made the cutoff at HJ by only one minute so we were more than nervous about that cutoff.

Yesterday was fabulous! Even with two flats we made the cutoff with 30 minutes to spare. We would have even made the old cutoff! We finished in just under 9 hours together. All our training paid off. Needless to say I am still tired and sore. Thanks to Maurice I have come a long way from last year and did something I never would have thought possible. Now I see that I am actually a decent rider where before all I saw were how many people were faster than me. Will I do it again? I'll have to think about that. The training was a lot of work. Next up, the KOM road bike series, which starts in a few weeks. Maybe I'll be able to finish that too.

I owe a lot to all my friends who supported me and trained with me and put up with my whining. But mostly, thanks Maurice, for getting me here. I wouldn't have wanted to do it without you. Congratulations on a job well done.

The WS volunteers were great, the other riders were great, the weather was great, and it was great to finish. Hallelujah!!! What a fabulous experience! It was a Vision Quest for me.

 

Thanks for clarifying. Being a CC first-timer, I didn't even think to question the stickers that I was given. I'll use the small one only, and if an VQers didn't get theirs, let me know and I'll give you the large one I got.

 

I did not get a sticker because they ran out. Sherry said they may get more in but I am willing to take your's if you don't mind.

 

Similarly, I thought the stickers were just part of finishing. I'll drop my larger one off at Switchback since it's not clear how many years it's going to take for me to get ready for VQ.

 

hmmmm, stickers. My FJ80 loves stickers. I completely forgot about them. If another VQ batch gets printed I'll definitely slap one on my rig.

- Clark

 

Bob, don't worry about it. What's done is done. Put the large 1 on your bike and the small on your helmet.

Yes, they ran out at the finish so many VQers did not receive one. I spoke with Sherry and she informed me that more will be on order. If you did not get a sticker at the finish, email the WS and it will be sent to you.

 

I guess that only motivates me to finish earlier next year.

 

you can give it to me, I only got a feather. :-s

 

Redemption! Last year my CC ride, I DNF'ed. I know first hand the emotions of those who put themselves out there, those who put all they had into the ride and didn't finish. Last year I was almost a mile from 4 corners when I was stopped and sent back down Maple Springs. This was not going to happen this year but it was close.

I started off strong, maybe too strong. I felt good, I made it to Beeks in good time, for me. I pushed harder than I normally would up Pleasant Pk. I thought I was doing good, but somewhere between Pleasant Pk. and the top of MW, I started cramping. I walked it off with some mustard, and it helped.

I made it to the MW. Down the MW was fun, better than a month ago. I had wanted to be at the first cut off by 8:30, but it was more like 9 when I got there. It was great to see my wife, Shorty, and my sister, Dusty. Dusty's brownies came in good on the upper part of Maple Springs.

Maple Springs is always tough after 20 miles. About half way up the paved section, Hal rode up next to me and introduced himself. He's the sweep. My first thought, "DANG, I'm last up the hill" But I still was on good time to make the cutoff. As it turned out Hal was a big help with encouraging words and motivation. And he knew when to leave me on my own. BIG thanks to Hal! :clap: Hope to see you on the trails!

I really stared to fade somewhere up there on MS. I was cramping, too. Time was beginning to run short. I needed to push but nothing was happening. I started praying and that went into a prayer meditation. I remember a moment when Hal and the guy on the MX bike, sorry I don't know your name, riding next to me. One of them said, "Looks like you got a second wind". Yep, I felt it. Somewhere, I passed a rider. I think it was Matt, the guy I rode on and off with up and down Santiago. I passed the spot where I was stopped last year. I Felt strong and I had 15 minutes to go. I hit 4 Corners with 9 minutes to spare! I did it! :bang:

It was an absolutely beautiful day for a ride! By the time I got to the snowy part, about 300 riders had packed a single-track through the snow. Thanks! Sometimes it's good to be slow.

Upper Holy Jim was a bit of a pain, but as always, I loved Lower Holy Jim. I did hit one of the switchbacks wrong and crashed. Wasn't too bad, hardly even bled.

I hardly remember Trabuco Rd. A little mud, I flew past some trucks, a couple of VQ riders flew past me. Coming Up to the finish, I saw my wife, and while she was cheering at me to keep going, I stopped and gave her a quick kiss and then finished. The cheers form everyone was amazing! :clap: I'll always remember that moment.

Thanks to all who made this a great event! :beer:

Thanks to everyone I've met and rode with the past few months! Thanks to Tom and Nan for all their support!:beer:

And special thanks to my wife, who supported me and never doubted I'd finish.

 

2nd cc, definitely the best so far

Thanks to the warrior society and all the volunteers for a truly great day. Next year I've got to get my son out there to make me feel humble. I was super nervous all week. "I didn't train enough, work is too hard, I'm tired". Despite all the trepidation I was able to finish cc and improve my time by almost 30 minutes. Can't wait until next year!!!!!!!:beer:

 

Wow, what a day on the VQ course! The weather was so much nicer than last year - never too terribly cold, and never too hot except for maybe on the bottom half of West Horsethief.

I had a personal goal to finish the VQ in 7 hours 30 minutes or less this year. I trained really hard, both on and off the course, and with great results. I really thought that this goal was within reach. Unfortunately, a case of cramping legs got in the way of me attaining that goal, but I’m still happy to have finished as well as I did.

I was very glad that I decided to bring a real light this year. My night vision is very poor, and trying to see with a hiker’s LED light last year just wasn’t happening. Figured it would be worth the extra weight to have something more substantial this time, and I think it was.

The ride up Blackstar went by pretty quickly. It was a pleasant surprise to see Hugh and Donkey out there cheering people on. Thanks guys! Got to Beek’s in 56 minutes, slightly faster than I expected. I felt great.

Was definitely chilly up on the Main Divide, but at least the sun was coming up and it wasn’t windy. I was feeling good until just after the 2nd extended climb, the steepest section that seems to never end. After that my stomach really cramped up, which made the rest of the climbing along the Main Divide pretty miserable. The stomach issues would stay with me for the rest of the day making it difficult to drink and eat enough.

Stopped for a quick nature break before heading down Motorway and felt the first twinges of leg cramps. Not a good sign, but I wasn’t too worried about it at the time. Headed down Motorway and hit the bottom at 2 hours 18 minutes, pretty much where I wanted to be time wise. However, after getting off my bike to cross the barrier, both legs seized up like they’ve never done before. I had to stand there for a few minutes before even trying to get myself and my bike over the barrier.

Rolled down into Aid Station 1 where my wife was waiting to help me refill water, etc. Steppie came by to say hi and was nice enough to remove my light, since my numb fingers weren’t allowing me to do it myself. Thanks, Dean! Didn’t know if I could continue on with the severe leg cramps, but I had to give it a try. I slugged down a cup of Coca Cola, popped some Endurolytes and headed up Maple Springs.

The ride up Maple Springs to Four Corners was a simple exercise of pedaling only hard enough to keep my legs from cramping up. I had given up watching the elapsed time, so I don’t know how long it took me to get to Four Corners. I recognized Zippo’s bike as he rolled into the checkpoint behind me. Went over to introduce myself and thank him for his awesome videos, then I took some more Endurolytes and headed off to the peak.

It was now very difficult to control the leg cramps on the steeper, looser terrain. I somehow managed to reach the peak without completely seizing up, and was happy to see that the snow wasn’t going to be a big issue on the way down to Upper Holy Jim.

Upper and Lower Holy Jim went by quickly and without incident. The hikers that I encountered were all very cool, yielding the trail and yelling encouraging words to the riders.

Don’t know exactly what time I rolled into Aid Station 2, only that my actual moving time was 5 hours 20 minutes. Much slower than I set out for, but at least the final cut-off wasn’t going to be an issue. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that my wife, and friend, Al (Aosty), had driven in to the trailhead. They immediately went into pit crew mode, helping me refill water, etc, which was so helpful and a real spirit lifter. I slugged down another cup of Coca Cola and headed up Trabuco.

The ride up the Trabuco Creek singletrack was actually somewhat enjoyable. I wasn’t cramping as long as I took it easy, and the climb didn’t seem as difficult as I remember it being. The distance to West Horsethief junction passed quickly.

The hike-a-bike up West Horsethief is never a good time, but there were lots of friendly, fun people to commiserate with and the time passed relatively quickly. It’s such a relief when the checkpoint at the top comes into view. I skipped the burger, but did grab some Cytomax before heading down the Main Divide for the final push to Trabuco.

Got to the checkpoint at the top of Trabuco and recognized MtbMaven as he rolled up. I introduced myself before heading down the singletrack. Nice meeting you, Brian! Wasn’t far down the trail before I realized that Mr. MtbMaven was right on my rear wheel, so I let him by and he disappeared into the distance. Further down I caught up to a couple other riders. They were having a blast, picking nice lines, and hootin’ and hollerin’. I had a great time following them back out to the fireroad.

It sure was nice to ride the course with a suspension fork this year, especially for the final stretch out Trabuco Creek Road. It’s still an awfully punishing stretch of dirt after all those hours in the saddle, though. I definitely didn’t miss the rigid fork.

I think I crossed the finish line at 8 hours 18 minutes. Much slower than my goal, but given the cramping issues, I’m not too terribly disappointed.

I had a great time hanging out at the finish line watching the rest of the VQ and CC riders come in. Congratulations to all the riders who attempted the Vision Quest or Counting Coup, whether you finished or not! Special thanks to my wife and Aosty for running support! Big thanks to all involved for putting on another great event!

 

I'm not sure how that happened...since I finished the Coup in 5:13...and he was at least 5 minutes back...weird.