24 hr Hurkey Creek Sept. 20th 2008/Merged threads

I know you can, just when 2 people left theirs on all night (until 4am) we went over and turned them off b/c no one could sleep and it was next to our tent. So watch out the night prowler is coming. :lol:

There was no one even at the site, we looked around, knocked on the camper and no one, they did not start it until 8am.

These people also had the loudest furking trainer in the world, sounded like a million bees in your ears. One of the corporate podium teams.

 

We did the same thing. The "Guy" came out of his camper after we turned it off. We could see him asleep with the TV on.

 

fwiw: usually we try and point the muffler of our generator away from where people are camping...Try is the key word here

Plenty of people are running their generators to charge their batteries (for their lights) or to run outside lights for their mechanics (at least us) , not just to watch TV (lol)

Ear plugs work...Invest in some if you want your sleep - It's a 24hr race - everyone has their own way of making it through

In Moab - the race venue is held in a huge field (BLM ) with nothing for miles - for 4 days straight if your not running your own gen, you'll just hear the BIG HUGE gen running all the power for the venue tents...Sunday once they start tearing down and turn it off is when your realise you've been talking over a loud humm for days...

 

You are right! Yesterday it had Tues and Wed set for rain, and a few days ago it just said Tues was rain.

Can't trust anything you read on the internet any more.

 

Anyone running a portable generator in a campground should build a sound baffle for it. Having spent the last 12 years on the playa at Burningman, I have learned to sleep through generators, flame throwers, explosions, sirens, ear deafening bass - basically anything a city of contained anarchy can dish out. Ear plugs help tremendously!

Back to the sound baffle. This is a common courtesy, and do everyone a favor and surround your generator with one. It cuts down the noise quite a bit. Here is one of many links on generator etiquette:

http://www.hot-pages.com/generetiquette/soundproofing.html

Note also that Honda generators - like the "lunchbox" inverter equipped EU1000i - are very quiet. The ones you buy at Pep Boys are cheap, but they're ridiculously loud and fumey.

 

I think the challenge of the course is that its always up or down. Towards the end there is about a mile of flat road riding but then they throw in another brutal little climb that is steep and sandy. For me, it's not a course that I can really relax on. The climbs have lots of rock/sand/branches/ruts etc and some are pretty steep, so even in the granny gear you have to pay attention and muscle your bike over stuff.

Then you have the elevation. I could not believe the difference that 5000 feet of elevation makes on my power. It feels like I'm riding my bike with a surgical mask on or something, I'm breathing hard but not getting any oxygen.

Then you have the team riders who are going very fast. Sometimes its easy to pull over for them, sometimes it's not.

All those things add up to make it much more demanding than just riding my bike across the Main Divide for 8 hours.

 

Thanks for the course description. I cannot help to think, ‘what the F did I get myself into!?!’ 5000 feet elevation!?!? I know it is going to be a good, but brutal experience. I got to keep it positive. I read an interesting article in Bicycling that research has shown that disassociating your thoughts from your effort can make you feel and perform better. So I guess the key is to say things like “Spin up fast” or “up, up, up” as opposed to “my heart feels like it is going to explode. Then again, being in shape helps too.

 

You will have fun, as long as you arent a 24 solo, then you will be miserable and may god have pitty on your soul.

 

If you are doing a solo event I will tell you the biggest lesson I learned last time. SLOW DOWN!! Let the train of people pass you. Don't try to hammer up the hills. Do sit on the descents where you can. Conserve, Eat, Drink, Conserve. Check your ego at the door when people pass you, race your race. That is soo easy to say and so hard (for me) to do. I went out way to fast and was torn to shreds in 3 hours. This time will be different.

 

This is how it goes:

Flowing on the tarmac through camp, then...

You hit a sandy little trail with scrub brush around you, and a few pines, then

Hard left into a short little ST climb and a bit of flowy ride with all the campsites to your left, then

a hard little bump through a minor creek (pull up as you go through!), then

THAT FARKING CLIMB!! It goes on and on, and on. and then it goes on for a while longer. You are now running parallel to the road, but you won't really see it. There are about eight 'sections' through this section of climb -- at least that's how I counted it: a 'section' being defined as some climbing followed by a HOLY CRAP I CAN'T BELIEVE I AM STILL CLIMBING moment, and then you climb some more, then

You rise up with the road on your left into the final, really hairy bit of climb up the hill to Station 1. Cresting that final bit always made my eyes water and my ears pop. Your mileage may vary (I was just happy it was over), then

Some excellent flowing downhill ST with some minor whoops and flowy turns. Magnificent! You can really mash it through here, especially early in the day (gets tore up later on, fer sure). There's one or two creek crossings that you gotta watch out for (during my night laps, there were blinking lights sitting in the water, creating this eerie glow-fish glow... folks had hit hard and their lights flew off as they careened through!), then

A wide right section into the Meadow. This is a long flat, slightly uphill ifre-roady section. Absolutely gorgeous at night, but tends to be the place where the wind relentlessly smacks you in the face, then

A nasty, but relatively short climb up a wall to the fire road. Continuing up the fire road you will see Station 2 a few hundred feet ahead. Stop for water. Talk to the natives. Rest up. Put head down. Pedal away. Then

A few hundred feet past the station a hard right turn onto a slight uphill ST. Moments later, after a little left turn, you are now careening down a scrubby, rutted ST. STAY OUT OF THE MIDDLE!! The middle will grab your tires, baby. Then you go boom. This ST goes on for a while (NOTE for tbowren NOTE: At the bottom is that little 'face' that you think is going to take you out... lean back and get over it!), opening into a decent fire road downhill (not steep at all), that takes you down to the next, horrific climb, then

A hard left at the bottom of the fire road. It's all nasty and tore up down there. In a moment or two, you cross a small creek crossing and are immediately faced with a techy little climb that you think will be over in just a sec. It isn't. Then

You round to the left and look up. Yes, up. Yo have some climbing to do, m'friend. Get on with it. In the five laps I did in April, I climbed twice and walked three. It just ate me up, then

At the top, the trail widens out to the right for just a sec and then throws you into a very tight ST through what might be called an Upper Meadows. Gun it through here. this section goes up and down and then up and down and around. sometimes fast, sometimes a bit slower. Nothing too horrible through here. Try to keep speed where you can, then

Before you know it, you come around a left and are faced with a flat rock face climb. Take speed into it and you will clear. Don't take speed into it and you will do what I had to do four of the five times I rode it (HAB). Once at the top you go left, then

Down, down, down!! This whole downhill ST is pretty choppy with some minor rock drop and deep and difficult ruts (especially as the race goes on -- they just get worse). There is one section after a hard right turn where the line most took is between large rocks on the right. On my first lap, I found myself up on the left, on top of the rock (with a bigger rock to my left), but I just got way back and rode it through and I actually did well through that section (an observer/fan up there during the daylight hours cheered mightily for me as I did this -- he yelled something about picking the best line -- not often my strong suit), then

Down around to the left and you are back in a lower meadows section. This bit of double track gets sandy quick -- one side sandier than the other. Switch sides often, picking your line. I noted a small section around a wide left where folks were cutting a tighter, new line, so I think we all started riding that for just a sec, then

Over a wet creek crossing. Push it with speed and you will instantaneously clean the small rise on the opposite side and veer up and over to the right. One small bit more of dirt double-t, then

You hit the tarmac. You're on road again! Hit the pedals and mash through. Hurkey Creek camp is down and to the right. Around a sweeping right, you will see someone seated, pointing you up and to the right, then

You make that right turn and now have camp on your left. We had a platoon of Boy Scouts staying out there in April. It was really weird for me when they weren't there any longer at the end of my last lap in April. The dirt is mixed with wood chips. Pedal through it, following the lines to the left and back to the right, then to the left and you are going up it seems, then

That BASTID final climb!! WTF is up with this?!?! It was sooooo sandy, I was only ever able to get 2/3 of the way up it before dismounting and HABbing it to the top. It is very short, but unforgiving (because it is at the end of your lap). The trai is wide at the top. Hit the pedals hard and get some speed going down for the next fifteen seconds or so. The trail is rivuletted through here, so watch that your tires don't get grabbed, then

Hard left into a pretty cool little descent, then up and over into a very cool little whoops section with the creek and camp on your right. It's over before you know it, then

You hit sand and need to go right. I found this hard to do. Every time. Then

Over the creek on a bridge, up a little tree-rooted climb, over to the right through camp, swing a little to the left and THERE'S THE END straight ahead!!! Cross the road and ride up to it. Dismount and turn right and run under the banner and into the tent.

Your lap is over.

Betcha can't wait for the next one!!!!!

hth

shud

 

Absolutely PERFECT!!!

The race organizers should put this description on their website.

Although you do down play that first dip on the downhill where you swear your are going to face plant into the rise, but if you stay off your brakes you launch off the other side. Incredibly fun, AFTER the first time you try it.

 

Ah, yes!! Forgot about that little burp (hey, gotta leave some surprises, right?...).

Glad you liked it.

shud

 

Shudder,

That was awesome! You paint a great picture. Just curious... is there a lot of dust in the air as you make your way around the loop?

 

4 Pirates and 1 wench for me

 

It gets a bit dusty if you are in a pack of riders....out by yourself, not really.

I always seem to have to ride this section by myself in the middle of the night.....never seeems to be any other riders around. Really neat and peaceful though.

 

pre-rode the course last night....did a couple of night laps.

i must say...if the weather stays like it is, it's going to be quite comfortable out there. i was in short sleeves until a little after 8:30.

the rangers were warning everyone about the shape of the exfoliator track. i guess they got some rain last week and now there is a perfect tire sized rut that runs right down the middle of the thing. i didn't get a shot at it during the daylight, but running it at night proved to be very difficult.

i hope they do some grooming out there this week....but wait, isn't more rain coming??

 

I was out there today and it looks fun.
We talked to someone in the lot and they were speaking of a gardening/tree grooming company being hired to do some grooming. This is suposed to happen sometime early this week.

Also there was an RV with 24 hour stickers on it at a camp site, maybe the coordinators.

 

no i-pod rule in effect...or immediate disqualification!!

poop!

c'mon now...i only wear one ear-bud and there have never been any issues with hearing people etc.

now i will have to try to hang on to my sanity for 24 hours as well!

 

Wow. That's an interesting development. Is it really a safety issue they are concerned about?

 

you know...they didn't give a reason. just came out in one of those email race updates.

i always thought they didn't mind if you used them...must be a new rule.

does granny gear let you use em??