the final piece

When I first got the Motobecane hardtail, I sold the OEM wheels (I also swapped out the bars, stem, and seatpost). In their place, I used my Stan's 355 Race front wheel, which I had been using with the RIP only on race days. I did not have a ready rear wheel, so instead I shared my Stans Flow / Hadley wheel between the RIP and the Moto. Swapping wheels is a bit of hassle, and the Flow / Hadley combo is a little porky for a XC hardtail-cum-race bike.

The solution? A Stan's Crest rim on a Chris King hub w/ DT Swiss spokes. Mike built it with his usual care and the wheel (w/o tire or cassette) weighed in at 890 grams. I put a Small Block 8 on (the Flow had a Kenda Nevegal). The total weight difference (tire and wheel) was 400g or nearly a pound! As a result, the bike feels more balanced front to back, and more zippy. The rear is smooth like butter.

Mike starts building in the evening

And works into the night

Pretty light for a 29er wheel. This does not include the cassette.

SD 50 miler race report

I was breaking a rule... would I get away with it? "Don't make any changes right before a race." Everyone knows that. Tuning your shocks, changing tires, overhauling your bottom bracket - anything beyond putting air in the tires is a rookie move that invites disaster. But here I am, the night before the race, watching Mike build me a new rear wheel.

We finish about 11pm, too late considering my 5am alarm. I wouldn't have considered running the new wheel except that I knew Mike would build it right. Even so, I'm a little anxious. I dream about broken rear dropouts on my bike and wake up wondering if it's time to get up yet.

As we start the race, Elfin forest is covered in fog. From the base of the dam, we climb a mix of pavement and dirt until we're above the reservoir. It's tough to go out easy on this kind of an opening. After brief side trails, we descend to Lake Hodges. The descent is a nasty, steep, and loose gravel road scattered with water bars. One guy goes flying past me, but most folks are pretty restrained.

The trails on the east end of Lake Hodges are flat, and it's tempting to go too fast. I start racing. In an event this long, it's risky not to ride your own speed. But I get into a pace line and we're flying. Soon I'm making the turnaround and heading west. I settle in a little more after Del Dios park, but still quickly reach Hernandez Hideaway, the Dam, and the Steel Bridge.

Diana is waiting for me at the aid station at mile 24, near the golf course in San Dieguito River Park. I roll in around 1:40, which seems soon. It's awesome to have support on the course. Fresh bottles, a little lube on the chain, and I'm rolling again. There are many, many switchbacks. Not too steep, but very tight. They're lined with rail fencing (I guess this keeps people from cutting?), and while climbing you can grab the post with your inside hand and swing around.

Then we're on a bit of road and into the Lusardi loop (Black Mountain), which starts with a couple of long, steep power line climbs. Ouch. The bike is running great, though. The rear wheel is smooth like butter, and the Small Block 8 is hooking up well. I seem to be getting away with breaking a rule. I'm starting to feel the early hard pace, though. I try to eat more - my stomach is getting tired of Perpetuem, so time for a gel. I try to pace it out a bit, knowing the last half of the course is the tougher one.

Lusardi has fire road, then single track, then more fire road. Eventually I'm off the loop and back on the stem (we're racing a lollipop course, and a lollipop has a loop and a stem). Just after I turn onto the stem, I see a guy coming down the other way... is this guy lost? Did he drop his phone? Trying to be helpful, I ask if he's ok, but he just goes by. Then I realize - he's going the other way because he's just starting the loop. Now I feel like a jerk.

Some road, the switchbacks again, then I see Diana at the aid station and get a fresh bottle. My legs are on the verge of cramping and I keep thinking that the final climb is going to suck, and I will probably cramp up and have to walk. I realize I'm getting negative and setting up a self-fulfilling prophesy. So I change the tune and visualize being strong up the hill. I also try to pace myself and keep a little in reserve for the final climb. I am not even thinking about the rear wheel, and that is a good thing.

The single track at the top of the dam and around Hodges is fun. Then I'm on the road, riding up from Hodges to cross Del Dios Hwy and reach the base of THE climb. It's 800 feet and 1.1 miles to the top. On our preride, Scott and I climbed it in about 17 minutes. The start is steep, but I take it slow and make it to the flat(ish) section, which provides a chance to recover. Then the climb is moderate for a while, until I make a left and face the wall. Nothing to do but keep pushing the pedals over. I'm on the nose of the saddle with my chin out in front of the bars. Somehow I don't spin out, don't pull up the front end, and don't cramp up. It takes something like 20 minutes, but I'm just pleased to clean it.

Now a short trip through Elfin, mostly the main fire road, Tikes Hike trail, and then down the steep, loose, gravel-strewn, and twisty Cielo Trail. There's no one to catch, and no one to catch me. So I take it easy and make sure I get down in one piece.

Stats: 50 miles, 6k climbing, 4:28, 5th in sport category overall, 1st in my age group (35-39). I might have gone out a little hard, but was pleased with a good effort and result, especially considering that my training has been relatively unstructured this summer. And I broke a rule and got away with it. Thanks Mike!

Scott took third in sport at 4:16, Matt was 3rd in beginner, and Heidi and Rhonda were 2nd and 3rd overall women - nice job folks!

Kudos to Robert and his crew at Racers and Chasers for even considering putting this on. The logistics must be a nightmare, but it's great to have a long event right here in SD.

spectating the SD 50miler

If you have nothing better to do tomorrow, why not come out and heckle cheer at the 50miler? The weather will be great and you can fit a ride in at Lake Hodges while the race is further out on the course.

I think the best place to watch would be Del Dios park just off Del Dios Hwy (actually the corner of Lake and Date, map below). There is an aid station here and the race will pass through the area three times. First, after descending from Elfin, we pass through (mile 5ish) on our way east towards I-15 for an out and back. After the turn around (near the self storage facility just east of 15), we pass through again heading west (mile 23). This is when you can get a ride in, as the race will be on the San Diegito and Black Mountain sections for a while. Eventually, though, we head back to Del Dios park (mile 40) before heading back up to Elfin (ouch).

The race starts at 8am. I think 10mph is not an unreasonable pace. So racers should be getting down to Hodges by 8:30.


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SD 50 miler preview

The San Diego 50 miler (aka San Diego Multi Park Marathon) is this Saturday, Sept. 11.  Racers and Chasers is putting on the event, which starts in Elfin Forrest, drops down to Lake Hodges, makes an out and back east to 15, then continues southwesterly past Hernandez Hideaway, through San Dieguito, does a loop through the west side of Black Mountain (Lusardi), then goes back to Elfin.

There are good sections of single track in Hodges, San Dieguito, and Black Mt. There are also some decent dirt double track (aka fireroad) sections in Hodges and Black Mt. But there's some gravel and paved road too. Still, for being in town, it's a good route. Kudos to Robert (at Racers and Chasers) for putting it together; I know he had to negotiate with a bunch of different land managers to put this on.

The gravel road from Hodges (Del Dios Hwy and Date Ln) up to Elfin is brutal, and comes at about mile 45. It climbs 800 feet in 1.1 miles, giving 13.6% average grade. But near the top the incline goes to 32%! Guys will be cracking for sure. Otherwise, the course doesn't have any killer climbs. There are some steep power line climbs in Black Mt, and rollers elsewhere.

The weather is forecast for low 70s, so it should be a great day to race!

Here's the course map from Garmin Connect:

Is this normal?

A while back, John was kind enough to give a pair of 29er Kenda Nevegals that he couldn't use. I put them on the RIP9 and have been very happy. They hook up well and I don't have to worry about them even in nasty terrain. But they seem to wear quickly, and after my last ride I noticed a couple side knobs torn off. I guess that means I'm cornering hard? P.S. I have the Dual Tread Compound (DTC) version.

Notice that the side knobs have ripped away while the siping is still intact.

Suddenly singlespeeding

Actually, the single speed conversion took a while, it was losing the derailleur that happened suddenly. In engineering, failure testing is the process of finding the limit of performance by going past it. The same principle applies for bike skills, like cornering. Which is why I low-sided after losing the rear tire in a loose, sandy right turn. The sand was a curse and blessing, though, because it made for a soft landing. My rear derailleur managed to find a cobble, though, and sheared off at the hanger. The derailleur hanger is like a fuse; it's cheap and designed to break, sacrificing itself to save the more expensive derailleur and frame. Thank you, derailleur hanger. So, now what? I was <5min ride from the trailhead. Except that I rode to the trailhead, another 25min via 52 from Mast Blvd. Diana had ridden to work, so she wasn't coming to pick me up. There was only one option: single speed conversion, a classic trailside repair right up there with using a dollar bill as a tire boot. I was riding the hardtail, so it actually worked pretty well. I ended up in 2x5, which was good for riding up a long hill on the way home.

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