After a trip back up to the hot springs after Friday’s stage, it was time to relax and enjoy the great views of the mountains, rest the legs a bit and eat! Knowing that Saturday was an off day made it easy to relax Friday evening.
Day 3: Shakeout Ride.
Saturday was a good day to get out and stretch the legs a bit in anticipation of the next day’s long ride, though it was pretty cold and windy. We rode the paved trail around town and up the first part of Stage 3 finishing as the sun came up over the mountain peaks. The town was a buzz with all the riders coming in for Sunday’s event while lots of people were getting ready for “Wagon Days,” the largest non motorized parade in the US. It was pretty cool to see all the wagons and the 20 mule team pulling 3 wagons was the capstone. After a relaxing day I felt ready for what was next.
Day 4: Stage 3 Baked Potato
As mentioned in Part 1, Rebecca added the Queen’s Stage Race to the event about 5 years ago. Back then, it was a 1 day event with various distances (102, 56, 40, 22) all named on the potato theme. With the addition of the stage race, the final day has become a multi-event with races happening within races. The winner of the Baked potato may not be the stage 3 winner, for example. The energy in town continued to grow from all the parade on Saturday, as 1500 racers got ready start on Sunday morning. There were over 700 riders registered for the Baked Potato alone, some deferred or decided not to race as only 560 people started on Sunday morning.
The two things on my mind for Sunday's 100 mile race were the temperature and nutrition. It had been cold in the mornings and the forecast was for 40 degrees at the start and 81 as the high in Ketchum. Not easy to dress for that without being too cold or too hot.
Additionally, I have never raced an event as long as this one. I’ve done several 100 mile rides, but never as a race. I participated in the Gonzo Torture Race a few weeks earlier and did pretty well (3rd in Masters) but that race is only 64 miles (but has 8K’ of climbing). During the GTR I had started cramping about 15 miles from the finish on the final big climb. I did not want to deal with cramping or the stomach issues I had in Stage 1 during this race. I made a plan for when I would refill water at the Aid Stations and the food I would eat every hour. For the wide temperature range, I planned to dress so I could easily remove layers as the temps went up. My overall plan for the race was: don't crash, stay ahead of the hydration and nutrition, find fast wheels and stick on them. I knew I could hold my own on the technical stuff, especially the descent, and would be fine on the climbs, especially if I had a good wheel to pace off of. On the flats, stay out of the wind and save energy for the previous two things.
We began staging for the race at 7:40 am. The race started about 10 min late. We all stood in the massive stage area waiting to get things going in the cold morning air. Once we started rolling, things got much better. This was also a neutral start with vehicles leading the group out for the first 5 miles or so. The problem with the late start revealed itself along the neutral section. While we were waiting to start, there was no access to bathrooms and everyone was well hydrated in anticipation of a long day on the bike in dry weather. About ½ mile into the neutral start riders peeled off the group to relieve themselves in the woods along the road. I thought I was fine until about mile 5 where I made a hasty exit from the group and did the same. My timing wasn't great as when I caught back up to the group, the race had begun and I had to work my way up from group to group on the climb. The first 8 miles of the stage was paved. Then there was a 4-5 mile gravel section that put you over the top of Trail Creek Summit at 7300’ or so. The gravel was chunky with lots of washboard sections. It was tough going. I made it over the top at about an hour and was happy to find a fast wheel right away.
We then joined a group of about 20 riders and held about 30 mph for the next 10 miles. I loved it. Time to recover from the climb, and go fast with little effort. Wish I would’ve paid more attention to this section…it was downhill and we had a strong tailwind. And we were coming back this way. The group split up when we came to the first turn and aid station as we headed down and out and back section around mile 23. The road surface was rough with lots of soft sections. A mile into it the lead group of 5 passed headed back out and they were moving. The group couldn’t stay together in this section and never regained what it was. I had to work to find a group of riders with similar pace to keep the speed up as we headed toward the Copper basin and the next big climb. I stopped off at mile 42 aid station to refill water and grab a bite to eat. I was feeling good and was happy with how my nutrition plan was going. I also added the provided electrolytes at each stop which I also think helped. I headed into Copper Basin with a group of three riders, but we were all riding at a different pace. I left them and bridged up to the next two riders; we stayed together briefly and I ended up on the green-jersey dude’s wheel for the 5 mile climb up to 8200’. His pace wasn’t blistering but mentally it was nice to have a wheel to stick to. After I crested the climb I offered to pull a bit and he agreed. A ¼ mile later, I looked back and he was way off the back, so I put my head down and took advantage of the slight downhill and tailwind and pushed hard on the pedals, averaging 20+ mph for the next 15 miles, all solo. I passed a few riders but they were riding a slower pace so I kept going. I stopped back at the same aid station as the loop left Copper Basin and met back up with the return route. I filled up 1 bottle, knowing I could last until the next aid station at mile 90, right before the descent back to the finish. Leaving the Aid station at mile 65, exactly 4 hours into the race, I had a great feeling I could do the next 35 miles in 2 hours and meet my 6 hours finishing goal. Three of us joined up as we left the aid station and the guy on the front was hammering. I was so happy and did just as much work when it was my turn. The miles were ticking by. And then we turned…into a crazy strong head wind and the road started to climb. Ugh. Then I remembered Rebecca had added an evil section on the return route. Five miles of backcountry fire road that is really MTB double track- rocky, uphill, and into the wind. Infamously called “Diablito” (aka, little devil!)
Once we turned onto that section there was no following wheels, the terrain was too slow and too technical to ride close to others, and the skill sets were too varied. I decided I would embrace this section as I passed a dude muttering to himself “I don’t have the legs for this.” I quickly shifted into MTB mode and started moving up the trail, passing riders along the way. After reaching the top and with the trees protecting me from the wind, I found I was having fun on the flow sections and looked forward to each blind turn for what was next. After passing about eight racers, all riding solo I popped back on the main gravel road and started my way towards the summit and the descent to the finish. I was at mile 85. Only 15 miles to go, I’ve got this, right?
Seemed easy, until the grade steepened and the wind picked up, blowing directly down the road. The wide forest service road had riders scattered about, some trudging along in easy, slow gears, and some even walking. The center sections of the road were complete washboard so you were stuck navigating the edges to keep your speed up. Here’s where I wish I had paid more attention early on. In my mind, there was no climb back to the summit, maybe a steady slope but not this, and the wind -- where did it come from? I expected this to be an easy section, but it turned out to be the toughest mentally during the entire race. Mile 85-90. Ugh It seemed to take forever as my goal of six hours was slipping away, blown by the wind, back in my face. As I turned the bend in the road, I knew I had to be close, as signs were popping up referring to Trail Creek. Then I heard the tell tale sign…music. Yay! I was close to the mile 90 aid station and the much anticipated descent back to the finish. I pulled into the aid station, filled a water bottle, and sucked down half a Red Bull (not my usual drink, but it hit the spot on the dry dusty day).
I left the aid station, zipped up my jersey to keep warm, and went fast. Until I caught the massive dirt cloud from the cars also headed down hill. (Note: there were way more cars on the road that day than I would’ve expected). I stayed behind the car and was going to pass because I couldn’t see and he was much slower than I was willing to go. I passed the car and tucked low on my bike, tapped the brakes a few times as I went through rough sections but basically just bombing down the gravel road at 40 mph. Another rider came up behind me and we descended together for the next 2 miles. The pavement came up on us fast and as soon as I saw it I made my move to get on his wheel. It was perfect. He was strong and was head down pedaling all out, and I was tucked right behind him coasting along. 4 miles to go. In my mind, the return trip was all downhill. Wrong. There were a series of rollers we had to get through and he was more than willing to pull. Fine with me.
I looked briefly at my Garmin, time was 6:01. We were so close. We passed a bunch of riders as we made our way back into Ketchum and then a “1 KM to Go'' sign popped up on the side of the road at mile 98ish. I was expecting a 102 mile course. That's what was advertised. But in the distance I could see the Red Bull archway, and could make out the music, the tell tale sign of the finish. He popped off his saddle just at that moment and went off the front for finish line. I looked back and saw three riders coming up behind me, and I accelerated just enough to keep them back and rolled across the line at 6:05 9^:15 total time with stops). As I crossed they asked me if I did the 100 mile race and when I nodded yes they handed me a Bolo Tie. Top 20% of the finishers he said. Wow, who knew. I felt pretty good physically. My overall plan worked out, I stayed hydrated, ate plenty of food, no cramps or any real pain except my hands were a little sore. To meet my 6 hour goal, I just needed to shave off more time and better anticipate what lay ahead on the course. I soft pedaled back to the other start/finish and festival and came across the line to a high-five from the announcer shouting “the warhawk is here!”, “Cobalt Bikes!” , “alright Mike!” It felt good to be done and I was ready for a cold drink.
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