2010 Idyllwild Spring Challenge

It was apparent the first weekend of Justin's accident that we'd be missing a few races this season, not the least of which were Santa Ynez (the following weekend) and Sea Otter (2 weekends post accident).  While I knew that Justin was bummed to miss out on racing the Idyllwild Spring Challenge for a 2nd year in a row, I also felt that I wanted to get back out on the dirt and see what I could do!  The time off the bike due to injury and the accident left me with zero fatigue, but not a lot of form either.  I really haven't done any speed work since Fontana, but I'm happy to be out on my bike.

The weather for the weekend looked ominous at first, but quickly cleared up to a weekend of sun and high 60s. Perfect racing weather for the mountains!

We were somewhat sad to be missing out on the excitement in St. George, but stoked to be getting out of the house for an entire weekend.  I was worried it was a bit much for Justin, but I think the sun, the fresh air, and the camaraderie really helped him out.

It was really the first weekend that felt sort of "normal" in the last 4 weeks.  It helped both of us out physically and mentally to be amongst like-minded individuals and get back to something familiar.  It was great seeing so many people up at Idyllwild for the race.

The Idyllwild Spring Challenge is hosted up in Idyllwild, CA by Idyllwild Cycling the first weekend of May every year.  Justin and I have participated the last 3 years, and in 2006 rode the long course a week or so after the event on our own (which piqued our interest!).

Last year we had I think 5 Pro Women (Pua, Joy, Sarah, Carolyn, and myself).  This year there were 3 of us on the line (Kathy, Timari and me).  Idyllwild Cycling put up equal pro-payout for men and women, so I was hoping that more pro women would come out.  It's been about the best payout (I think?) for a stage race so far this year with $350 up for grabs for the XC win, $350 for the stage race win, and $175 spread out for each "King/Queen of the Mountain" prime.

At the start

We started right on time, and while temps as we entered the venue were 37F just after 7 am, it felt much warmer as we took off toward the singletrack at 9:30.  Kathy took off for the hole shot, as we had some dirt before hitting a little pavement section, and then a fire road/double track and a singletrack climb with some hike-a-bike.

I fell in behind her on the pavement in what felt like a really benign pace.  I missed not having Joy there to show us what was up on the road (I should've known then she was prime for Cat 1/2!!), but we hit the dirt and Kahty and I traded spots before she pulled in to the lead just as we hit singletrack.  I held her wheel and could've stayed on for awhile, but eventually decided to try my hand at a move for the early lead.  We hit the hike a bike and I knew she was just behind me, and I asked one of the men if I could pass before we hopped back on and hit a fun traversing section.  He obliged and off I went, trying to keep my pace under control.

My body was pushing hard, but just didn't feel up to snuff.  I felt like I wasn't going as hard as I know I can go, but I felt like I'd blow up if I had gone any harder, so I just kept at it.  My lungs started burning and my legs while they didn't feel heavy, didn't cramp, and weren't specifically "sore" just never felt like they did at earlier races this season.  Kind of weird.

I hit the Keen Camp Climb and just kept at it, hoping that my pace was enough.  I had gone in to the race just hoping for a clean race and wanted to take the Queen of the Mountain at the top of Southridge (big fire road climb!).  I was hoping as I climbed that I could maintain my pace for the next 10-12 miles until I got there!  There's a lot of climbing between Keen Camp and the top of Southridge.  

I made it to the top of Keen Camp and was feeling pretty weird, but was happy for the recovery trail and just hammered it out.  Once up at May Valley I was starting to see some familiar faces from the Cat 1 men, so had fun cheering them on they went by, and soon enough it was singletrack time again!  I felt pretty smooth on the singletrack, and had fun in the tight turns.  I made a narrow rock section I've never cleaned before, and hit the Roman Highway perfectly, so was pretty stoked.  Then it was time for a short traverse and on to the Lower Southridge "cyclocross" climb!  I still wasn't feeling very good (lower back is in need of core work, and I was feeling kind of dizzy and out of it).  

Nick caught up to me toward the top quarter of the climb and I tried to keep him in sight as I hit the 2nd of Queen of the Mountain check point once we rejoined the May Valley fire road.  I was climbing pretty well at that point, and hit Sunset feeling all right, knowing that soon enough I'd get to see Justin out there with my next bottle hand off and cheering me on just after Astrocamp.

I was sticking to my feed schedule of an EFS liquid shot every 45 minutes or so, and sipping on EFS drink when and where I could.  It felt super dry (as it usually does at elevation when racing for me), so I maybe wasn't drinking as much as I should have.  I think I took in around 45oz for the whole race, and didn't finish any of the 3 bottles (or what would have been around 70oz).  My stomach was good, but I was pretty hungry near the end!

I had a small gap on Nick, who I know is a super strong descender, once I got to the Southridge Queen of the Mountain prime/check point.  I waited the entire descent for Nick to catch up!  He and one other Pro Men racer caught me on some singletrack as we traversed down and back toward Hurkey Creek.  I hit the Buena Vista fire road and connected up with the Coffee Pot trail.  I had ridden this trail I think once, so wasn't at all familiar with it, and it showed!  Lots of on/off the bike, but some fun stuff as well.  

Eventually I hit Exfoliator and railed the bermed singletrack having so much fun!  A short climb and descent through Rage through the Sage and then it was time for the solo road TT back to the campground, up Demoralizer and down to the finish!

Felt good to be done, but the course is so much fun it's hard to not enjoy this race!  I know there were two times that I managed to look up and "enjoy the view" outside of racing, and all I could think of was how beautiful it was, and that I hoped Justin had seen a bit of it as well, despite not being on the race course.

Kathy came around to the finish not long after, and I tried to get in a cool down, but as usual, it didn't really work out for me!  Lungs were on FIRE (my throat still hurts - but it wasn't very dusty out) and legs were ready for a break from pedaling.

Justin and I hung out with the finishers and watched as other friends came through.

I was so STOKED on the hand made Queen of the Mountain trophy!  It's already mounted on the wall at home.

Pro Women's podium

Katie from Idyllwild Cycling, and the voice of the weekend (and Super D competitor!) Tom

I secretly look forward to the Idyllwild Spring Challenge for the M&M's post-race as much as the amazing trophies.

I had sort of needed a "break" last week, so my nutrition wasn't stellar all weekend, but hey... Sometimes you just gotta go with it :)

Dinner (prep stages)

and dessert

Sunday we were up just as early as Saturday, and left home to head up the hill so I could pre-ride the dirt Time Trial course before the 8 am start.  The start was delayed, so I got in an extra warm-up and was able to ride the whole course.  It was 3.35mi according to my Garmin, and I'd say about 2.9 of them were singletrack!  First time I actually said after the ride/race that it felt like more descending than climbing!  So fun!

We hung out for awhile waiting for awards (which were post-poned to after the Super D race) and then headed over to the start of the Super D for a quick pre-ride back down to the venue.  The first 3rd of the Super D is mostly down a big wide open fire road with a ton of speed and some killer views of the valley below.

From there you swing on to singletrack that twists, turns, and traverses through manzanita and mountain granite, back on to a short stretch of fire road before swinging down buffed and bermed singletrack to a short climb, wide open double track descent, across a bridge and down the "Demoralizer" before hitting the finish line.

I had caught up to Timari on Exfoliator, but rather than try to force a pass or throw elbows I was patient until the climb.  Had fun anyway for the last event of the weekend, and then we chilled for a few hours as the other competitors came down through the finishing shoot.

Final podium

Cool medals!

Thanks to everyone that made the race possible through the promoters, venue, etc. all the way to everyone that helped Justin and I out this last month.  Our family and friends have been great.  The support from everyone that has enabled us to get back to a weekend that felt almost "normal" has been awesome and is very much appreciated.  Justin wasn't taking it as easy I would have liked all weekend chasing me around with bottles and a camera, but I think the friends, fresh air, and freedom did his body good.

Thanks to everyone for the continued support this year, and this past month for Justin and I personally.  I just hope that he can get out there soon enough as well!

2009 Idyllwild Spring Challenge

Justin and I first rode the Idyllwild Spring Challenge course in May 2006, a week or two following the official event. Luckily some of the course tape was still up at the time, since Justin and I would've been horribly lost a few times otherwise! A few of the trails from 2006 aren't used for the event anymore, and I remember they were pretty challenging, but fun.

It was a really hard for me at the time and I spent nearly 5.5 hours riding the course.

We both raced it in 2008, riding the 19-mile Sport course.

Since we've been fans of the course and the trails for 3 years, we had the race on our radar for 2009 as well. This year, however, we'd be *racing* the 30-mile course!

Unfortunately Justin wound up going from a minor head cold at Sea Otter to having the full blown sick-deal last week before Idyllwild. He took the week off from riding, was sleeping a lot, and generally didn't want to wind up getting even worse, so he opted out of the race and into full-blown support mode. Yay for me, but not so much for him.

Friday night was all about final bottle/food prep and bike maintenance. Our friends and VQ training partners from last year, Steph and Dan, were on their way up from San Diego, and we were ready for a fun filled weekend!

I was totally stoked to be hooked up with a new set of Ergon GX2 grips with bar ends for the race. I knew the bar ends would help offer some additional comfort and leverage for the steep climbing that was on tap for the next day.



Steph and I were both racing XC on Saturday, and the boys would be racing Super D on Sunday. Allow me to interject here - the Idyllwild Spring Challenge Super D course is all that and more. It starts way up on May Valley fire road and descends down to Hurkey/Apple Canyon campground. Max singletrack, lots of tight twisty trail, and generally a challenging and fun route. They had been waiting to race this since last year when the event was sadly cancelled.

BUT, for now it was all about the XC. The four of us carpooled, and wound up caravaning up the mountain with Luke, who was out in full force enjoying his 3rd trip to Idyllwild in a few weeks, and still basking in his 8-hour of Hurkey Creek victory from the weekend before!

Temps were chilly, but bearable, and the clouds didn't threaten rain. I had on all my gear for my warm-up, but despite the hefty winds removed everything but the arm warmers and a summer base layer before the race. Warm-up definitely left me sweating and the sun was really out in force. I wound up pulling down the arm warmers on the start line and didn't need them at all!



The 5 Pro Women lined up with the Open Women's class and we took off just after 10 am, chasing the Open Men in front of us. The Open class at ISC is non-USAC and available for those that want to challenge themselves on the 30-mile course without being a pro or Cat 1 male! It's a great way for everyone to be able to enjoy the killer long course.





Pua was way off the front less than half a mile in to the race, and I wouldn't see her again until awards! Sarah Kaufmann took off in pursuit with Joy D, Carolyn P, and me following suit.

Sarah charging it



Me, holding up Joy!



Joy took a massive pull on the pavement out to the bottom of what is normally the 24-hour course descent, and when we hit the singletrack (now ascent for us) I fell in behind Sarah with Joy just behind me. We went back and forth hiking and riding, and I passed Sarah about halfway up. Back on the bike and trying to pass some of the guys, and then it was the wide-open Coyote Run double track. I didn't look back once we hit the singletrack, so I have no idea how things shook out.

I hit Keen Camp climb and tried to keep myself moving at a good clip. I was catching the Open men, and some of the Juniors and younger Cat 1 were catching up to me. I tried to recover through the meadow since there was a bit more climbing to come before the Mirkwood singletrack descent.

Once on the singletrack I felt like I was cleaning some of the techier spots well, but once I got to the rock wall Sarah was right there! I tried to put in some descending efforts, but everytime I looked back she was not a turn away and charging hard. I dropped my chain on the entrance to the Southridge cyclocross climb and she went by asking if I was okay. I told her to go!! I hopped back on and had to put in some efforts to catch back on to her wheel and we traded spots back and forth the entire way up, passing and being passed by guys here and there.

Luke and Brian went by, then James. Matt was on fire! He'd passed me on May Valley before we hit the singletrack rollers.

Matt up near Aid Station #3 up in Idyllwild proper



Near the top of the cyclocross climb I knew I had to pass Sarah if I wanted to take 2nd back and fight for the spot on the podium. I consider myself a pretty strong climber, especially on the less steep fire road slopes that we had coming up. I pulled in front of her near the top of the singletrack climb, went through the aid station to pick up my bottle, and it was throttle down for as long as I could muster! I had to put in some time since there is a LOT of singletrack descending and climbing that comes up once the race peaks out at "Cherry on Top" at the top of the steep Southridge fire road climb.

Aid Station #2 (Thanks, Dan!!) just before the bottle hand-off



I managed to create some separation and just kept it cranking the entire way up May Valley. I felt slow and awkward on Sunset singletrack, and knew that at any point Sarah could come railing around a corner and be ready for the pass!

The traverse through AstroCamp was new to me, and definitely different. I had no idea where I was going, so wasn't moving very fast. I came out on the pavement just before Aid #3 and there was Justin at the top of a short climb. I dropped both my bottles (the water on accident while trying to feed out of my back pocket on a steep section) and the E2 to pick up a freshie from Justin. He cheered me and ran alongside as I told him Sarah was riding really strong and I was just trying to hold on - my legs were tired!!

Luke on his way to aid #3



I knew I still had a massive climb ahead of me, so I took a bottle of water from neutral feed and made the final turn to begin the Southridge climb. There weren't many racers in sight, but I managed to pass two men (U23 and one other) on the way up to Cherry on Top. The climb was brutally steep, and while it never seems as long or tortuous as the first few times I climbed it, it was a struggle and painful even in the easiest of gears!

The only time the entire day I remember feeling any chill was just as I topped out and headed down the hill. The loose descent down Southridge is a fun one, and I tried to keep a good pace knowing that Sarah would be back at it once she got onto the tricky descents!

I enjoyed some of the rock and log rollers as well as the sweeping turns all the way down and out Snakeskin. Once back to the trail merge the Pro's went one way and everyone else went another. The next two singletrack sections were brand new to me, and pretty barren. I kept wondering if I was actually on the right course! I hadn't seen anyone in awhile, and even though I'd come across a race arrow every .5-1 mile, I still questioned if it was the right way. There were a few mud bogs, and one massive creek crossing (my shoes got wet, so I imagine the entire lower half of the bike did as well!) and then it was rolling singletrack. I knew I was headed toward the top of the Hurkey Creek climb; I just wasn't sure how much further it was!

Eventually I saw 3 racers from the Sport course just turning down Rage through the Sage. I caught up on the first few turns, but wasn't able to pass. Unfortunately Ben from Troupe had an off the bike excursion on the sandy descent, but we continued on once he said he was fine. I backed off my pursuit since passing wasn't going to happen, and all I was getting was a mouthful of dust! Ben hopped on my wheel on the same descent, and once out on the fire road I put in some efforts trying to catch anyone to draft. It wasn't to be!

I finished out the pavement time-trial into a headwind, and knew all I had left was the Demoralizer! Let me tell you - it was demoralizing!

I knew it was coming up…



I grannied up that, finished out the few turns and pumped the course down to the finish!





Steph finished up shortly after



We enjoyed some recovery mix, I had my AB&J sammy, and then we all headed over to check results and watch the podiums. I went out in search of M&Ms (they had them last year!)



The only thing is they don't sit so well after a hard race, recovery shake, and ABJ. It's ok, they were still pretty awesome.

Sid and Manny came in 1-2!!



Pro Women's podium (L-R): Carolyn, Sarah, Pua, me, Joy



It was a hard race for me, especially as the 3rd race weekend in a row, and my 5th race in 6 weeks (all of them being Pro level!). My body is DONE! Would be nice to take the week off, but I'm trying out some new things starting today, and getting back into a base cycle.

For some reason I'm still struggling to hydrate enough while racing. The E2 Hydro was great throughout the day. Not only was my sea-level body racing between 4500-6000 ft, but I didn't notice the effects at all. The E2 tasted great all day and didn't leave me with any stomach distress or cotton-mouth. Unfortunately I'm just not taking in the amount of fluids I should be. I think I probably drank around 35oz (at most half of each of 3 21oz bottles, plus probably 6-8oz of water) for the 3 hour race. Not sure why I'm just not taking in fluids? I didn't feel thirsty at all, and the E2 Hydro concentration tasted awesome. I only went for water a few times on the fire roads to wash down gel.

The Pro Charge mixed with milk was great for post-race. I drank it right up. I'm thinking I might add some chocolate syrup next time for the complete vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup experience!

I'm really looking forward to this week and this coming weekend. It isn't "off" by any means, but we're getting back into the swing of serious training. We'll be doing a few rides with Luke again, and some killer riding this weekend with Steph and Dan. Hoping to really get back some volume and dial back the intensity just a bit before ramping up again for June and July!

Justin pulled off the victory in Open Men 30-39 in Sunday's Super D!

Thanks to Katie to everyone at Idyllwild Cycling for putting on a great weekend of racing. Thanks to PossAbilities for supporting the XC event up there. I look forward to racing Idyllwild Spring Challenge again in 2010!

Thanks also to hubby, Justin, and Dan for awesome feeds. Thanks to Justin, Dan, and Tom for the pics!