Race Report – 12 Hrs of Temecula – January 31, 2015
The 12 Hours of Temecula was to be my first 12 hour mountain bike race. The race is on a 9.7 mile lapped course with 1400 vertical feet of climbing per lap. I followed the LW 12 Hour Solo Finisher Plan to prepare.

I arrived at the course early to pick up my registration materials and get my pit set up. I chose a nice spot for my pit just past the start/finish line, right next to a team from Mexico. I had no pit crew, so I set my pit up to be self-service. I set up my work stand, tool bag and pump, cooler with 12 bottles of CarboRocket and 12 bottles of water, boxes of energy bars, gels, and blocks, clothes bag, and a box containing my lights and batteries, including a second helmet with a pre-mounted light.

I lined up for the start a few minutes before 9 am, but because some riders were still stuck in the registration line, the start was delayed. At 9:25 am, we were finally off. As we got underway, I tried really hard to focus on keeping my effort and heart rate in check. My race plan was to keep my heart rate in zone 2 (137-151 bpm) or below at all times. The course starts off with 2 miles of rolling fire road, and I managed to keep my HR in zone 2 pretty well. But then we took a sharp left turn and the Dam Climb loomed ahead. The Dam Climb is a 1.5 mi long fire road and consists of 9 pitches with flats and even brief downhills between them. The 5 worst of the pitches have sections over 20% grade, which made it really hard to keep my HR down. At this point, many racers were walking, but I would rather ride at 3 mph, so that’s what I did. As the climbs got steeper, my Garmin would register 18%, 20%, 22%, and then _% as apparently it didn’t think I was moving anymore…

I managed to finish the Dam Climb with my HR at about 160 and then made a left turn onto a fire road that followed the ridge line. After a mile or so of rolling fire road, we turned left onto a steep uphill singletrack that led into a rock garden. There was a long line of racers walking the rock garden climb and nowhere to pass, so I had no choice but to join them. The rock garden turned downhill, which allowed us to re-mount our bikes, but the traffic kept the pace pretty slow as we negotiated tight turns, rocks, and drops. The next couple miles were super fun as the course snaked as a singletrack along the ridge line, plummeting sharply down and then rising back up. If you used your momentum well, you could make it most of the way back up the climbs without pedaling. Still, most riders ran out of steam and ended up walking the last bit of each climb. I managed to ride all of them, weaving past the walkers. My HR would rise sharply at each peak, but I tried to never pedal so hard as to damage my legs.

A long singletrack descent finally fed out onto a fire road and a gradual climb before the course turned to singletrack again, rolling down and up and finally down again to the start/finish timing area. Lap 1 complete, 58:05. Average HR, 149.

I stopped quickly at my pit to grab a fresh bottle of CarboRocket and to lube my right pedal/cleat, which had been squeaking since the Dam Climb. Lap 2 went smoothly and a few seconds quicker as the traffic thinned out, 57:57. By lap 3, riders were spaced out enough that I was able to ride the entire rock garden and I turned my fastest lap of the day at 56:59. At this point I knew I could comfortably turn laps at just under an hour and I started to do the math… If I could build up enough of a cushion for some 1hr+ laps after it gets dark, I might be able to ride 12 laps. I rode laps 4-6 in 57:33, 58:22, and 58:36.

After lap 6, the 6 Hr racers were all off of the course and it felt almost lonely, at times I could go minutes without seeing another rider. I felt a bit sluggish, so I downed an Espresso Clif Shot for a little boost. As I began the Dam Climb, the rain started coming down. First a few drops and then a steady downpour, I started to get a bit worried and wished I had picked up a vest on my last pass through the pits. Luckily, the rain tapered off on the descent. I finished lap 7 with a time of 1:00:21 and made a stop in the pit to mount my handlebar light, as I was concerned it would get dark during lap 8.

Lap 8 was a disaster. Due to some overly aggressive shifting, I lost my chain as I bounced through the rock garden, but I didn’t realize until I tried pedaling and my cranks locked up. The chain was jammed between the small chainring and the bottom bracket. I pulled and pulled at the chain and finally got it loose. I got back on the bike and tried to start pedaling, but the cranks locked up once again. It took me a minute or two to actually figure out what was going on. A link of the chain had actually been torn halfway through, and the jagged metal was jamming in the rear derailleur. I rifled through my tool bag for my chain breaker and quick link and got to work removing the damaged link and replacing it with the quick link. After some fumbling, the chain was fixed and I packed my tools away, only to have the zipper on my tool bag break. So off the frame comes the tool bag and into my jersey pocket it goes. I’m on my way again, but 17 minutes have been lost. I finish lap 8 frustrated and in the dark at 1:17:22, 12 laps is not going to happen today.

I start lap 9 with a quick stop in the pit to grab my helmet light and a fresh bottle, and set out for my first lap in the true darkness. My lights are fantastic and I can ride at almost full pace on the downhills. Near the end of the lap, the rider in front of me goes down hard in a left-hand turn. I stop to see if he is alright. His face is covered in blood and it takes him a while to get up. Once he is back on his feet I start asking some questions to ensure he knows who/where he is and that he’ll be able to make it to the finish area. I’m back underway and lap 9 is finished in 1:04:40.

With a fresh reminder to ride my last laps carefully, I complete lap 10 in 1:02:55. By this time, the temperature had dropped into the 40s so I stop for some arm warmers before heading out for the bell lap. With one final grind up the Dam Climb and some careful line choices, my 11th and final lap is complete in 1:03:08. I come through the finish line at 8:41 pm, still feeling strong after having ridden 106 mi and climbed 15,390 feet in 11 hours and 16 minutes. In the end, my effort was good enough for 2nd place out of the 11 riders in Solo Sport Men. The first 3 of us all completed 11 laps, and I finished 21 minutes behind the winner and 32 minutes ahead of 3rd place. I was happy to know that although it would have been close, I still would have finished second without the broken chain. Time for a beer and a burrito!

Lessons learned:
1) My LW 12 Hour Finisher training plan was excellent. I felt strong and I had the legs to keep going for a 12th lap if I had had the time.
2) My race plan worked out really well. I managed my effort effectively without ever going into the red (or really even the orange). Average HR for the race, 145.
3) My fueling strategy of one bottle of CarboRocket, one half bottle of water, and one Clif Kit’s Organic bar per lap was also great and I finished the race without an upset stomach. I had one Epic Bison bar split between laps 6 and 8 or so when I felt the need for some meat protein.
4) My core training helped tremendously. During my previous 8 hr race, my back was in excruciating pain. My back never bothered me beyond the minor discomfort that I’d feel on a century ride. Pilates works.
5) My risky decision to switch seats after my 8 hr training ride paid off – the Fizik Antares was much easier on my soft tissue than the Aliante.
6) Shift early, shift conservatively! Saving a few seconds isn’t worth breaking a chain.