Oak Glen definitely hurt the legs a bit, but it was really just a warm-up for what was to come. I crested amongst the old apple orchards and then headed down the six mile downhill to Bryant. Bike traffic had definitely thinned out at this point and I enjoyed a relatively uninterrupted descent. After the right onto Bryant my left leg started to twinge as if it was about to cramp. I couldn’t believe it! This was the exact same location it happened the year before. I stood up on the pedals and worked it out, but I was now apprehensive that any sudden effort might send me into spasms. Obviously staying well hydrated was not going to ensure a cramp free ride to the top.

 

I cruised into the second rest stop in just under 3 hours, basically running at the same pace as 2008. My goal this year was to try to get to the top in less than six hours so I’d need to kick it up a bit if that was going to happen.  Once again I made quick work of topping off my bottles and taking on a few calories then it was back onto Highway 38 to tackle Damnation Alley.

 

There was a great tail wind which helped tremendously, but I was literally on the threshold of cramping so I had to be extremely careful.  I was passed by stronger riders continuously. This year however there were no words of encouragement as they pedaled by me. Perhaps I was now viewed as a more elite rider. A carbon framed bike and shaved legs apparently being the price of membership, because I don’t think anything else had changed.

 

At mile 50 there was a sweeping left that started the climb up into San Bernardino National Forest with a commensurate uptick in grade. It’s a beautiful section of road with great vistas and a pretty nice road surface, though you have to be careful of rocks that have fallen from the adjacent hillsides down onto the road. Traffic was also light and I enjoyed the intermittent company of more riders overtaking me.

 

I arrived at the Angelus Oaks rest stop feeling good in spite of the threat of cramping. I’d been religiously eating and drinking all along the way. Once again they were offering up bacon, but I did not partake, preferring to get my dosage of salt via a few healthy handfuls of chips.

 

Back on the road I tackled the next ten miles of “rollers”, for once overtaking a few folks in the process. My legs were feeling ok again so I was able to ride it out in relatively short order. At mile 65 the steady grade of 5 to 6 percent of the final climb was upon me. It’s really not that intimidating on paper, but after almost 10,000 feet of climbing it feels more like 8 to 9 percent. As much as I wanted to put in more effort, I couldn’t since the onset of cramping had returned. Every five minutes or so I had to stand up to work them out of my calves and ham strings. Sitting down too suddenly would set them off again so it really came down to balancing pace with pain.

 

Time was running short and it became apparent that a sub six hour time hung in the balance. I’d figured 8 mph up the final stretch would get me there, so every time my speed dipped below this threshold I knew I was eating away at any margin I might have. Finally the 8,000 foot sign came into view which meant only a little over a mile of ascent remained. I was going to make it. I ground my way up the final stretch and pulled up to the timekeeper to announce my arrival.  It was 12:30 on the button which clocked me at 5:54 elapse time. After all that I’d bested last year by only 7 minutes.

 

Things were already hopping at the summit. A wonderful supporter valet parked my bike for me as I headed over to the food tables to grab a Coke, chips, cookies and other goodies. I found an open spot on one of the blankets and stretched out to enjoy the sun drenched spectacle of Onyx.  Riders kept arriving like clock work and Chuck was wandering about with a video camera interviewing various arrivees. I lounged about for at least half an hour before I felt compelled to get back down the mountain.

 

I slipped on my windbreaker, found my bike, got my bottles topped off and with a friendly wave from a supporter who was directing traffic headed down. The significant headwind, which had made life on the way up a bit more tolerable, made the descent a little less fun. No matter, I was glad to be on my way under clear skies and mild temperatures.

 

Just before Angelus Oaks I realized my new saddle had gone into auto-tilt mode. Though I’d put some significant mileage on my new Look 585 it had somehow manage to work its way loose. I couldn’t recall packing an Allen wrench set (I had), but just behind be a fellow rider graciously stopped and lend me his. With things re-aligned and re-torqued I continued my trek downward. For a mile or so I was accompanied by a fellow rider and we exchanged our thoughts on the day’s events. We both agreed that conditions could not have been better.

 

I sped onward, past Angelus Oaks, down onto Damnation Alley and back into town. All along the way I felt great and pretty much maintained a tuck on the drops the whole way.

 

Back at Sylvan, I made my final check in and rolled back to the car. I really wasn’t interested in hanging about. I knew the exertions of the day would soon start overpowering the adrenalin thrill of completing the ride making the 90 mile drive back home arduous.

 

In many ways this year was a carbon copy of the previous.  The route and support were unparallelled (Climb to Kaiser caliber) and the conditions were ideal. The cramping definitely put a damper on shattering any personal records, but I was able to keep it in check.  I will definitely spend some serious efforts trying to get to the root of it since I have a few more rides ahead of me with far more challenging statistics.