Ride Report 10/25/08 – Hideous 100 (Bakersfield, CA)

I decided to ride this year’s Spooktacular even though my inter-event training had been drastically reduced. After last year I thought how bad could it be? With no real riding since Angeles Crest I was concerned about my condition from an endurance perspective. Spooktacular throws a good majority of its 10,000 feet of climbing into the first 33 miles in 10 to 14% grade doses. Yum . . .

I departed early Thursday morning after a hellacious week at work, long hours and poor eating habits.  Arriving around 8 am at my folks, I filled up on a good breakfast and then headed out for a mild ride. I did the Alfred Harrel Hwy circuit and then headed out along Comanche to Breckenridge, riding up the road about six miles before turning back around and heading home.  Thirty-three miles and 2,400 feet of climbing, it was pretty pathetic.

After a quick shower and two fantastic chili dogs I lay down and took a 3 hour nap!  Even with that much back in the bank, my sleep deficit was still significant and as a result I still felt groggy when I awoke around 4 pm.

I rolled out of bed and headed over to the west side of town to register at the Marriot.  The Wheelman and their supporters checked me in with cheerful efficiency and after a few reminisces of last year’s epic ride I drove back to spend the remainder of the evening snacking and relaxing.

I had targeted a 7 am start so I arose around 5:30 and casually got packed and loaded up for the short drive to Ming Lake Park.  As was the case last year, riders were already departing with lights ablaze as I pulled in.  It promised to be a nice day weather-wise so the only extra layers I took were a base layer under my jersey and arm warmers.

From the start I did not feel strong so I knew I was in for a long day. The ride along Alfred Harrel to Comanche was uneventful. I then made the left onto Breckenridge for the 27 mile run to the top. Riders were scattered about all along the route, some riding alone, others in small groups.

At mile 10 I hit the first dose of “up”.  It ranged from 7 to 9 percent as it wound through the lower foothills. All along the way I had the cattle to keep me company. They all looked pretty bored. A short down hill deposited me on another stretch that snaked its way up into the woods to the first rest stop at Cow Flats.

When I arrived it was busy by Spooktacular standards. I even sat a spell to chat with a few other riders. There was a group of geriatrics who’d almost run me off the road earlier clogging up the porta-pottie. Eying their machines I congratulated myself with some satisfaction at having averted the mid-life crisis mile marker associated with having to buy a $10,000 tri-bike to prove my potency.  Later on I would be able to revel in my superiority even further as I watched these a-holes crawl into every proceeding rest stop for diaper changes.

Moving onward I pedaled my way along the next 3 miles of easy grades to the start of the ball buster climb that greeted you with a 10% sustained in your face wall at mile 24. I crawled along this section at 5 mph. This year it seemed twice as long. I just focused on every pedal stroke and tried not loose my forward momentum.

SAG support was almost a constant presence along this stretch. Several times they called out to see if I needed anything. The Spook is great in this respect, the Wheelmen and their volunteers really care about the ride and the riders. It’s a nice counter to the agony on some of the climbs!

Once I topped the ridge there was about 2 miles of respite before the third course of vertical was served ala carte. At this point I had a chance to intermingle with a few other riders who were enjoying the fine day. One accompanied me up the last brutal section that wandered into the 20% range on a road no wider than a bike is long.

Mile 33 finally clicked over (virtually that is) on my Garmin and the Breckenridge Rest Stop came into view just over a small rise. It was a welcome sight. Here again I indulged in the local cuisine including a follow-up dose of Ibuprofen. I grabbed a chair and struck up a conversation with another rider who had also done a number of Southern California rides during the year. His focus had been more on the doubles though so our paths would have never crossed.

After lingering far too long I headed out for the final 10 feet of climbing and 9 miles of descent into the valley. As was the road surface going up; so was the road surface going down.  It had enumerable blind corners all of which were sprinkled with sand, loose gravel and pot holes. I timed my departure to pretty much take it alone, but did get caught by one rider on the way down. As he passed we exchanged greetings and I contemplated taking it up a notch, but then thought better of it. The road was open to car traffic and all it would have taken is one coming up on a blind curve to make for a really bad day. Instead I took it at my own pace and enjoyed the view and the spectacular fall colors as I wound my way down the east side of the mountain.

The road dead ended at Caliente Bodfish Road where I made a right turn.  From there it was a short trek to the Cemetery rest stop, but along the way there was about 600 feet of climbing which was unwelcomed. At this point in the ride it was apparent that the majority of us were dragging a bit.  Perhaps those in better shape were long gone, but the few riders I mingled with seemed to be hurting as much or more than me.

The Cemetery Rest Stop was the halfway point which was depressing. I was tired and my legs were pretty sapped. Once again I grabbed a seat and spent a leisurely ten minutes snacking. They had sandwiches, but I passed on them since I didn’t feel that hungry.  They were also offering up hot caramel apples. It was well over 80 degrees, no thanks.

With water bottles filled I headed out on the long drag to the Caliente Rest stop at mile 81. The first section took me back up to around 4,200 feet from 3,300 and then offered up a long gradual descent of over 20 miles. It would have been great but for two factors. One, there was a ripping headwind that forced me to pedal constantly and two, I flatted at about the midway point. Later I was told that the headwind was a common occurrence, but that didn’t help matters. Without the wind, the descent would have offered up some recovery time for the final 27 mile push.

Exhausted I arrived at Caliente. There was a large contingent of riders lounging about. Everybody looked tired. I felt like I was at the back end of the group which I probably was. Coke was in short supply so I threw back a Mountain Dew and waited for it to get into my system. I was not looking forward to the remainder of the ride, but at this point I knew would make it.

With a freight rain snaking its way along an eastern ridge I headed south up and over a series of rollers back down into the San Joaquin Valley. It was a pleasant area with little traffic and a nice road surface. A long straight away parallelled the track and ended with a short climb onto Bena Road. At this point it was simply a matter of grinding it out.

I passed a few riders along this stretch and then made the right at Comanche for the last 9 mile pull back to the park. I hated it. I just did not have anything left.  I passed Breckenridge then rode up the hill and back down to the traffic light at 178. It was then a quick downhill to Ming Lake Road and around to parking lot.

The car was a welcome sight. I stripped off most of my kit, changed into street clothes and wandered over to the BBQ.  I loaded up on the standard tri-tip with beans, salad and a roll. I wasn’t particularly hungry but ate my fill anyway. Feeling fatigued, I headed back to my folks to spend the rest of the evening relaxing, glad that the ride was behind me.