6 Hours of Temecula #1 Recap

So I'm only a month late to finally getting around to this.  First race of 2011 is in the books and I'm ecstatic I didn't have to suffer on my single speed this time around.  Last year I did the whole 12 Hours of Temecula series on my SS hardtail and vowed to never do that again.  It's just not worth the pain and discomfort over such a long period of time.  The start of the 2011 Temecula series would bring a welcoming addition with a 6 hour category and me pedaling upon my Santa Cruz Tallboy with it's butt loving squish.  It was great to see all the familiar faces from the previous year out in full force.  The 6 hour category was deep with 39 competitors looking to tackle this new challenge.

My goal for this race was to simulate the upcoming Vision Quest in April.  Meaning, figuring out my pace and nutrition.  I'm grateful to have First Endurance as a new sponsor for 2011 to help fuel my race and training needs.  I'm no stranger to the FE family as I've been using FE products since early 2010 and I haven't looked back to all those other powders, gels, and supplements.  Absolutely love their stuff!  My plan was to stick strictly to liquids for my hydration and caloric needs.  I would achieve this by primarily using EFS and EFS Liquid Shot.  PreRace was also on my intake list for when I needed that little extra kick.  Of course I had Coke's on standby as my emergency pick me up.

I believe I'm the 8th rider back.  Photo by Jordan

The start of the race was fairly hectic as racers crowded the start line.  I found myself up near the front about 7-8 rows back.  I wasn't too concerned with my position as I knew the field would spread out during the parade lap.  The first climb was flooded with racers fighting for position.  As luck would have it, I took the far right line while the majority took the more inviting left line.  My line choice proved very successful as I was able to hop on my very own personal toll road around the traffic.  All of a sudden it got very lonely out there.  I must have been in the top 5 riders or so because halfway through my lap I couldn't seen anybody in front or behind.  I came into my pits to grab my next bottle and quickly resumed.  The PreRace really gave me a boost as I completed my first lap in the 41 minute range.  I was pretty sure I was in the lead at the time, so I wanted to keep my solid pace going.

Photo by Jordan

2nd lap was pretty much the same as the 1st minus the traffic around.  It was nice having a clear path for most of the way.  The trails were in great shape and I was able to pickup my speed a little bit more this time around.  This lap was my fastest lap of the day and the fastest lap of all 6 hour competitors.  Only problem, this is an endurance race and not a XC race.  I knew I probably went out too hard, but I sure didn't feel like I did.  It felt good to really let the lungs breathe and the legs burn.  Maybe I was hopped up on PreRace to notice?  I kept it going into the start of my 3rd lap.  Unfortunately, I would have an untimely mechanical halfway through.  My RD cable broke and I was stuck in my tallest gear (34X11).  After stopping to asses the situation, I knew there was nothing I could do on the trail so I pedaled on.  My mind was tossing around the idea of quitting or to keep racing SS.  I then told myself that someones got to have a replacement cable on site.  Lucky for me, I was about halfway through the lap and most of the tough climbs were over with.  I completed my lap and was able to get assistance from the Specialized crew.  Many thanks to them as they got me back up and running pretty quick.  I lost about 15 minutes due to the cable, but at least I wasn't out.  I knew my competitors most likely passed me which also meant that I lost the lead.  It was going to be hard to try and catch up.

Photo by Jordan

On my 5th lap, things started to slow down a bit for me.  4 hours seems to be the hurdle that plagues me.  My energy levels dwindle down and pace slows quite a bit.  On the positive side, I still felt good with no sick or upset stomach feelings.  I was able to maintain consistent low 50 minute lap times until the end.  I would finish with 7 laps and a time of 5:36:01.  Good enough for a solid 4th place against some pretty solid competition.  Overall, I'm happy with my results, but really wished my shifter cable didn't break.  It would have been fun to see how the race would have finished with the top 3 guys.  I was also ecstatic to know that I was done racing for the day.  My body wasn't beat up like previous races on the SS hardtail.  I can contribute that to the plushness of the Tallboy and my super comfy ESI Grips.  I could sit back, relax, and cheer on my buddies racing the full 12 hours.  Overall, it was a great day for racing and to be surrounded by friends.  The buzz about the Temecula series is definitely growing.  First US Cup race is in a week and it looks like it's going to be a wet one.  Until next time my friends.