12hrs of Temecula: June not-so-glume

A number of Don's riders came out to tear up a few laps at the 12hr race in June. The weather was perfect and the course proved to be challenging for everyone.

Here were some of the folks in the Don's line up:

1. First time Solo riders - Lisa, Russell and Marget
2. Veteran Solo - Chris Branson
3. 4-person SS - Jeff Stanners
4. 2-person - AL and Paul Romero

The solo riders did well in their classes, Jeff's team took the SS 4-person win, and Paul and I managed the 2-person class win.

This was the first race ever that Tinker entered the Pro/Open Solo class and didn't finish. Apparently he became sick and had to pull out. This left the 12hr solo open class wide open. Sure enough, up and coming endurance guy, Daniel Munoz, stole the show and $400 for the win. Good job Daniel!


Another up-and-coming young gun, Jarred Jordan, took the Under 18 solo win. Watch out for these guys in the future.


Oh ya, big thanks to Kat and Rachael for taking care of us in the pits. And congrats to Karen Lundgren who won the solo women's class, and Angela Myers and Matt Smith from Big Bear who finished their first 12hr race. Matt was super lucky and won the Spinnergy wheelset at the post-race raffle. How cool is that?

Huge thanks to Jason for putting on another great event.

Tell your friends. Tell your team. Just get off the couch and come out and join in the fun!

Don's Bikes Hell Ride 2009 Wrap-up

Thanks to everyone who came out this year and made this ride such a success. As most people found out, the ride isn't quite as hellish as it is fun, but I guarantee you that everyone experienced some level "hell" along the way!

Ride
- 43 riders, 2 main groups, 4 guides (AL, Rob, Russell, Margaret)
- an undetermined number of crashes, flat tires and cliff excursions...

GPS
- 5:39 hrs, 36.86 miles, 6924 ft down, 2143 ft up


Aftermath
- 4 $25 Don's Bikes gift certificates, 1 gift certificate for a bike at cost!
- an undetermined number of beer and pizza consumed :)


It was great meeting so many new folks (from Socal and STR) and thanks again for coming out!

We'll post more stuff shortly, but feel free to add your comments or stories here as well.

Cheers,
AL & Russell (Don's Bikes Race Team)

Special thanks to Don's Bikes of Rialto for sponsoring the event!

New SoCal Mountain Bike Race: Over the Hump Series

Now that summer is winding down and we've all had some time off to take a vacation and enjoy the sunshine, it's time to start thinking about getting back in shape. What a better way than to start with a little mid-week racing!

Last week one of our team members, Jeff Stanners, participated in this new race in the OC called the Over the Hump Series. He had some great things to say about it and I think more of us will try to make it out to the next one.

Here's what he said:

Last week I did this race last week called Over the Hump Series. I thought I’d share this since it’s a new race and it was a lot of fun for a mid-week
race. It was on Wednesday evening at Irvine Lake in Orange County.
315 people showed up and raced on the 3.7 mile course. Expert’s did 4
laps, Sports did 3 laps. There were some good local pros there – Sid,
Manny, and Sean Donovan went 1-2-3. It’s about a 50 minute drive down
there from Redlands and best of all the race only cost $20. There next one
is on a Tuesday on September 15. They said they plan to have a summer
series of 6-8 races next year, all mid-week evening races.

It’s worth checking out if you’re looking for something fast to do during the
week.

(click on pictures to enlarge)

Another thing that looks interesting is the class structure. There are basically three classes (beginner, sport and expert) and the age brackets are wide e.g. 30-39. This should keep things competitive and should prove to be pretty interesting, especially in the Expert-Pro class.

Race Information
Over The Hump Series
Classes
Map, Directions and Parking
Results

More Resources
Mountain Bike Action article on the Race
OC Register article on the Race

Here's some actual video coverage of the whole race. Looks fun!

http://www.donsbikesraceteam.com/

12hrs of Rim Nordic: Race Report

Thanks to Jason and the Ranoa clan, this race turned out being one of the most exciting and unique endurance races so far for the Socal 12 Hour Endurance series. This "first ever" 12hrs of Rim Nordic event had something for everyone.

Event

• Over 450 riders
  
• Live music Friday night
  
• Free T-shirt with sign up


• Awesome raffle and prizes at the end


• Cash giveaways (fastest lap, hardest effort or just saying "hi" to Jason on the course. How cool is that!)

Course

• ~1356 ft of climbing per lap
  
• ~8.6 miles per lap (on my GPS)
  
• 2.7 miles of granny gear climbing
  
• silty, switch-back climbs


• rutted switch-back descents


• fast fireroad descents


• flowing single track
  
• rock-hop sections


• daytime temperatures 65-70
  
• base elevation 6775ft

Race Report

I was racing solo, so I didn't have a whole lot of time to chat, but everyone on the team seemed to survive just fine. Congrats to the 4 person team for improving their race from the last one from 14th to 4th! Great work.

As for solos, we really started off at a blistering pace and I knew that wasn't going to last long. I had a small flat on lap 1, but fixed it quickly. After that, I just tried to settle in and maintain a fast, but steady pace. I spent the rest of the race jockeying back and forth with different riders for 1st place, and on the last lap I gave it my all to catch the leader, but just couldn't close the gap. Thanks for all of the cheers and support out there!

In th end, here's how the three teams finished:

2nd - Men's Pro Solo (AL)
4th - 3 Person Open (Cy, Chris, Gerry)
4th - 4 Person Open (Russell, Margaret, Jeff, Colin)

Lastly, the whole team sends out a "get well soon" message to Adam Hart who had to pull out early after seriously gashing his knee on a rock. Next time Adam!

So this was a new course for everyone, and as challenging as it was, I think everyone will context that it was a great event. Personally, I thought it was really awesome to race up in the mountains at a new venue, so hats off to Jason for making this a first, and hopefully not the last!

See you guys at the next Socal Endurance Series event: Fat Tire Epic 50, Oct 03!

Don's Team

Preparing for Endurance Races: 15 things to think about...

There are lots of things to think about before every endurance event, but here's a quick checklist to help you get prepared before the event, and stay prepared during the event.

1. Plan Early
   Start preparing early in the week, or better yet, the week before.
   
2. Strategy
   Decide on a race strategy long before the race. There are many options and the one you choose should match your training regimen, racing experience and overall goals:

   1. All out. Ride hard from beginning until you fade (not necessarily the best, but what most people end up doing).
   2. Reverse split. Start slow and increase your tempo mid-race.
   3. Steady pace. Start at a moderate pace and try to sustain it for the duration.
   4. Others...

3. Rest
   Don't cram lots of riding into the week before, you'll just be extra tired for the event. Try to get an extra hour of sleep each night.
   
4. Pre-ride
   Try to do a 45-60min ride the day before to "wake-up" your legs, but do not over exert yourself.
   
5. Hydration
   Start hydrating at least 5 days before the event. Don't wait until the day before to load up on water and electrolytes! And be careful not to over hydrate as well.
   
6. Nutrition
   This is probably the most important element of the race. Plan very carefully what you will eat during the race. Use an electrolyte mix that you trust, and stick with easily digestible foods such as oranges, rice and mashed potatoes. Don't overeat or take in excessive amounts sugars as this will leave you with an upset stomach.
   
7. Bike
   Don't make major changes to your bike that aren't proven or tested. Clean the drive train thoroughly. Go over every bolt and check all cables. Replace tires if necessary.
   
8. Parts
   Try to have an assortment of parts available if you run into problems. For example, spare tire, two tubes, extra CO2 canisters, chain and brakes.
   
9. Cleaning
   Be sure to bring a bucket with Simple Green, chain cleaner and rags so you can clean your chain during the race. This is often overlooked.
   
10. Clothes
    Think about the different conditions you could run into and the different types of riding gear you might need. For example, long sleeve for the night, head cap, thick socks, long finger gloves, warmers...
    
11. Lights
    Ensure your lights are charged and you have all of the proper mounting equipment.
    
12. Course
    Print off the course map so you know how to plan each lap. Figure out what the average time of each lap will be so you know approximately how many you will do. Endurance races don't start until the half-way point.
    
13. Downtime
    Plan what you need during your breaks so that you can be comfortable and actually rest when (and if) you decide to take a break. Chairs, sunshade, cooler with ice...
    
14. Forms
    Print off and fill out all entry forms before you get to the event.
    
15. Relax
    Prepare to have fun!