For the past 2 years I have soloed the 24 hours of Cool on my single speed.  This year, for a variety of reason’s I wasn’t up to doing a solo but wanted to crew for Brian in his quest to solo the race.  Last year Brian, Will and I all soloed.  I know from past experience that the first time you do one of this events, it’s all about learning how it works. The second time, you come to race.  I wanted to help Brian hammer this deal.

At the last minute I was (sort of) recruited to fill out the Dirty Avocados relay team.  We put together a fun and fast 5 person co-ed team consisting of myself, Adam Doti,

Angel Garbarino, Rick Bariff and Dennis Baker.  I was confident that I could do my laps and also provide sufficient support to Brian. 

A few days before the race was to begin I found out that Jen Klafin from BAARBD was also going to solo. She didn’t have a crew or other support so I invited her to join our pit. 

As the race approached the weather forecast was not good.  Rain and lots of it was predicted.  The Olmstead loop at Cool, the venue of this race, is notoriously bad in the rain.  Mud, mud and more mud is on the agenda.  Not only does this slow everything down, but it trashes the bikes.  I kept hoping that the storm would miss us or blow through quickly.  This was not to be.

Getting a good location for your pit is very important.  Having your tent and crew right on the track saves lots of time and allows for very fast transitions.  Personally, my normal game plan is to basically roll through the pit, grabbing a new bottle and some food on the way without stopping for more then 10 or 15 seconds.  I was encouraging Brian, Jen and Jon to use this strategy. In order to get this type of prime real estate, you have to show up the day before and pitch your pop up and your tent.  Getting set up the day before also helps with not having to deal with all of this the day of the race.

Jon Maz was going to be racing the 8 hour solo out of our pit and agreed to meet me at noon on Friday for set up.  We arrived and it was already raining.  We got a good spot right next to the MadKat team and got our EZ up and my huge tent up without too much trouble.  We covered the tent with tarps to try to keep some of the rain out.  A couple of hours of set up and we went home hoping the rain would stop.

Brian, Jen and Angel all met at my house to spend the night.  We watched 24hour solo to get fired up. Out side it was raining.

While a solo is hard work, doing a relay is just plain fun.  You ride hard once every 4 or 5 hours and get to spend the rest of the time hanging out with friends and enjoying the “scene.”  That is, unless it’s pouring rain.

It just dumped all night and when we got up in the morning it was still raining.

We finished with our set up and waited for the start.  I knew it was going to be messy.  The ground was already soaked and everything was already getting covered with mud – and the race had not even begun yet.

I was doing the first lap. I figured I could power through the first lap, beat the solo’s in and crew for them through the rest of the day.  At the starting line I wasn’t paying attention because I thought we would go off in waves.  But the race just started and I was in the back.  I knew things were going to bottle neck early so I rode like a crazy person through the grass and passed tons of people till things started to thin out a bit.  What a mud pit.  As I was ridding I was getting a face full.  Even with fenders mud was flying everywhere.  The going was slow.  The mud grabbed at the tires and the turns were slick.  I was very glad I wasn’t doing the solo this year. When I finished my lap I was covered head to toe with mud.

I got in few minutes before Jon.  Still dripping with mud I got him his bottle and sent him off. Then Brian and Jen came in and we got them off.

Now I had at least an hour to clean up, dry off and get ready for the next rider.  I also had at least 4 hours till I rode again.  However, as the day wore on and the rain continued to come down the trail got worse and worse and the times slower and slower.  I was just too muddy and slick to ride certain parts of the trail.

As the riders would come in, each lap I could see the course taking its toll.  Jon came in after the 2^nd lap and had no brakes.  We sent him off on his spare bike and rounded up some brake pads.  Brian came in after his second lap with a cut in his side wall.  He was able to repair it with duct tape to finish the lap, but it would never complete the race.  We sent him off on his spare bike and went looking for a new tire.  Pete from City Bikes came through with pads and a tire and I was able to make the repairs.

When some one would come in for either a repair or a short brake, my daughter, Tara would go and wash the bikes off to get most of the mud off and clear the gearing.  Then I would check everything, lupe it up and sending them on their way.

By the time Jon finished his 4^th lap his brakes were shot again but he pushed on.  He had just barely enough time to get in one more lap if he really pushed it.   About this time I was getting ready for my second lap.  A bit after Jon took off, I left. Another muddy ride.  Again, I confirmed how glad I was to be on a relay team.  I passed Jon about 2/3 of the way in. He was having trouble with his brakes but there wasn’t anything I could do for him, so I motored on.  I knew it was going to be close for him to make the 8 hour cut off.  I made it by 7 minutes.  Jon missed it by just a few.  Even with all of the problems Jon had, the course took it’s toll on the other riders even more.  Jon took 4^th in his division – a strong showing.

Again, I cleaned up and got ready for our solos.  My now, Brian was looking beat.  The course was really taking it’s toll.  On the bright side, people were dropping out left and right.  By just continuing on Brian was going to place well. 

Jen was actually looking pretty good.  She would come in, I’d clean up her bike and she was out again.  I wasn’t really sure what her goals were so I wasn’t sure I was able to help her as much as I would have liked too. 

As darkness fell, the rain stopped.  It didn’t improve the track much, but it was nice not to have the rain coming down.   

Brian came in and took a short brake.  Jen did the same.  Everything was moving at a snails pace.  It wasn’t too cold and with the rain stopped it was pretty comfortable.

The night went on like this.  I switched the order of my ride with Rick so that I could be available for Brian and Jen through out the night.  I knew the early morning hours would be the toughest and I wanted to make sure I was there to get them through.

The night was going ok.  Brian and Jen kept moving.  Our relay team was turning out the laps, even though they were slower then we would have expected.  Then about 3 am it started raining again.  And hard.  This was crutch time.  Fewer and fewer riders were coming through.  It was clear that more and more people were either holing up for the night or just quitting.  Around 4 am Brian came in and wanted to take a nap.  I got his bike cleaned up and made sure he had what he needed.  I walked by the main tent and saw that there were some standings posted.  Brian was in 3^rd in the single speed division.  I couldn’t tell how far behind 2^nd he was, nor how far in front of 4^th but I knew he was doing well.  I ran over and woke him up.  I told Brian, he needed to get up and get going.  He was in position to podium but he had to keep riding.  Brian had told me that he wanted me to push him and I wasn’t going to let him off the hook.  

I don’t think Brian actually believed me when I told him he was in 3^rd but he got himself up and got on the bike.  I pushed him out and told him. Just keep riding and he would be fine.

Jen took a couple of hour nap but all of a sudden showed up and was off again.

As the sun came up, it was my turn to do my third (a final) lap.  It was still raining the and track was a complete mess.  I could hear my brakes going.  It sounded like metal on metal – because it was.  As I was riding along, it occurred to me that this was like a typical AR slog.   Hike-a-bike, muddy, rainy mess.  When I finished my lap, right at 8 am, I was told that they were going to stop the race at 10 am rather then noon – for safety.  Noone complained.  Adam went out and what would be the last lap for the team.  When Brian and Jen came in we stopped them and told them the race was over.  Given that it was taking them over two hours to turn a lap they would not have time to do another.  I turned out that they didn’t need too.

Brian took second in the single speed division a full lap ahead of third.  Jen did two laps more then any other woman – even the pro division.  Our relay team won the 5 person co-ed division. 

I am certain that our adventure racing experience was the reason for our success.  In foul weather like we had, speed is not the critical factor.  Sticking with it and never giving up is the formula for success.

We have put together a team with the goal of winning the Overall Big Blue series.  But we also had our eye on winning the overall.   Now back to the beginning – Marks report: 

Friday night Adrian drops his kayak off at my house.  I get it all loaded.  I arrive at Del Valle, pay $6 to enter the park, $2 to launch a roof top boat, and $3 to have it inspected.  I pull up to the boat inspection and an inspector starts looking over the boat.   Cockpit is good, front cargo bulkhead good, rear cargo bulkhead has about 3 ounces of rain water.  The boat has been in Adrian’s yard since November and is full of leaves and spider webs.  The inspector gives me the news, my boat is banned and not allowed on the lake.  Hani was right in front of me and both of the boats he brought also failed the inspection.  I drove to the parking area and called Mike who has not arrived yet.  I have Mike meet up with me and Angel in the parking area and we dried out the boat with towels from my truck.  In a pinch the center cargo hatch can serve as a seat and that is our current plan.  We are confident as Mike drives to get the boat inspected.  Mike returns and the news was bad, both of our boats were banned.  This happened to several of the teams that were there.  Todd said he told everyone about the inspection in the race update but we failed to see it.  We had to rent a boat from Sunrise right there at Del Valle.  We opted for a Cobra Triple, the fastest three person option in the fleet of cargo barges.

30 minutes before we the start we get maps.  A close look reveals that most of the trails in the park are not on the Nat Geo Topo! maps…hmmm?  While we are plotting the optional CPs the pre race meeting began.  The course was designed by Mark Manning.  The idea was that the race is a Rogaine with an 8 hour cut off.  I asked we had to carry the rain jacket and fleece and Todd waived both items.  He also stated that if we had an emergency to call 911 on our cell phone.  I pointed out that cell phones are banned.  He told everyone that they would be required gear for future events.  The kayak leg was first and we could do the trek and bike legs in whatever order we wanted.  We decided on kayak, trek, bike since we are all strong cyclists and would likely trek faster early and when it was cooler.

We put on our PFDs before the start.  When the race started we sprinted to the barge, shoved it off, and were out on the lake with a couple hundred yard lead on the rest of the field.  We paddle right to CP1 but missed it.  Since it was almost in-line with our return route we opted to continue and get it on the way back.  On the way to CP 2 Phil L and his teammate passed us in their slick tandem that was not banned.  We got all three kayak CPs and were only passed by three or four boats; couple solos and Phil’s 2M team.  We made a quick transition and were off onto the trek in no time. 

The trek had 6 CPs and we opted to do them in reverse order.  The lack of trails on the map made getting our first CP a bit tricky but after we got the second CP of the trek we passed through a gate with the park trail maps in it.  I grabbed one on the way by.  There was a long section between CP2 and CP1 with no marked trails on the map and obvious fire roads on the planet.  Eventually we figured out where we were on the Park Trail Map and quickly finished sweeping the trek CPs.

When we got to the TA I worked on transferring all the bike CPs to the park map. Phil and teammate were there and left the TA right behind us.  We took off on the bikes up a very steep trail called Squirrel Gulch.  As we started up, Angel shifted into her granny gear and her chain came off and wedged tightly between her spoke and large cog.  By the time we fixed it Phil and partner had about a five minute lead.  We reduced it to a couple of minutes over the bike leg.  I have no idea how anyone who did not get a Del Valle park map could do the bike leg.  None of the bike CPs were on trails shown on the course map. The last bike CP was an out and back to the other side of the lake.  I had suggested swimming for it but in the end we chose to ride.  On the way to the CP we passed a solo racer who was returning.  We had not been aware of him being ahead of us.  We got to the CP and realized that we had not seen Team Phil.  It turn out that they swam across the lake for the CP and finished ahead of us in time, but they’d missed a CP on the trek and we’d swept the course so we’d beaten them.  I think we finished in around 6:45, 20 mins behind the solo.

I had told the person covering my shift that I’d be back around 4pm and it was about 3:45 so I had to rush off and didn’t get to hang around.

We handled the barge, the nav and Mike’s suffering in the heat well.   Overall we had a good race and represented the DAs well.

by  Ogre
Source: http://ogrehut.com/20090503/the-coolest-24-wettest-22-hour-race

As I pushed my bike up a steep section of 2” deep sloppy mud, I couldn’t help but think “What kind of an idiot rides in crap like this in the middle of the night?” Then the inescapable thought bubbled to the surface “What kind of idiot composes blog posts in his head while riding in 2” deep oatmeal at 2AM”.

Our drive to the Coolest 24 Hour race (that’s the name of the event) was interrupted about 15 minutes short of our destination on the climb to Pilot Hill. Pilot Hill is a little town off of Highway 49 at the top of a steep windy road. When we got to the steep part of the hill the engine was running great, but the RV was slowing down, until eventually we had no power at all. I managed to pull the RV onto what is probably the only section of dirt shoulder on the side of the road big enough for a 34’ RV in the 5 mile climb, even so the RV stuck out into the narrow road for a foot.

We called AAA and arranged for a tow then waited. After about 30 minutes a highway patrol car showed up and gave us a good looking over and tried to push the RV further off the side of the road with his car. I wasn’t surprised to find his car was unable to motivate our RV up a 15% grade while the road was slick from rain. The tow truck finally showed up and the driver had a hell of a time getting our RV on the tow rig.  About 3 hours of jiggering in pouring rain and eventually the driver called out a second truck. We arrived at the garage in Placerville at around Midnight. Fortunately, they let us overnight in the RV there.

We woke up and my oldest daughter, Liz, came out and rescued us. We loaded a bunch of stuff from the RV into the van, they dropped me off in Cool for the race, and headed home. I was lucky Fred and Kelley Randle (my personal saviors) let me crash in their trailer for the duration of the race and gave me a ride home at the end of the weekend.

The rain from the previous night continued all morning and all through the afternoon. I was on a 5 person co-ed team with the Dirty Avacodos with Adam, Angel, Mike, and Rick.  Since I was late, they put me at the end of the roster (24 hour team races are relay races). My first lap was at about 5PM. It was still raining. Unfortunately, I had no front fender and forgot my glasses at the trailer.  That turned into a horrible choice for a rainy lap. Within the first 100 yards, I had mud in my eyes and was blinking frantically to clear them. I thought briefly about turning in and getting my clears but decided not to… bad call, my eyes are still sore a full day later from crud that flew into them on that first lap.

The trail was super slick and covered with a thin layer of slimy wet mud. In places it got deeper, into a soupy 2” deep goop best described as oatmeal that sucked your tires in and robbed you of momentum. There were also sections where the mud was even deeper. It was particularly bad near the creek crossings. There were 100 yard sections of 3-4” slop.

I had decided early on that using my single speed bike was the best choice so the rear derailer wouldn’t get clogged up with mud. Though I did suffer for it and stuggle on some climbs, overall I think it was a good choice. Lots of geared bikes were having mechanical issues. Fred opted to clear his drivetrain off twice a lap, stopping at a deep creek crossing to rinse the drivetrain and relube it. Even with the singlespeed, I layered the chain lube on thick. My bike choice and maintenance paid off. I didn’t have a single mechanical issue all race.

My second lap started at 12:30AM so I had time for some dinner, set up and cleaned my bike, layed out my clothes, and caught about 45 minutes of sleep before my lap.

Having good lights is a necessity for night laps.  I had some great ones my brother, Kevin, lent me (I’ll try and get all the mud off them before I return them). The rain had let up since sunset. I was hoping for better trail conditions. Unfortunately, though visibility was much better, the trail was significantly sloppier and my legs were tired. I still managed a decent lap time, but I think I could have done better if I’d changed to an easier gear before my lap. The views during night laps are absolutely incredible. As you come around a few curves, you can see the lights from Auburn on the opposite side of the ravine. Also, for me the moon was just barely visible behind the clouds.

I finished my lap, cleaned and lubed my bike. At the rate laps were going, I figured I could get a solid 5 hours sleep in. It turns out that that I could have gotten a solid 8 hours in. The rain had started back up at 4AM and was pretty solid all through the morning. The organizer decided to call the event at 10AM, 2 hours earlier than planned. In addition, our team was even slower than anticipated throughout the morning. We would only be able to get 14 laps in by the cutoff time. I had anticipated getting at least 3, maybe 4 laps in for the race, but I wound up with only 2 laps for the entire 24 hour event.

It turned out that our team won it’s division… I’m not sure how many teams in the 5 person co-ed, but a victory under those conditions is just gravy. Thanks to all the Dirty Avacados for putting up with me and thanks for Global Biorhythms for putting on a great 24 hour event in spite of horrid conditions.