Everest Challenge - 2011

Now on the Monday after the race weekend, it's hard to find the words to describe what I and a few hundred other people just went through over the course of Saturday and Sunday's events. I will say this, however. In over 430,000 miles of cycling and years of competitive racing, there is nothing else like this anywhere until you start looking at events like RAAM or the Furnace Creek 508, or other super marathon kinds of events. So for me, the Everest Challenge was my introduction to the form of bicycle racing that is Hors Categorie.

I thought I knew about climbing prior to riding the Mt. Whitney Stage Race last year, my first Eastern Sierra event put on by Steve Barnes of Anti-Gravity Cycling. I went there with a 39x27 low gear thinking that surely would be low enough for the two days of climbing there with a total elevation gain of 12,850' over two days and discovered how completely wrong I was. I went out the next week and bought a compact crank with a low end of 34 teeth and went back at it at the first Death Valley Road Stage Race of two being held last year. This one was longer still, with more overall elevation gain: 13,400' over two days. OK, now the hook was being set. I returned again that fall for the 2nd edition of the DVRSR with even more climbing (unfortunately I can no longer find the flyer for that edition, but it was longer than the spring edition). This season rolled around and found me out at Mt. Whitney again, as well as the Spring edition of the DVRSR.

I had known about the Everest Challenge since 2009 when I returned to racing, and after doing the shorter events mentioned above, I feared this race like no other. The shorter Eastern Sierra races were so hard the thought of essentially doubling up on each stage was daunting, to say the least. Besides the obvious physical demands, I also had some personal drawbacks to training for such an event. First, I'm old (62 this October) and not the rider I was when I was young. Secondly, I've got a pair of chronic tissue damaged areas over my sit bones that tend to flare up in hot conditions, and yes, it's hot in Las Vegas in the summer. Thirdly I have issues with my left knee that flare up from time to time. I wanted to ride this race, but I kept looking for signs that I might be approaching "fit enough". They didn't come. Yes, I rode exceptionally well under difficult climbing conditions at Rist Canyon in August, but with only 66 miles and 6000' of climbing in the race, that just didn't come close to what I might expect at the EC on either day. I jumped in and signed up for it finally, fit or not, and committed myself to finishing it, or having it finish me. The two weeks before the race I began having saddle soreness again, and my left knee was thinking about whether or not it wanted to start causing me problems. I did several climbs on Mount Charleston and Mount Potosi, and then backed off gradually over those last two weeks. I went into the race, though, with a less than satisfactory body.

Stage 1:

Saturday started at five a.m. in the dark in Bishop, California. I was there with Lorraine and we crawled out of bed and made coffee, oatmeal, filled water bottles, and finally drove off in the pre-dawn dark to the start. It was chilly and I wore a wind vest and arm warmers at the start. It was still nearly dark and off we went at 6:30 a.m. Within the first three miles we were already on the first climb, a twenty mile climb up to South Lake. The climbing starts in Bishop at 4,140', but really doesn't become significant until Ed Powers Road at 4,650'. It then climbs 20.4 miles, average grade 6%, to the top of the parking lot at 9,835' (5,800' gain) above the pristine alpine South Lake and surroundings. While this is not the highest spot or most vertical gain, the last mile has three quarter-mile long sections around 15% grade and will certainly test your strength and endurance and desire to stay on the bike. Bottom half has extended sections of 8-9% grade, max grade 9%.  I had decided to take the first climb fairly conservatively and "ease into" the race, not knowing what to expect.  I took the majority of the climb with a small group of riders that got progressively smaller as we ascended.  Off the front were several 55+ riders and two other 60+ riders, including the legendary Bill Tippets from San Diego who had unfortunately for me aged up this year.  Bill is an EC regular and was inducted into the EC Hall of Fame at the Friday night pasta feed and mandatory meeting the night before.  Going over the top first in my group I descended at speeds upwards of 48 mph for what seemed nearly endlessly, until near the bottom I was caught by a group containing three young women, a 65+ rider, and maybe three or four 55+ riders.  The women drilled it to the start of the 2nd climb and I took full advantage of sitting in the draft.  Upon starting the 2nd climb the women attacked us and made some headway.  I didn't care, because once on the mountain, drafting was no longer an issue.  By approximately one third of the way up I was alone between the three women and the rest of my fellow travelers and gradually picked the women off one by one until the turn around at 7420'.  The course description goes like this: The climb up Pine Creek is a club favorite and climbs from 4,500' up to 7,420' in 8 miles, average grade 7% (max is 9%, extended sections of 8%).  It began to rain near the turn around and although I could see blue sky, I could also see dark clouds forming over the towering peaks.  I began my descent alone and from this point on soloed the entire rest of the race.  


Coming off this descent there were maybe four or five miles of relatively flat terrain before starting the last climb up to Mosquito Flat.  The road to Mosquito Flat at 10,250' is the highest paved road in the Sierra Nevada. The climb is 22 miles, average grade is 5%. Maximum grade lower half is 9%, upper half is 11%. There is 280' of descending along the way, bringing the total climbing to 6,048'. The first part follows the Lower Rock  Creek Road and old 395 with a maximum gradient of around 11% (I know what it says in the course description above, but my Garmin tells me otherwise).  At just over 5000' was the next aid station (there were already two before on the previous summits and one part way up the second climb) at the Paradise Fire Department.  I had to pee since about mile ten and it was already mile 70 and I had no other choice but to stop, get off and take care of that piece of business, costing me probably about five minutes, give or take.  Back up the road I went and near the top of this first part of the climb I began to be caught by the Pro 1/2 riders, and parts of both the 35 and 45+ fields.  On 395 the weather began to take a turn for the worse and dark clouds were covering the mountains into which I still had 11 miles to climb and the wind was tearing down the face of the mountain into my face and the faces of all those attempting to climb those last 11 miles.  This part of the race was pretty tough.  The road is quite rough and uneven and the climb varies from moderate to steep with increasingly longer steep sections the higher one goes.  The last couple of miles is quite steep and exceptionally narrow; in fact, it's barely wide enough for a car to pass through (yet they did, in large numbers).  It was quite cold at the top, but the hot food served up by race volunteers was both superb and welcome.  I learned I was probably third at this point, and after having a bite to eat, descended back down the eleven miles to Tom's Place where Lorraine was waiting for me.  I had passed my friend Ray on the way down as he was still climbing, and he looked pretty grim.  Not more than a few minutes after I nearly fell off my bike trying to unclip did Ray show up asking for a ride back down the mountain.  He had started cramping up around mile 75 and made it to within maybe seven (hard) miles to the finish.  What a shame to get so close.  We packed him in and and down we went.  Believe me, I have rarely felt this trashed after a race before.  My first day came in at nearly 99 miles of hard riding.


Stage Two:


Five o'clock came all too early Sunday morning.  I woke feeling as if I'd been flattened by a steam roller.  Thankfully, I had coffee and ibuprofen with me!  We had moved from Bishop to Big Pine, staying at the Big Pine Motel, where we've stayed now several times over the course of two seasons.  It's a great place.  Quiet, inexpensive, about two miles from the start of not only the second stage of the EC, but the first stage of all the DVRSRs, and the owners have always been good about allowing me a late check out.

Again we lined up in the pre-dawn dark and it was colder than the day before.  I pulled on knee warmers along with arm warmers and the wind vest.  It still was too cold at first.  The first climb of the day began with only a couple of miles of lead in as we crossed 395 and headed to the base of the Glacier Lodge climb.  The climb up Big Pine Canyon to the remnants of Glacier Lodge is almost exactly the same stats as le Alpe d'Huez, but with four thousand feet more base elevation. Starting elevation 3,940' finishing elevation 7,800'. The actual climb is 9 miles with an average grade of almost 8% (max is 11%, with extended portions of 9-10% ( 3,860' gain).  Again a small group of 55+ riders and the two 60+ riders ahead of me headed up the road while I sat in the 2nd group composed mainly of the same riders I fell in with the day before.  We kept up a good pace and I felt much better on this climb than I did last summer when I came up to do some training in the area.  About two miles from the summit the grade finally relents some.  I began looking for a porta pottie or a forest service outhouse, suffering from old man's bladder again.  None to be found, so I descended back to Big Pine at a pretty good clip with minimal braking.  The Glacier Lodge descent is one of the fastest descents in the continental U.S.  


We had to pass by the start line at the intersection of 168 and Death Valley Road to begin the 2nd climb, which was up Death Valley Road to a height of 7050'.  I took a moment and used one of the porta potties there and lost a few minutes and a couple of my companions.  I continued riding with Dan Moser from Utah and we stayed together for about the first third of the climb when I gradually rode away from him.  This climb was the "easiest" of the six, only being rated a Category 1 climb, while the others are all Hors Categorie.  It's hard all the same, though.  I refueled at the feed zone and descended back to the intersection of Death Valley Road and the 168, peeled off my knee warmers and wind vest and left them with Lorraine, and then began the nefarious White Mountain climb.  The climb from the Owens River at 3,900' to the high point before Schulman Grove (the Ancient Bristlecone Pine forest) at 10,100' is a true leg breaker. The climb is 21 miles, average grade 6% (max in the lower half is 14%, max in the upper half 17%). There are dozens of 9-12% rollers in the bottom third. The last 3 miles averages 10%. There are some small descents along the way allowing for brief breathers. These bring the total climbing to 6,573'.  It was hot on the lower slopes and with a mild tailwind, there wasn't any kind of breeze to help cool things off.  I don't do well in hot weather and I was suffering through the lower part of this climb.  By the time I hit the next feed zone at 6,000' I was toast.  I took a moment to drink a bottle there on the spot and took on two more and headed on up the road.  Over six thousand feet and the temperatures began to moderate some and I started counting the elevation gains.  I felt if I could get above 7,000' I could probably do the whole ride.  It was touch and go from between 3900' and 7000' though.  Once through the one lane narrows the climb tapers off a bit before turning left onto White Mountain Road.  Once the left hand turn has been made, there are 10 more miles of climbing and the last three miles average 10%.  Within the first five miles of this last climb I finally caught and passed the last of my companions from the first climb that left me at the bottom of the 2nd climb (see above). In the interim I had been having issues with my saddle since the Death Valley Road climb.  It was rattling and acting like it was loosening up.  I'd had this problem before, and I was afraid the saddle was in the process of breaking.  At about the 8000' mark I finally decided to check it out.  The seat post clamp had been working itself loose.  The 3T carbon seat post has been known to loosen up, and sure enough, it had to a considerable degree.  Grr!  I pulled an allen wrench out of my jersey pocket and tightened it up (today I used a torque wrench on it, and found that it was still too loose).  Again, I lost precious time.  The section from 8000' to the top is brutally hard with nary a spot to recover.  The only positive thing that can be said about it is that the temperatures are cool and once you've taken the switch back that brings you above 9200' one gets a view of the Eastern Sierras and the Owens Valley that just has to be seen to be believed.  At this point you are more than a mile above the Owens Valley, and just across from you are the Sierra Nevada Mountains whose peaks are even higher than the massive White Mountains that you are on.  From here to the finish one can see the beginnings of the ancient Bristle Cone Forest that White Mountain is so famous for.  The scenery is spectacular, which is a good thing, as any diversion from the pain of climbing this beast, the hardest climb of the six and the last one after racing nearly 160 miles and more than 28,000' of climbing so far, is welcome.  Yet the switch backs continue, seemingly endlessly ahead of you and the road is either steep, or steeper still.  You can't begin to understand the relief I knew I would soon feel when I crossed the 1000 meters to go mark.  Six tenths of a mile.  Would it ever end?  


While doing this last climb I was swearing to myself that I wouldn't do this again.  My rear is like hamburger today.  I damaged myself to some extent by riding and completing this race.  It was the hardest thing I've ever done physically.  Will I do it again next year?  Well, stay tuned.


Stage One: 3rd
Stage Two: 3rd
G.C. - 3rd


More when the official results are posted.


If Lorraine hadn't been there I don't know if I could have done it.  Thanks, Rr, for being there!