06/14/06

Go to MULHOLLAND DOUBLE Official Website

Hey, hey, boys & girls.           

I have returned from beautiful Malibu, California. I have categorized my report due to the numerous variables that factored into this epic ride.

The COURSE: Here is the official route announcement from Planet Ultra - "REVISED MULHOLLAND ROUTE ANNOUNCED: As everyone knows, due to storm-related road closes, we've had to do a major make-over to the Mulholland Double Century route, for 2005 only. We drove that course today - and, as promised, we've got a route absolutely worthy of the California Triple Crown Stage Race! 202 miles with 16,500' of climbing. Yes, you read that right: SIXTEEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED FEET OF CLIMBING!!! YOWZA! Honestly, we didn't intend to create the second most difficult double in the state - but it's the best route we could put together under the circumstances... and we do promise the originally planned Mulholland route for 2006." 

The BIG CLIMBS: Roads climbed included Topanga Canyon, Little Sycamore Canyon, Grimes Canyon, Stunt Road, Mulholland Hwy in the morning and then retracing it back in the afternoon, Potrero Rd - 20%, Balcom Canyon - 21%. Definitely QUAD-busting climbs!

The WEATHER: We were treated to perfect sunny Southern California weather as we climbed and descended the endless canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains. The canyons did get cold fast after sunset. The high-speed descents were especially cold after dark. I was glad I kept my windshell.

The RIDER: I picked up some type of flu-bug 4-weeks ago in Atlanta and was still experiencing some congestion and coughing the week before this ride. I felt close to 100% normal on ride day. Average HR for the ride was 136 which indicated that I had recovered well from the flu. Compare that to last week's much flatter, much easier Hemet Double average HR of 144.

The BIKE: This is the De ROSA KING's (a.k.a ELVIS) second Double Century. It was a joy to ride. It climbed very well and was very reassuring in the steep descents. It is a very stable bike. It also helped that I have changed my tire pressures from 125psi down to 105psi in order to reduce flats and increase ride comfort. I did not anticipate getting better grip but it is definitely noticable. The Hutchinson Carbon Comp rode very supple. Sometimes, I had to check if I had a flat because it was much more comfortable than my Continental GP300's, Vredestein Fortezza Tri-Comps, and Michelin Pro Race. Oh, and did I mention ELVIS is also a SEXY bike that got a lot of looks.

The LIGHTS OUT: 60 miles into the ride, I noticed my HID light's angle dropped drastically. I just completed a long high-speed descent down Pacific View Road and was on flat roads at Pacific Coast Hwy1. I stopped to check it and noticed the bracket was slowly breaking from a joint stress fracture. I could not fix it, so I completely broke it off.

At Checkpoint2, the SAG folks tried to re-shape the bracket remnant but with limited tools, we failed. I now resigned myself to riding as far as daylight would allow and take a SAG when it got dark. Then the engineer in me kicked in ... if I find a hardware store en-route, I can fabricate another bracket or get materials to attach the light's head-unit on my helmet. Unfortunately, no hardware store on this part of the route.

At Checkpoint3, I asked one volunteer if there was a hardware store en-route. She suggested using her duct tape. I thought of that earlier but it was too wide to fit the helmet holes. She then proceeded to show me how easy it is to split duct tape vertically into narrower pieces (as the old saying goes: we learn something new everyday). I was now able to fasten the light head-unit onto my helmet. It held up all day. I rode like a DORK with a light mounted on my helmet dead smack in the middle of the day :-)

The CRANE RIDER: I turned on the light on the last climb up Stunt Road. I realized that the angle of the light was too steep and I could only illuminate less than 10 ft. ahead of my bike. Not a big issue when climbing at sub-10mph speeds, but will be a BIG problem on the last 16-miles of high-speed very technical descent. There's no other option due to the angle of the helmet and vent cut-outs. So, I had to ride for 16-miles alternating front and rear brakes to prevent overheating. I was craning my head back even further to shine my beam further out. I had to tilt my head so far up, I was literally looking at the skies with my eyes rolled all the way down to see the road. With 186 miles under my legs, I was actually welcoming the smaller hills towards the end, just so I can drop my head back to a semi-comfortable position.

The light problem cost me close to an hour of repair time. I know I lost another 30 minutes on the last descent because the guys I rolled down with from the last Checkpoint signed in at the finish line 30 minutes ahead of me. My neck was sore when I got to the finish line.

The LOST SHEEP: My total mileage was 3.0 miles more because I missed a Checkpoint and had to come back to sign-in. Luckily, it was a fairly flat 3.0 miles. Very critical because not signing-in would have DNF me.

The FATIGUE INDEX: Average HR for the ride was 136bpm.  However, don't let this HR fool you. Very low but my legs were still cooked. I probably should have brought a 39x26 or a triple instead of the 39x25. I could have spun more. I was so tired, when I stopped at the last Checkpoint and wanted to eat my own Boomi Bar, I looked in every pocket of my jersey and CamelBak and could not find it. When I got back at the finish, I found it right in the container attached to my water bottle cage. I put it there thinking it would be easy for me to grab while riding ... DUHHH! That's what I call brain-dead. But I still FINISHED a very respectable 49th out of 162. Yeehah!

The  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Elevation Chart is courtesy of California Triple Crown, http://www.planetultra.com/mulholland/2004elevation.html  and created by Mike Sturgill during the 2004 event with his downloadable HAC4 bike computer.

Outdoor scenery pics on this page are courtesy of SAG extraordinaire Eric Smith, http://www.redbikephoto.com  and event staffer Steve Meichtry, http://spmcycling.myphotoalbum.com.