White Mountain Double and a Succussful California Triple Crown

It was mid July when my wife indicated that if I wanted to attempt the California Triple Crown (3 doubles in a year), that she need to make the selection. Having more to do with her own training regiment and when she would have a ‘rest’ week, she would need to be able to give our son undivided attention while I was away. So September 11th became the date for the White Mountain Double, an event and place I had never heard of.

http://web.mac.com/ndzone/NdZONE/White_Mountain.html

Being a little superstitious, I was hoping that the date and place wasn’t ominous. I had 6 weeks to peak which allowed for a 125 mile solo ride and back to back 100’s (one in Arnold to Ebbetts Pass at 7,800-feet and the next day at home out to Livermore/Calaveras/Milpitas and then home).

As I learned, the White Mountains border the Nevada side of the Sierras in the high plain dessert of the Inyo National Forrest east of Yosemite. Seeing the Bishop weather forecast for 90s, the high elevation, and low humidity, my apprehension rose in recalling having been to the hospital more than once for heat stroke/dehydration. I started my hydration routine a week early with Nuun’s (www.nuun.com) and soup (“one large Pho Ga please”) daily for lunch…

The 6 hour drive from the east bay to Bishop was a new experience, since it was my first time through stunning Tuolumne Meadow, Tioga Pass, and Mono Lake.

At 5:00 am I arrived at the start with a roll call and mass ‘late’ start (the early start left at 4:00 am). The first 20 miles consisted of a single paceline of cyclists trying to stay warm and off the highway shoulder rumble strip. As we made a left turn and begin to ascend up the valley floor, the pack severed. Knowing that 20 miles and 6,000 vertical feet of climbing were ahead, I decided to ride my own comfortable pace.

The valley plain narrowed into a stream-less draw. While it appeared flat, my Garmin indicated an 8-percent steady climb. With a steady headwind, it would be a long haul to the summit. After 10 miles, I reach the crest of the mountains saddle and headed north for the out and back section to Schulman’s Grove (elevation 10,100) with switchbacks and steeper Diablo-esk climbs, some of the oldest pine trees in the world (and the last of the trees we would see all day!).

After a fast decent, I decided to find a group to share both the experience and the work. For the next 140 miles our group swelled to as many as eight, but remained steady at 4 till the end. Entering Nevada, we felt the wind on are backs and the pace quickened to average 30 miles per hour for the hour before lunch. At Dyer we stopped for a cold one (coke in a glass bottle!) and quick lunch, and then off towards Highway 6 looking for signs the Lunar Landing (yes it was starting to get hot and we didn’t want to discuss politics) in the desert plains.

At mile 135 we began the final 15 mile assent to a 7,000-foot pass in the mountain. With the work seemingly over, we all felt strong and ready for the 50 mile descent back to Bishop. Ten miles later, the major descending was over and we discovered that the final 40 mile approach to the finish would be against a 30 mile an hour headwind. Our 25 mph pace slowed to 18 then 17 then 16. We were down to two of us taking pulls with a couple of passengers hanging on.

Finally we were caught by a small group who pulled for about 10 miles until we saw the Bishop sign and the road bent west leaving the headwind behind. We were elated at the finish at both completing the ride, our place results (3rd to 6th place finishers of 110 starters) and the good fortune of the day.

My body felt tired but less depleted than I had expected. My goal was to be hydrated enough to take a natural break (sans restroom) at every stop (which worked well for the first 150 miles). The ride was well organized with a good amount of aide stations and encouragement!

With a sleepless post ride night (still pedaling), I left early Sunday morning for the scenic return trip to the Bay Area. With the results finalized, I was pleased at joining the elite California Triple Crown and meet my 2010 athlete goals (including over 7,000 miles, 400 hours, and over 380,000 vertical feet of climbing on the bike since Christmas). Now to meet those family, work, and friend goals…who’s first?

***********

p.s. Special thanks to my wife and son for putting up with my 'time out' this year, to the Eden Cycling Race Team for their support and companionship, Chris P and Eden Bicycles in Castro Valley, Dr. Elkind at Integro Sports in Walnut Creek for the Active Release Technique, and Tyrone Williams at HST for the massage work. I wouldn't have been able to accomplish this dream without your support! Thank You!