Tahoe Sierra 100 report

[Adam Nuyens]

Hey All,

I thought you might enjoy a race report from the Tahoe-Sierra 100 I did last year (Point to point race from Soda Springs to Auburn). 

  I started on the line next to Tinker Jaurez and wished the legend a great day since I new I would not see him again...

6am sunrise and start, 2-1/2 mile road spin in the top 15 (of 160 TS100 and TS59 starters) ,then 5 mile dirt fire rd descent passing people occasionally, Then five mile fire rd climb with too much breakfast in me, too much pack and some of the guys I passed getting me back.     Mixed descent on rough duffy singletrack in low shrubs and a real rock littered trail which made the small climbs nearly impossible and hiking necessary (this must be the part Den said didn't look fun on a bicycle). Frustrating going through here with no rhythm.  But great views! To make a short story out of a long day... There were descents of all kinds, fire roads, steep steppy, ledgy trails, technical sharp switchbacks in rock slab hillsides, SO RIPPING at times and almost too long to where my hands burned from gripping and bottoms of my feet burned from pressure against the bottoms of my shoes for so long! Also fun and kinda fast, swoopy, carvy stuff in the Forresthill trail system area, real pleasant and flowy. 18k of descent for the day, 15k climbing.Descending off the ridges into the river areas brought oven-like heat and there was always  an unpleasant climb out. Some long ones with no shade, ugh...And some PUSHING; there was a 40 minute hike-a-bike up the other side of one of many ravines we descended. (Dipped my head in the stream before that one.)The aid stations all had themes like luau or cowpoke or Heaven. That added some fun and they were helpful and would take your pack and fill with cold drink, etc. I dipped my head in a bucket of warer at one of them. At the last aid station they said I was 7th overall and the last climb wasn't too hard and I SPUN that Bitch good and it was only about 90 degrees instead of 100 like down in the river pocket was. It was a hard day and there are funner ways to spend 11 hours and 22 minutes but I won my class (40-49 expert) and got seventh overall and a big ass steel cutout chainring trophy and battled the hills and the heat and passed the guy who ended up 2nd in my class in the last 20 miles.

Coulda woulda shoulda got 5th if my rear QR didn't come loose three times. Had to stop and use the can, also had to straighten my rotor after the wheel popped out, another time I had to get the frikkin' chain out from wedged between the spokes and cogset (5 minute nightmare), and my wimpy chain guide allowed the chain to come off the front three times! (wimpy ass, flexy light weight bike is going in the scrap heap). 

 It was a challenge met, and a good experience. A pot-pourie of MTB trails! Thanks for reading.

Thanks to my wife, Melissa and to WTB and Breakaway Bikes.

 

Ride on! Rough shod if need be, smooth shod if that will do, but ride on!

Ride on over all obstacles, and win the race!

-Charles Dickens

 

PS: there was an unfortunate and very sad incident involving a horse and the rider who won my class last year. You can read about it here: http://auburnjournal.com/detail/213517.html

cheers!
Adam Nuyens

[Jim Hewett]

Glad to see the post, Adam.  Do you think you will do this race again?