24 Hours of Tunnel Vision , Northstar 2000

Pleasanton Wheels of Thunder, normally thought of as a Roadie Team, put together 2 teams for the 24 of Tahoe. They did night rides Tues Nights at the ridge for 2 months ahead to prepare. One team was entered in the Sport Men (4) class, the other as 5 Person Open. The Alpha team consisted of an Expert (Kevin Mc), 2 Sports, Eric Veit and Darryl Coon, a Beginner, Darryl Smith, and a first time ever Mtb Racer, Tania Smith. The Omega time consists of 3 Sports, Longinotti, Obi-Ron, and Dale Wieb,; and Glenn High Tree, the Team Captain and First Time MTB racer.

To start I wouldn't recommend this course for a first time race. I did a race at Northstar on a shorter course on July 15, but it was so TAME compared to this course that has more climbing (felt like double!), and 6 TIMES as much singletrack including 2 miles of single track climbs and a 500 meter Hike a bike up a ski run. There was a .5 mile descent full of Baby Heads, and about 5 X 3/4 miles sections of deep dust, with Baby head single track punctuated with Watermelon Rock Gardens and separated by highly banked type "S"s. There were also 5 or so switchbacks most very rutted. The appropriate MTB term for the course would be "AWESOME"Š If I was a first time racer I would call it "STARKLY TERRIFYING". It was a safe course to the extent that there were no dangerous drop-offs or trails on the sides of cliffs and the DEEP DUST was VERY SOFT to fall in.

The input I had given the Teams from my 15 July experience TOTALLY misrepresented the course..

So I drive up Friday Nite, check into a Motel,, then Mosey on over to the Northstar about 930 for Noon Start.. My place in the start order was third, so I didn't feel like I needed to rush. I encountered DarrylS in front of the Village who told me to follow him back to the campsite, where I encountered the ICCC "BEACHHEAD". There was a huge awning, a travel trailer, and 4 tents. I had heard something about the ICCC Awning having to be shipped from somewhere..

Anywho, The weather was great, I went about getting ready to race. The others had come Friday Am and pre rode the course and said it was REALLy TOUGH.. I was full of confidence, since I ASSUMED it was JUST LIKE THE JULY COURSE ONLY LONGER!!..

Relay races are more about avoiding mistakes and failures than just raw speed. But we found out that a LOT can WRONG in 24 hours!!

So the race starts and Alpha leads off Kevin Mc. And Omega: Obi-Ron. The LeMans start features a 400-meter run thru the woods.. It turns out Kevin is a MUCH Faster runner than Obi-Ron.. Anyhow, all 106 riders eventually got off in a cloud of dust.

Soon thereafter we heard that Kevin and Flatted and couldn't fix it, so he forfeited the lap and Eric Veit went out, Then Eric Flatted and fixed it, but towards the end of the lap he crashed HARD in one of the rocky sections and need medical attention. More time was lost, eventually the Darryl Coon went out on the course. Eric was eventually diagnosed with a bruised kidney and fractured elbow.

The FASTEST riders (Pro's) came in about 1-hour flat.. Obi-Ron did 1:19. Glenn took the second lap and did a 1:39, which is outstanding for a first time racer. I took the baton, got on my bike was plodding thru the meadowlike staging area.. A noticed a rider with a race number on riding parallel to me on the otherside of the snow fencing.. My fatal error begins.. I start wondering (Did I MISUNDERSTAND THE REF. Am I supposed to be over there?)..

So I come to a gap in the fencing and I see an arrow pointing to the right and this other rider goes that way so I follow.. (But this isn't the course I had ridden for a mile or two in the AM, I'm wondering how I could get that wrong.. But I'm DEVOURING the riders ahead of meŠ THIS IS SO COOLŠ After a short climb and turn right onto a singletrack climb and see the 3 km mark.. TROUBLE IS I"VE ONLY BEEN RACING FOR 5 Minutes!!..

Stupidly, I CONTINUE all the way to the 5-KM mark instead of turning back immediately.. I didn't want to ride backwards on the single track.. But I know I've gut at least 10 minutes off the course and at the top, I've figured out a route back to where I departed the real course.. So I turn left instead of right and then quickly ride down the middle of the intermediate Ski run parallel to the real course back to where I turned wrong.

By now I've ridden 4 EXTRA Km, but I remember from the 8 hour race than 15 minutes in a race like this is just POCKET CHANGE!..

The highest elev. Was about 7700 feet and the last 500 meters were up this Hike A bike.. I'd heard I should ride it, so I should the bike and started to jog it.. I stopped jogging about half way.. (It's pretty bad when something is so steep I can't at least jog up it!!)..

There is a short section a road then a left turn down the first single. As it enters the woods the first really Gnarly section begins.. (Oh.. oh, I'm not in KANSAS ANYMORE!).. "No wonder the team thought this was tough I think to myself. Then road then a shortish climb with a lock of dust and rocks that you have to "Rhthym" through.

I rode it all the first lap but as the strength fades getting over every new "watermelon head" section , gets harder and harder. More short road sections and then section after section of single track. And the section end, "Competition" seemed so much harder than before, like the dry summer has let the rocks get more and more exposed as passing tires slowly 'Dig them up".

My first lap was 1:35.. Deducting the 15-minute detour, I was lapping about the same as Obi-Ron.. We send out DaveW, our 4th, he turns a 1:14, (I think)

On the next lap, Obi-Ron (I think) turned 1:19 again. Glenn Duplicated his first lap with a 1:39. I started my 2nd lap at 8:30pm. It was dark.. I was apprehensive, I wished I could have had two day time laps to learn the new tricky sections. But I did a 1:19 anyway.. I was very off balance in the first section of single track and I flat missed a couple turn off's (from roads onto track), but I think I was actually FASTER in the section half of the lap.. I think the helmet light helps you TARGET when to go, you point the light and then put the bike there.. Dale's next lap was about the same as Obi-Ron and Mine..

On Lap 3 Obi-Ron was in the dark for the first time. Lost his bar lights at the hike a bike and the helmet light with about 3 km((I guess to go.).. He met up with another guy than only had a helmet light and managed to make it back in about 1:40.

Now it's after Midnight.. (Da da da, we gotta let it all hang downŠ after Midnite).. And I'm getting tired. I'm expecting Glenn about 1:43 Am He left right about midnight. Feeling like I can cut it little closer, @1:25 I'm in the final phases of putting on my BORG Suit(Radio Lights etc).. When the radio lights up. "DAVE THIS IS GLENN, I'm at Check IN, WHERE ARE YOU!" Fumble around, blast off down to Check (1/2 a mile away) get the Baton, BUT NOW I have to go and take my freakin battery off the neutral CHANGER.. I'm finally under WAY at 1:35.. On Lap 3 I'm just feeling well "NOT SO VERY FRESH" anymore. I'm now using the granny ring on the singletrack climbs and some of the steep road.. The descent on the "Babyhead Highway" is just FREAKY in the dark.. I got into loose stuff and was barely able to save it a couple times. I ride a fairly good last half.. But my time is 1:35!!.. Subtract the 10 minutes and Glenn still went FASTER on his 3rd.. Lap, Man, that guy most have finally learned how to make that full suspension bike really WOR:K in those rocks!!

The darkness hours suck, because it's cold and as soon as you start to cool down you have to get into something dry.. This is complicated by things like getting all the batteries to the charge station, minor bike adjustments etc. By the time I'd get changed and be able to sit and try swallowing more supplements, an HOUR has gone by, now there is ONE hour to sleep before, it time to start preparing for the next lap. (After the third lap, I slept 1.5 hours and got ready faster)..

On Glenn;s last lap it was his turn to go the wrong way, after about 30 extra minutes I was off on my 4th lap in the blinding sunlight. I was soon starting to blow up on the climbs. I did the single track climb in my granny gear. I grannied a lot of the steeper stuff now.. I was starting to cramp. I rode the last short climbs all out of the saddle with cramping quads..

On the Tech-Track I was either MUCH MUCH BETTER or MUCH MUCH WQRSE than the first lap.. I nail a few turns and that almost stopŠ My time was about 1:28.. Stick a fork in my I'm DONE!!..

Both First Time Racers finished without a scratch on them and with very respectable laps. Glenns' thirds lap was faster than my third..

Our Team in Men Sport(WOT Omega) finished 13th/26 teams with 16 laps in about 24:12
The 5 person Open (W0T Alpha) finished 18th/27 15 laps in 25:20)
The 5 Person Open TWW-Tahoe Team was 12/27 16 laps/24:57

IT was great race with great people and Good training for Mammoth!!

Race Report by Susann Novalis

It_s been a busy week but finally here is the race report from the Team Wrongway 24 Hours of Tahoe. In short: What a blast!!! The weather was perfect, the course was challenging, and it was an unforgettable experience. It was a very well-managed race with great prizes for the two three in each class eg Nite rider helmet lights, Cane creek wheel sets, etc. I think we all plan on doing more 24 hr races _ I guess that really says it. It would be great to have several teams doing the Tahoe race next year.

The Promoter and Venue: The race is put on by Granny Gear Productions. This is the 3rd year at Tahoe and the first year at Northstar. Northstar is the perfect venue for a 24 hour race. We rented a 2 br, 2 bath condo about Ľ mile from the start. The condo was fully equipped and even had washer and drier. We were able to take a forest service road along the back of the condo development directly to the start. An unexpected pleasure was our pass to use the recreation center complete with 3 out-door jacuzzi_s _ a great way to recup tired legs. In summer, Northstar Village has a well-equipped bike store, a deli-grocery store, a restaurant-bar and several clothing stores. The Start-Finish is at the end of the Village next to the main lifts.

The Course: The course was just over 11 miles with 1600 feet of climb. Everything at Northstar has rocks so in the following "smooth" means relatively smooth like the rockier sections of Revolution trail at ECDM; trail names are in parentheses when I could get them. The sequence was a fire road climb (Village Run), rocky fire road down (Creekside), a smooth twisty banked down hill (Meander), fire road climb (?), a smooth twisty 6% climb with lots of wide switchbacks (6% Trail), long fire road climb (Shakedown), a heinous hike-a-bike sandy, rocky and steep, rolling fire road (Frolic), a technical rocky uphill section that many walked (?), more fire road (?), a technical downhill with deep dusty sand lots of rocks and switchbacks (Flameout), rolling fire road (Sawmill Flat then Mountain Road), and finally, a wonderful technical downhill (Competition). We all agreed it was a very fair course with lots of variety and challenge for everyone, but not a killer. As the least skilled rider I was able to clean all but about 5 short sections (during daylight that is)

Arrival and Race Strategy: Since Northstar is at altitude (6330 at start/finish to 7500 high point of the race course) we all arrived late Thursday afternoon in order to sleep at altitude. We cooked up a huge pot of spaghetti sauce and pasta which was to be our staple throughout. ( I had shopped for the group and we had plenty of food to entice us to eat and beer to keep our spirits up.) We planned out our race strategy. Greer was the most experienced having completed both 24 Hrs of Canaan in 99 and 24 Hrs of Snowshoe in 2000; Robert had done 24 hours of adrenaline in 99; Robert, Loren and Peter had done the 8 hr Sonoma race and I was the real newbie to endurance relay races not having done anything. Three of us had had deterrents to training in the weeks prior to the race and were not in the peak condition we had planned and hoped for. We figured that the 4 guys would average 1 1/2 hours per lap and that I would average 2 hrs. We blocked out the laps and decided on a goal of 16 laps with Loren doing 4 including the Lemans start lap and the rest of us doing 3 laps. Friday morning we did a team pre-ride. In retrospect we probably should have done solo pre-rides so that each could have done redos on troublesome sections. The altitude was difficult for all of us. We rested in the afternoon and evening. Spent some time in the 50-person hot tub charging our body batteries.

The Race: The race started promptly at noon on Saturday with an exciting LeMans start. A moment before the start two racers streaked the start-finish area for even more excitement. Loren was our lead off and did a great job running getting to his bike 16th out of 106. On our team, everyone_s first lap was their fastest. The night laps were fun but problematic for two of us: Robert left his glasses at the bottom of the hike-a-bike when he stopped to loan a wrench to someone and then had to slowly make his way down the slippery hike-a-bike searching for the glasses. I made the tactical error of using my lights in the wrong order: I used my good handle-bar lights on the first easy section and had great lighting there and even passed 4 other riders, but then when my Jet Lights conked out, I had to resort to my helmet light on the dusty technical sections where the light made everything seem flat and dusty; further I had neglected to oil my cleats for the second lap and found myself unable to get out. Being stuck in the cleats with poor light was a bad combination and I ended up running the technical sections. Peter, Greer and Loren did their night laps with great times only about 10 minutes slower than their day lap times. We had no bike problems but passed many racers with flats and wheel problems. We had no injuries; we all experienced relatively minor cramping and we believed our megadoses of Tums helped.

The Teams: Overall there were 106 teams starting the race. Successful finishers included: 5 person open (27), men_s sport (24), women_s sport (3), men_s veteran (7), men_s masters (1), men_s expert (7) women_s expert (2), duo pro (3), clydesdales (3) and, believe it or not men_s solo (13) and women_s solo (2). The solos were absolutely incredible and always created a stir of excitement each time they passed the start/finish. This race is much smaller than either of the other two Granny Gear Races at Snowshoe (more than 200 teams in men_s sport alone!) and at Moab.

Our Team Stats (# of laps, ave lap time, fastest lap): Greer Shaw (3, 1:20, 1:14), Loren Thomas (4, 1:23, 1:14 discounting 4 minutes off his first lap for the running start), Peter Sterlacci (3, 1:25, 1:17), Robert Ouye (3, 1:36, 1:24), Susann Novalis (3, 2:08, 1:52)

The Results: We did achieve our 16 laps and ended up 12th out of 27. Since our lap times were better than planned we should have been able to do 17 laps. Unfortunately, the night-lap problems cost us dearly and this was not possible. But, I for one am really happy with our performance. The open class is really tough competition _ techinically a team could have one expert man and any number of expert women; we believe the teams ahead of us had one expert man, one expert woman and three sport men. Our team had three sport men, one beginner man and one beginner woman _ so I think we did pretty well. We learned a lot and had a wonderful time.

Lap comments:

Lap 1 Loren: LeMans start ~ 1/5 mile run. conserved energy on run, but was still tired. 16th place out of 105 to get on bike. Tired on firroad climb, let several pass. First single track I sprinted past about 5 riders at the exit. Several passed me back. Double-track climb, passed one rider. He eventually pased me back. Cleaned entire course. No one passed me once to the top. Blazed all the single track downhill. Passed one rider on last section (Competition) 8.5 mph avg. Very excited, very happy with first lap.

Lap 2 Robert: I love this course! That gnarly single-track is awesome. I rode up, over, and around more rocks on my first lap than I_ve done all season. Rode conservatively throughout; had one crash on a very loose switchback. The front Motoraptor isn_t very good for these dry loose conditions, IMO. I was passed by 4 racers, got 3 back by the last rocky siingle-track, on my way to the finish I passed two DHer_s right before the final chute. A course worker had his arrow pointed to the right and before I knew it I was going the "wrong way". I lost about 15-20 seconds. Great ride. Looking forward to Lap 2.

Lap 3 Peter: *I can_t believe I fell 200 feet before the finish line!! *Terrible stomach cramp on the climb up. What caused it?? *What an awesome ride. Passed at least 3 guys in the 5 person open. *Not sure what it will be like at 11:00 pm. *FUN

Lap 4 Susann: What a blast. The climb at the beginning is fairly endless but the last third is really fun. I didn_t pass anyone this time and a lot of folks passed me _ but what the heck _ I_m just thrilled to be out there.

Lap 5 Greer: A great lap. Passed by one person, team #1 on 6 % trail. Great weather, great conditions. I think my fork needs a rebuild. Passed #21 on 6%. Pretty sure same guy passed me back just before Flameout. I passed him back on Sawmill Flat and never saw him again. Sweet sliding entry to Competition (had to pass a guy right before the drop in)

Lap 6 Loren: Left as the sun was going down. Cool weather was great. Felt good on first half. Had higher avg speed on the first section but dusk fell as I entered the downhill. Did great, but a little slower. Feel good.

Lap 7 Robert: I knew cramps would be a problem on this lap. Pushed an easy gear up all the climb in anticipation of the worst. They started on the loose single-track where that kid asked Loren "Why did you stop?" on the pre-ride. They were worse on the final single-track where I had to sop a couple times on the hardest sections followed by a short clime. After my last cramp, a funny thing happened: I noticed that the baton had creeped up my leg to my crotch and whenever I sat down I_d feel it. I had placed it on my inner thigh (bad idea) and it had moved to a position that would have required a stop to readjust. With the finish line approaching I pressed on. At the check-in table I had t reach down the front of my shorts, way down, to reach the baton. Of course that got a good laugh from the check-in ladies.

Lap 8 Peter: For my 2nd night ride in my life and given the fact it was in a race, I did pretty well. It was cool seeing lights in front of me and lights behind me. I managed to pass a few people and had a blast on the downhill single-track. It was still very dusty. I almost ran over a field mouse!!

Lap 9 Susann: I made good time on the first half _ fire road climb was easy to see. Passed 4 people. The technical trails were very difficult and I ended up walking a lot of it. My Jet Light conked out before Competition and I couldn_t see with the helmet light _ very very scary. Saw several other walkers. Glad it_s over and I_m in one piece!

Lap 10 Greer: Was making good time for 85 % of it. Passed by only 1 person. Light went dad just before final downhill single-track section. Not enough charge, I guess. Tough with helmet light alone due to dust. Inadvertently locked up front brake in start-finish tent _ want OTB for extra style points.

Lap 11 Loren: It was a but cold waiting under the tent. Rode like wus up the hill. No one ahead to inspire me. Everyone I passed was going really slow. Did well on the downhill, still much slower than in daylight. Broke rear spoke. Cramped right quad.

Lap 12 Robert: This lap was very slow for me. First of all I slowed the pace even more than before in anticipation of sever cramping. Smart move. I cramped up but not nearly as bad as the last lap. Stopped to help a racer in need of a 5 mm allen near the base of the hike-a-bike. Continued on and near the top I realized my glasses were missing. Great! Dropped the bike and slowly make y way down searching for the glasses with my headtrip. Another racer coming up finds then near the bottom. Back p to the top and onto the single-track. Just a little cramping the rest of the way. Did well on the technical sections. Finished feeling good. The cramping wasn_t the only reason I slowed the pace _ I anticipated doing another lap. Didn_t happen _ what a relief.

Lap 13 Peter: PAIN!!

Lap 14 Greer: A fun lap. Not much cramping _ the TUMS must work! Did not get passed by a single person _ satisfying. Hoped to do a little better re: time, but an happy. Off to the hot tub!

Lap 15 Loren: Thank god it_s over! The course has gotten more difficult _ it has deep powder everywhere. No major problems, rear brake dragging.

Lap 16 Susann: I felt rested with 4 ˝ hrs of sleep and felt good at the start. The climbing section was slower for me than either previous lap _ I kept running out of breath and stopped 3 times to get breathing under control. Did much better on the technical sections _ cleaning most sections I had trouble with earlier. Much easier after my dreadful night lap when I couldn_t see and my cleats stuck! Glad it_s over. What an adventure!!