Tahoe Sierra 100 Report.....

Another race report coming at all. Buckle up it's going to be a long one. Okay, so after the Boggs 24 Solo in July I quickly changed gears (not literally being a singlespeeder) and started to prepare for the Tahoe Sierra 100. The 3rd race in the Leave No Trace Endurance Series put on by the infamous, Jim Northey. The 2010 version of the TS100 was going to be very similar to '09 with a little more singletrack and mileage. My training plan for this race wasn't much different than training for solo 24's. In any case, last year I missed 1st place by 5 minutes and definitely wanted to stand on the top of the podium this year. The Pro SS field was stacked with talented guys so it was going to be a tall order. Nevertheless, the goal to not only win was on my docket but I also wanted to break the 9 hour mark. Last year I came in at 9:58.

Alright enough fluff. My good friend Jay Bretz and I depart Santa Rosa mid morning on Friday. We arrived up at Ice Lakes Lodge on Soda Springs Road with plenty of time to check out the newly added singletrack. With registration and partial pre-ride complete, we headed back to our room. Dinner at the Lodge was nothing to write home about so I will leave it at that. We retreated back to our room and I got ready to bed down. I hit the rack at 8:30 knowing that the 5:00 AM wake up call was going to be more than annoying.

Well, the good thing is that I wasn't rudely awakened by the alarm clock. I happened to wake up on my own at 4:45. Jay and I both knew that it was/is critical to get some food on board before a long event like this. Jay had a ham sandwich and I choked down a egg salad sandwich and sweet potato....cold. Don't even ask, that's NOT my typical pre-race meal. Anyway, we made our way outside and the cold just punched me in my face. Frost on the truck! We both started to discuss our clothing options for the race. Although it was chilly 30 something degrees out and most certainly colder down in the valley, we know the temperature was going to hover in the mid to high 70's by the early afternoon. It's a dicey decision, do you dress for the cold then shed and have to carry them for the rest of the race? Or, do you sack up and battle the cold waiting for the sun to heat up? I kind of chose a middle option. I had a wind breaker that I ditched at the bottom of the first climb. Anyway, I'll get to the details now.


6:30 and we were off. The start was pretty fast and everyone felt they needed to be up front. I too wanted to be somewhat near the front just cause I like to start out a little bit fast. Anyway, there was about 2ish miles of mostly flat singletrack that lead to an 6 mile fire-road descent. I settled into my own pace on the descent and actually was able to stay somewhat towards the front. The SS rig is a bit limited when the downhills aren't too steep. Right, so before the start of the first big climb I doffed my jacket and started up. Right at that time I came across a teammate and huge competitor in my class (Jared Franzoia). He was the one that beat me last year. We rode together for a little bit but then I kept my pace and never looked back. I never saw him again.


I blasted through the first aid station and started the 2nd big descent. The bitter wind chill and temperature nearly froze me. My arms and legs were shaking vigorously and both hands were numb. I couldn't wait to start the 2nd big climb. Once to the climb I started picking off racers left and right. It wasn't the plan, I just was doing my thing. I pretty much knew I was leading the SS field. I didn't let it get to my head as this was the same scenario last year when Franzoia caught and passed me at mile 70. The second aid station (miler 23) was much like the first except I grabbed a banana and pbj. The next 13 miles proved to be quite challenging. I crashed on the top of Red Star Ridge but quickly remounted and got back in the grove. I was gauging my pace by the people I was riding with. Kevin Smallman who finished 2nd in the Pro geared class was the only one to pass me up to the aid station at mile 39. After coming off of the Ridge I was told I was sitting in 8th place overall.

When I made it to mile 39 I knew I had some work ahead of me. I fueled up at the aid station and started the long fire road climb. At about mile 43 I looked back (never look back) and noticed another racer pushing his bike up behind me. That could only mean one thing.....another singlespeeder. I started the 8 mile descent ahead of him and railed it. Unfortunately, so did this other guy. He rolls up and the first thing he says is, “Hey, what gearing are you running?” Found out I was running an easier gear combination than him. We rode together for about 10 miles or so and I discovered he was from Illinois. Come on, a singlespeeder from Chicago. Are there any hills there? It didn't matter, Dan was riding strong. I was in for a fight for sure. So after we went through another aid station we started a brutal 2 mile climb. The kind of climb that puts the one-speeders on their feet. I quickly dismounted and started the hike while Dan pushed than rode then pushed and rode. He got a gap on me but I wasn't about to do anything crazy like race “his” race. I knew we had 40ish hard miles to go and I knew the course and he didn't. I let him go.

Once you hit the halfway point in these 100 milers you start to realize that every mile that ticks away means your closer to the finish. Yeah obviously, but it's just a mental thing. Anyway, I started to deal with some slight leg cramps but nothing to stress about. When I got to mile 70 I really wanted to get to the last climb but it was going to be a long 14 miles away. At about 82 miles I noticed off yonder a similar fellow pushing his bike up a steep pitch. Could it be? Yep, it was Dan. It had been over and hour plus since he left me alone pushing my bike. When I caught him he seemed a tad surprised. We both were suffering and at least we were suffering together. We started to chat again but I was sure that like me, was thinking about when to make a move. There was one last steep grind before a fast descent that lead up to the final climb. I didn't really attack him as much as I just rode him off my wheel. I started the downhill about 10 seconds ahead of him. I full throttled the descent leaving nothing back. I killed it. We had one more aid station before the final climb and I blasted through it and hit the climb. The climb started with some rollers which didn't really suit me. I was hoping for a tougher hill which would have been harder for Dan. Nevertheless, I kept a strong tempo up the hill and looked back a few times and never once saw him. The closer I got to the top the closer I felt to victory. Although I knew ANYTHING could happen. And that ANYTHING happened. Dan came out of nowhere and passed me like I was walking on my hands. The only audible thing I hear from him was, “I got some coke.” I couldn't match his pace but time was running out. We must have been at mile 88. I ramped up my pace but didn't have the gas to catch him. I did manage to close the gap and got within 40 yards. Unfortunately, it was on the last hike-a-bike section and that was that. I rode that last 2 miles in complete shame. No just kidding. I felt great. It was an awesome battle. Dan was the stronger rider and put in a solid effort. I finished the race in 9:31 minutes and secured 2nd place just three minutes behind Dan.