2018 Tehachapi GranFondo Post Ride Log Entry

I spent the past week getting all my gear and extras ready for today. I got everything right. Nothing forgotten on this day. I went to sleep last night at around 9:45ish. I woke up to the alarm at around 4:00AM. I hit the snooze button a few times, and got up around 4:15ish AM. I followed my timeline to the letter, and it worked great. I checked off the list one by one with no issues. So, I had breakfast, organized stuff, hopped in the shower, got my ride gear on, did my Bio’s. The gastro behaved well today. I didn’t have to drink Pepto today. I started the Glympse tracking app before we left. After getting everything in the van, we shoved off around 6:30ish AM. A bit later than I would have liked, but not so much. We arrived at the drop-off point, Kmart. I hopped out and got my gear on as quick as I could. I wore arm warmers and everything else, standard gear. I had about 15ish minutes to spare. Dad took a photo and then I headed to the start line. I tested my GoPro for about a minute, and then started it at around 5 minutes before departure. Unfortunately, I was at the back of the centurions in the staging area. When the race started, I tried to move up as much as I could without taking too many risks. I think I got up to the top half before it was no longer safe. We made our way down Tehachapi Blvd, the sun in the face (making it a challenge to navigate around riders). As we approached Steuber, many of us indicated to turn right. There was confusion because someone led us passed it. Possibly the police escort? When we reached the next traffic light, it dawned on people that we were off course. I suggested to turn right on Willow Springs, I don’t know if they heard me. Needless to say, we ended up turning right on Willow Springs. The pace was high. The climb went as I had anticipated, there were a lot of people who past me. And I went at my own tempo. I was going faster than I anticipated. After a while, the pack was single file. I was passing riders now and again. I saved a bit for the last kicker. About a half mile (or so) into the climb, I looked at my GPS, and noticed that it was turned off. I immediately hit the power button and then restarted the timer. (After getting home, I was able to log into Strava and merge the two files that it generated. I don’t think I lost any data). The following descent was the danger zone. I did exactly as I planned. I tucked and feathered the brakes. I was probably doing no more than 35 MPH until the last ¼ mile to the turn onto Cameron. The climb went well. I felt like I had burned more matches than I would have liked, but no signs of seizing of the legs. It was apparent, however, that my weakest link was going to be my lower back. It never escalated, but was hinting every so often. After making the summit, the downhill was next and it went fast. I was tucking most of the way. When we were near the ramp leading to the 58, there was a train that passed by and held up about 30 riders. There wasn’t anything we could do. Probably gave up 3 or 4 minutes. We made our way to the 58. From this point, all the way to Willow Springs was much faster than I anticipated. I was doing my best to follow wheels. I knew that I was going to burn matches, but in the long-run I would save energy. The legs were responding well, so I went with it. We made our way to Highline. I had some wheels to follow. Again, slightly faster tempo than expected. We made our way to Tucker and Highline. I thought there was supposed to be a hospitality stop. I saw mom and dad, but no hospitality to be seen. I had to let the group I was with go, because this was a planned stop. After calming myself down, we followed our routine. I swapped bottles, ate ½ of my Powerbar, swapped batteries on the GoPro. (we forgot to take the 128 GB m-SD Card, so we skipped that part. I had another memory card in the saddle bag, so no worries. I then headed out. I made my way to Backes via Highline, to WTR and then to the descent to Keene. The descent was a treat. I was pushing it, tucking, cornering, etc. When I reached the base, there was a stop there and I took a quick bio. Shortly after, I headed back up the ascent. It felt good. There were the 60, 80, 100, and perhaps another category. I was passing people on a consistent basis. The legs felt good. The HR was high, but in the limits. I made my way to the summit and then back down to White Pine. That was the second planned stop. I swapped bottles, ate the other half of my Powerbar. Dad swapped out the battery and the 128GB SD card that he found. I headed out a few moments later. The legs felt good. I was having lingering thoughts about how many matches I burnt, as it felt more than I anticipated. I was keeping my mind concentrated on the weak points. Mostly the back, at this point. I made my way to OTR. I climbed it just like I normally do. I didn’t give up any places, the legs felt good. After reaching Route 202, I prepared myself for the Banducci wall. Starting moderate and then settled into a tempo I could sustain. I think I used my 36/32 on the last few hundred yards to the flat section. I wasn’t sure where I was in relation to all the other centurions. I knew it wasn’t going to be a good day for placings, but I did my best to keep that out my mind. The Alpine Forest felt good. The legs responding well. Steady tempo. HR in the 155+BPM most of the way up. I was near limit at the summit. I made my way through the newly paved (gravel) roads, stretching as much as I could, all the way to the Banducci summit. This was the next descent that I favored. Doing my tuck as much as I could, reaching over 40MPH. I hooked up with 2 other riders, took a pull and then followed the wheel of a single rider. We were doing 18+MPH all the way to SS. Much higher than I normally do. The wind was picking up and we had a headwind at this point. We reached the rear entrance to SS and the rider I was following gapped me a bit. I climbed at my own pace and eventually bridged back up. The descent into SS was fun. I put it in a big gear, got up to speed and then tucked. Reaching over 40 MPH. The next stop was in town. There weren’t many people there, with respect to last year. I took a bio, filled bottles with water, and mixed one with Cytomax that I had in my rear pocket. I think I ate another ½ of a Powerbar and then headed out. Next task, Bear Valley. The trip through the farmlands was mostly tempo above 18MPH. I had a tailwind at this point, so drafting wasn’t on my mind. There weren’t that many riders around me in any regard. I was trying to put in my mind what was going to happen next. The back was a bit sore, the legs good but fatigued. I knew I had to get over the 12% gradient shortly after reaching the entrance. I was trying to plan the steps in my mind. I had time to think about it as I was making my way to the entrance. I was doing my best trying not to max out before reaching there. The entrance came and I continued at a diligent pace, holding back a bit. There was a brief steep section before the left hander to the “wall”. I put in my mind to just keep it together and then did my approach. Put it in the smallest gear and tack whenever traffic was clear. Fortunately, this part of the climb was relatively brief. I made my way over it and then headed to the base of Bear Valley. The first mile or so was modestly steep. I was soft pedaling, letting my HR to stabilize and the legs to recover. There was a steep section (where I was to return on) and I tucked as much as I could, I think I reached nearly 47 MPH. The wind was like a wall, but I was stable. No risks. I kept the tempo steady, going around Bear Valley. I knew I needed a match or two, to get out. I made my way to the last major climb. I put in my mind, “do the same thing as last year”. Tack when there was no traffic. It worked like a charm. It actually felt better than the wall, going into Bear Valley. After reaching the summit, I had to make my way through an undulating section. At this point, I was putting in my mind that the last major climb was the CVR ascent. The descent, departing Bear Valley was a treat. Doing my tuck for the majority of it. I made my way to the last climb. The legs were sore, as was my back. So, I stretched a bit, allowed my body to recover and then commenced the ascent doing moderate tempo. I was mostly spent, so I couldn’t charge up it as I would on a “single” ride. Nevertheless, I made my way up and then over the last kicker. I was looking around. There was a guy ahead. And maybe someone from behind. Both 100 yards or so in proximity. I recovered on the false flat, and made my way to Route 202. There were traffic marshals and they allowed me through with no interruption. I made my way to OTR. I was sore, so I had to recover. I was in the drops, most of the way down. At this point, my legs were near max and I could sense the feelings of cramping. So, I eased off just a bit. No need to push into the danger zone with just 10 miles from the finish. I zipped through Mariposa and White Pine. All that was left was the brief climb up Westwood. I let up just a bit. When I got there, I put what I had left into the pedals. Doing good tempo to Red Apple. When I reached Tucker, the light turned red, and I had to wait for a green light. Giving up a minute or two. Immediately after, I put the power down and sped my way to the last few turns. There was another rider that bridged, but I led the remainder of the way. In a few turns, I reached the finish line. When I crossed the finish line, the usual cheers, a chilled towel and then a guy asked if he could “talk” to me. I first asked for a bottle of water, and then he told me that there weren’t enough medals to go around and that the organizers would contact those who didn’t get them. I wasn’t dismayed, I’ll get the medallion next week, likely. I met up with mom and dad, a quick photo, and then we headed to the car and back home.
Concentration was as good as it was going to get. I was tunneling on many occasions. Mostly in the zone and keeping tabs when drifting to far.
Balance and form felt good. Especially out of the saddle. I had a good sense of symmetry and this helped keep my back and legs in check.
Ailments were mitigate-able. Mostly sore legs, hints of cramping that never escalated. Lower back soreness, that never escalated. HR was high, but I was just in my limit, so I was never in danger.
Gear worked flawless, with the exception of the GPS stopping in the first 30 minutes of the race. (I didn’t loose any data after being able to merge the two metrics together). Thanks to Garmin Connect for saving the data before it was lost.

Other notes, not so many yo-yo companions today.