Rock Cobbler 4.0

The Rock Cobbler in Bakersfield is quickly becoming one of my favorite events and is something I have looked forward to since last February.  It’s more than a typical gravel grinder thanks to the big climbs, challenging downhills, and Bakersfield “scenery” along the side of the trail (ok, trash).  There’s even a lot of single track thrown in for good measure. As if all that was not enough, the promoters do all they can to make the event unique and fun, and are known for throwing a few curve balls at the racers (like making you remove your socks for the last 10 miles for face a time penalty).

Things were not looking good on Friday night.  A solid day of rain left the course covered in mud and the stream crossings deep (and cold).  The promoters took to the course on Saturday to mark it and make any changes to avoid big mud spots.  I don't think they ended up changing too much actually.

Sunday morning was sunny... but chilly.  Ok  Cold.  My truck said 48 degrees when we left, but I decided to not wear too much because I knew it was going to get a lot warmer as the sun rose, and there was going to be a lot of hard efforts to warm me up.  I just had to suffer through the hour long neutral roll out which was mostly in the shade.

This year I wanted to start up with the front group in hopes of avoiding the masses of people going backwards through the pack as others surged forward.  Once the horn sounded we dumped out onto the road and made a big sweeping right to the first climb.  I was where I wanted to be, and my legs felt great!  About half way up I was moving up through the pack and realized I was catching the leaders....  "OK...  Back it down.  There's a long day ahead!"

After a downhill we made a right off the highway and into the dirt for the first time. We were immediately met with 4 long, steep climbs that tested the legs and the limits of my gearing (I'm running a 44 and 11X40 cassette).   The group quickly got strung out and the lead group of 20 or so sped off in the distance.  I dropped back quick as did a bunch of others and we all spread out.  Oh, and I already had sweat dripping on my glasses and was glad I didn't over dress!

The first long downhill was a blast.  It was rocky and rutty and if I looked at it first I probably would considered walking it on the cross bike.  But, I had a few guys to pass and when they hesitated I bombed it and bunny hopped side to side on the trail to avoid some big ruts.

I spent the rest of the time to the next stop pretty much alone and in no mans land.  I ended up running into a buddy at the first stop which was cool because we were able to push each other and keep us honest!  No slacking.

Around mile 30 we turned onto a ranch and started the biggest climbs of the day.  These climbs seemed to go on and on and on.  And they were steep.  I ended up blowing up, got wheel spin on something slick (wet grass or a cow pie) and had to walk a bit of it until I could remount.  I wasn't too embarrassed until my buddy came climbing by heckling me. 

Reaching the top of the hill I was anxious to see the pay off, but I was only greeted with a muddy, slippery goat trail not more than a foot wide that wound all the way down the canyon. Yep....  Time to walk.

The rest of the ride was more of the same:  Climb, fun descent, water crossing, cow pies everywhere, some single track thrown in, a random washing machine in a field (Classic Bakersfield).

Oh wait...  There was the 2 hike a bikes.  Yeah.  2.  The first one was probably the steepest hill I have ever climbed up without a bike, let along carrying/pushing/dragging my muddy mess of a bike with me.  As an added bonus a local cycling club stood at the top, heckling you and throwing beach balls.  I was not happy, but at the top someone handed me a water and grabbed my bike to go fill bottles for me.  There was a DJ blaring music and they had coke, food etc for anyone that came through.

The second one was about 10 minutes later and was mostly rideable but had big rocks that made it almost impossible.  At the top you were greeted with a cardboard cut out of the promoter and a chance to throw darts at the target.  If you hit it:  $50 cash!  Have you ever tried to throw a dart with your HR close to max???  Its harder than you would think!  An added bonus of $100 was given to anyone who rode all the way up.  I don’t know if anyone was successful.

A few short easy climbs later were charged down a narrow single track canyon out to the highway (with ANOTHER hill) and back out the river trail to the finish line and then back to the brewery for the after party.

RELIVE Rock Cobbler

I can't say enough about this event.  It is tough.  Real tough.  But the crew that puts it on makes everything so fun that you can't help but have a good time.  The free food, beer and live music at the after party is just a bonus.

As always, I want to give a special thank you to all the people and companies that make it possible for me to have fun at these races.  I would not be able to make it without their help.

Red Monkey Sports

Fullerton Bikes

Swiftwick Socks

Kenda Tires

Hyper Threads

100 Percent Bike

Cut Fit OC

Wolftooth Components

Baghouse Industrial

Fluid Nutrition

DHD Wear

KMC Chain

No Do Overs: Taking On The Dirty Kanza

For those that don't know, the Dirty Kanza 200 is an unsupported race through the Flint Hills of Kansas, where riders leave Emporia at 6AM on a 200 mile race through two other towns before returning to Emporia. 95% of the race is on gravel roads (most with minimal maintenance) and the only support from teams is allowed in the 3 check points approximately 50 miles apart. Its typically hot and humid and most of the course is the definition of remote.

For some reason this sounded like a fun time after reading all of the stories and blogs from the last few years. Maybe not "fun" in the traditional sense.  More like fun in the challenge of finishing something this insane.  Two friends, John and Phillip, were also stupid enough to think this was a good idea and signed up with me. Phillip wised up and changed his entry to the 100 mile race a few days before the race (there’s always 1 in the group).

Added bonus: At 3 AM on the morning of the race, we were awaken by the thunder as a storm came through town and it poured rain for close to an hour.  When we woke up the sky was clearing and there wasn’t any standing water, so we figured we were good to go. We may have underestimated that slightly.

Granada Theater Sign-  This is the old time theater on Commercial Street in Emporia.  This is where the riders meeting, start and finish 

The view of the start.  We were back alongside the Granada Theater sign. Photo: Dave Leiker

The neutral roll out started right at 6 and we were led the local police down Commercial Street and by a few miles of people cheering everyone on from their front yards. Before long the cars pulled over and a UTV led the riders out onto the dirt and that's when all hell broke loose. I hear a gasp in the crowd and look to see rooster tails of water coming off the back of the Rhino. The entire first straight was under water. What was even more impressive was when the leaders (including Ted King) hit the water all we saw was a massive splash as they were going at a fast pace through the water. All I've heard is how fast the first 10 miles of the Dirty Kanza are, but that day the water slowed everyone down and caused a big bottle neck as most tried to stay on the small patch of road that was above the water.  A couple of us took advantage of this and rode through the water to try to get closer to the front group.

I found this shot on Instagram and this is right after we turned off the highway.  A few of us went to the right and passed a bunch of people through the water.  The first 8 miles consisted of this, mud, or very wet gravel. Photo: way_beyond_the_pale

Rock Cobbler 3.0: It Doesn’t Have To Be Fun To Be A Good Time

I've wanted to do the Rock Cobbler the last few years, but my schedule or other things (I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to suffer) prevented me from making it.  This year I had extra motivation because I figured it would be the perfect shakedown for Dirty Kanza and would give me an idea of where I am fitness and bike set-up wise.  

As the weeks leading up to it ticked off, I have to admit I was a little nervous.  I've been riding a bunch but for all kinds of reasons I haven't been able to string together the long rides needed for an epic day on the bike.  I don't think I've ridden more than 4 hours at a time in almost a year.  I've had a few 3 to 4 hours rides the last few weeks, but didn't know how much I’d have left after the 5-hour mark.

We met at Lengthwise Brewery on Sunday morning for a quick breakfast (mostly bacon) before getting dressed and ready for the riders meeting.  After some funny stories, a speech on safety, and some motivating words about how tough the day would be, the neutral roll out started and led us through town and out a bike path for almost a full hour.  This was the nicest part of the day and lulled me into a bit of a false sense of security as we rolled along, chatted, and didn’t really think about what was ahead.  

Getting ready to roll!

Neutral roll out was led by a scooter for close to an hour.  Credit: Derek Smith

My ride for the day was a mostly stock Niner BSB9 RDO with 46x36 gearing up front and 11 speed 11/32 in the back. I was planning on running some 35C Clement tires, but after a slashed sidewall that week I threw on the stock Schwalbe 33C X-Ones.  I definitely could have used the wider 35's on the many sand sections. 

The pace immediately picked up as the neutral roll out ended and after a short paved climb we headed into the dirt.  At this point I could see the main group on the first dirt climb a few hundred yards ahead and I couldn’t help but stare at the people getting shelled off the back. I made it up the climb on my bike without any issues set my sights on one of the smaller groups now just in front of me.

Derek Smith photo

After a few more tough dirt climbs and fun downhills, we arrived at the first real test of the day:  A very steep and rutted climb.  This climb would be tough to make carrying speed into it, but it was made all the tougher by a few sandy sections just before the bottom that robbed any momentum.  I picked a line, put my head down and pedaled.  I was plugging along ok, and then I looked up and realized I had 2 ruts coming together in front of me and before I knew it I was walking. 

This was the first real test of the day and had a lot of us walking.  

It seemed there was always something happening during the ride.  For example, just after the first SAG stop we were heading up a climb in the middle of a field when I look up and see a herd of cattle charging towards the riders maybe 50 yards in front of me.  It was funny at first, but then they got close with no signs of slowing down.  Right at the point where it looked like things could get ugly, the cattle all stopped, turned around and walked away almost as if they were part of a ride at Disneyland.

You can't argue with scenery like this.  Matt Baffert photo.

The only long sustained climb of the day started around mile 35, and it was a tough one.  I was still with a large group at this point, but it quickly shattered us and before I knew it I was alone.  The first few steep up pitches where rideable, but took their toll, and the final 2 were essentially hike-a-bikes (but not THE hike-a-bike. More on that later). 

This hill was basically a long walk.

I picked up a few riders and shared the work on the long paved road to the second SAG stop.  We were greeted at this stop by a crew asked us all to show them our abs for beads (Mardi Gras theme).  After a quick refill of the bottles and some food to go, I set off to conquer the second half of the course.  The last 30 miles were less intense, but still really challenging and were basically a tour through some of the more interesting parts of the area outside of Bakersfield.  We passed old spas, washing machines, sofas, and my personal favorite, the turn in the middle of a field that was marked by a banner strung between an abandoned microwave and mini-fridge.

The promoters also placed a few hidden treasures on this part of the course.  Notable examples are the Habanero beer hand up, which probably would have been a lot better if my heart rate wasn’t over 160, and the checkpoint where we tossed a rock and if we made it in a bucket we were awarded a 3 minute time bonus (I didn’t come close).

64 miles in I found myself with a group of riders heading up a canyon.  The trail got more and more narrow and steep as we rode and before long we were in a single file death march to the dreaded hike-a-bike I had heard so much about.  Not much can be said other than it sucked.  It was about 500 feet long, and the top 2/3’s was steep enough people were putting their hand on the ground in front of them as they carried their bike up on their back.

Making our way up the canyon.  You can barely make out the checkpoint at the top.

Yeah....  It was that steep.  Derek Smith photo

Reaching the top of this climb was cause for celebration, until we were greeted with another challenge:  10 pushups or face a 5-minute time penalty.  10 pushups may not seem like much, but doing them close to your max HR is harder than it sounds.  Someone told me that it “was all downhill to the finish” as I was handed my checkpoint card and a cold coke, at which point I called her a liar because we still had close to 1K elevation left per the profile.  She laughed and said, “well the hardest climb is done.”  So there was that I guess.

After a few more steep descents and climbs we hit Mr. Toads downhill, which made its way through a narrow canyon with tight high-bermed turns and a few rollers thrown in.  Leaving the canyon I was smiling for the first time since the neutral roll out that morning.  I was happy and relaxed, then I realized I still had 10 miles left and with some more surprises in store.

I’ve had this long standing theory the worst part of every long ride or race is the last 10 miles.  It doesn’t matter if the ride is 75 miles, 100 miles or 150 miles.  No matter how good you feel, how fun the ride has been, the last 10 miles are long and wear on you mentally.  Time stands still.   All of the pain points hurt more.  Fatigue sets in and it just drags on.  This ride was no different.  That last 30 to 40 minutes seemed to take as long as the entire ride before it.

Not content with sending us back out a bike bath to the finish, the promoters sent us winding through various paths, underpasses and river bed crossings that had everything from hard pack, to rocks, to multiple long sections (20 to 50 yards) of deep sand.  This made the last 10 miles suck even more.  I was OVER the sand at this point.  I had my chain and derailleur jam up and had to fix that.  My feet hurt. And I was really hungry.  I was definitely feeling the lack of long distance rides leading up to the Rock Cobbler.

Luckily I had a few people around me to pace myself off of that kept me going.  I think I would have really fallen off if I didn’t have anyone to pace with. (I won’t mention that one was a mountain biker I had trouble keeping with while on the paved bike path).

Obligatory mid-ride selfie.

I ended the day in 55^th with a time of 6:17.53.  Not awesome, but not bad.  I think I could have shaved maybe 10 minutes off easily if I had been able to keep it together more on the ride back in and not chilled out so much for miles 50 to 65.  That being said, I felt good the majority of the day, didn’t cramp, and learned a lot about what to expect for the Dirty Kanza.

The Niner BSB9 worked took everything the Rock Cobbler threw at it.

During the neutral ride back to the Brewery, I found myself contemplating how the Rock Cobbler stacks up in difficulty to other big events I have done (Nosco Ride, Vision Quest, etc.).  The elevation is less than most those rides and it doesn’t reach the mileage of the BWR, but I found the Rock Cobbler to be very intense, especially for the first 50 miles.  The thing about this ride is that there really isn’t anywhere to rest.  Keeping in mind there was 7K climbing spread out over 34 climbs, all but 1 or 2 of which were under 10 minutes, you quickly realize the majority of the climbs are short, but very steep.  There wasn’t a lot of chance all day to sit in, get in a rhythm and tick off miles.

That being said, this was one of the best events I have done.  The course was really challenging and the promoters did a lot to make things safe, interesting, and fun.  Following the ride they had a big party back and Lengthwise Brewery with free food (amazing Mac and Cheese) and beer, and Rock Cobbler aprons for all the finishers. Maybe next year I'll actually train for it.

Over the Hump 6: The Halfway Point

I got a pretty good jump off the line and was around 4th or 5th as we rounded the first turn and dropped to the lower level.  I slowly worked my way past people  and was in the lead as we entered the first climb.  I kept telling myself to go slow and not try to win the race on the first lap, which is something I have not been able to do in the past.   

2 guys went around me on the first climb and I made the decision to just let them go.  Again....  be mellow and don't blow up.  The first guy quickly opened up about a 50 yard lead and 2nd and I settled in to a fairly mellow yet fast pace.  Sure enough, the guy in the lead slowed up and dropped back behind the group by the time we got to long flat straight at the bottom of the hill.   

I worked my way to the front a few turns later and led until the end of the lap when the  "series leader" jersey passed me.  He was "excited" on the bike (moving a lot and wasting energy) and I figured he wouldn't be able to keep that pace the last two laps. I figured it was best to stay mellow, settled in, and followed him on the flat straights through the finish line and all the way to the first climb on lap two.

2 guys attacked right at the bottom of the climb and immediately opened up a good gap.  One of them was Alex who is another Fullerton Bikes rider I have battled with a few times this year.  So now I’m in 4th, but when I looked back I noticed the group of 8 was down to the 4 of us, which took a little pressure off because I knew I could take some chances without losing a bunch of positions if things didn't work out.

I could tell the guy in 3rd (leaders jersey) was hurting and it was killing him to let the leaders get away.  At the same time, I knew he didn't have much left.  So I did what savvy racer would do:  Talked him in to trying to bridge up by saying something like "Hey man!  Don't let them get away.  The race will be over if they have a big gap at the top."  He clicked a gear powered away, but quickly tired and  dropped anchor.  My plan worked and I was back in front of him by the time we crested the top without wasting any energy.

Just after the top, I caught one of my Red Monkey teammates on the downhill to the water. Randy is instantly more bad ass than the rest of us since he exclusively runs Single Speed.  I gave him a shout out as I went by and  then crossed in front of him for the good line on the inside.  Just after the turn I heard Randy yell "Finally a wheel I know!"  He latched on and hung with me for a long time on that lap which was impressive. All I could see was legs SPINNING every time I looked back!

I was still telling myself to "Take it easy. Don't blow up", and I thought that I was, but my HR was creeping up and I know my pace was as well.   Just before the climb on the backside I noticed I was slowly making up ground on the 2 leaders and I knew I would be able to catch them by the start of the third lap.  I also spotted Brent Franze up in the distance, who I assumed crashed because he could probably drop me if he was racing a BMX bike out there (the kid is seriously fast).  As I caught Brent he told me to get on his wheel, and pulled me (with a lot words of "encouragement") up to the two lead guys.  

Before I knew it, we closed the gap and I was happy to see the 2 leaders looked like they were feeling as bad as I was.  I went by Alex to move into second in the tree section before the finish of lap two, then set my sights on the leader.

My plan at this point was to be patient and just wait until the "right time" at the end of the race...  Then I spotted a big group of slower riders ahead of us.  I thought about it for a second and decided to try to swing past him and at the same time cut to the inside of the group and, with any luck, put them between us.  The move worked well, but I may have timed it just a bit too early as he was able to come with me.  I think he got back by me on the climb and I did everything I could to stay right on him (I honestly don't remember!).  I was literally dizzy at the top of the climb and knew I went all out as I hit my highest HR of the year at 191!!

The rest of the race was a bit of a yo yo.... the leader would gap me, then I would dig deep to catch up, then he would either gap me or I would get stuck in traffic.  Either way, I was just never able to make something stick.

And just like that, the 2105 Over the Hump season is half over!!!  I'm looking forward to having the next few Tuesday evenings off, but I'm sure at 6:00 on Tuesday evening I'll be wishing I was sitting on the line waiting for the "5  4  3  2  BEEEEEEEP".

Some Stats:

Max HR: 191

Average HR: 179

4 Fullerton Bikes riders in the Top 10.

Over the Hump Race 5: Settling In

Right around Race 5 is where the Over the Hump Series hits its groove.  The races are being run smooth, people have shuffled their classes, and the regulars start to figure out who their main competition will be for the year.  Race 5 is also where they turn the course back around to run clockwise.  

I lined up on the front row and once again gave the "follow me" look to my buddy Masa just before the start. I got an OK jump after the horn but had a few guys got around me quickly.  Then I heard a few people come together behind me followed by the sound of bikes and people hitting the pavement.   All I could think was "MASA!" and spent the entire race hoping he was not caught up in the mess.  

The lead group was REALLY nervous for some reason and I kept getting shuffled back entering the climb.  There were guys sprinting past and then blowing up 100 yards later.  I tangled bars 3 or 4 times with people, but somehow managed to stay upright and clipped in.  About halfway up the climb everyone had settled in, but there was still people rubbing tires and running into each other.  This was not a normal start for this class!! I crested the top of the climb around 9th or 10th and figured I had more than enough time to figure out how to get to the front.

Then I realized what was ahead of us.....  

The Beginner classes at Over the Hump are great.  They are filled with people who are good riders who have never raced, and new riders that are just trying out this "mountain bike thing".  More than anything the beginner classes are fun and are a great introduction to racing (I should know since I first raced with them in 2011), but more than anything, the beginner classes are big....  Like 40+ riders per class big.   

The Beginners run on a slightly different course than the Sport and Elite riders.  This week they were going to cut out the first climb and I realized we would be merging with them right after their start (before they had a chance to thin out).  I suddenly realized on the long flat straight we were going to make a turn and up a short climb and then get dumped right into a huge class of beginner racers.

Photo by G2 Bikes

I threw my plans to take my time to get to the front out the window and grabbed 2 gears as we turned to head up the short climb, swung wide and passed as many guys as I could.  I don't think anyone realized what was going on and most just let me go.  I was in second by the time we caught the first beginner class and was able to move into the lead as we worked through that pack.

It wasn't long before we started catching the slower Sport 1 and 2 riders as well as the other Beginner classes.  Basically, it was chaos.   For the next two laps, I put my head down, turned the pedals, and passed people.  Lots of people.  I wasn't sure if anyone in my class was with me or who was around mostly because there were so many people.

I was worked as I crossed the line for the final lap and shortly after someone in my class flew by me.  He had a pace I knew I wouldn't be able to hold and, after a quick glance over my shoulder, I figured I would be able to cruise to the finish.   Then on the first climb I glanced back and saw a fellow Fullerton Bikes rider running me down.   He had made up a ton of ground, so I had to ramp the pace back up and charge to keep second place.  I went all out the rest of the lap and ended up second on the night, which I was happy with considering how chaotic the race was.  

Shortly after the finish I ran into Masa and found out he was able to avoid the pile up on the start.