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.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment