 |
| 08-11-02 |
The trails around Hurkey Creek make up the
24 Hours of Adrenalin
race course. Since 40% of my 5 person race team had not ridden or raced there
before, those of us who have ridden there decided it would be good to pre-ride
the course and show them around. We got an early start (from San Diego anyway)
and got to the Hurkey Creek Campground around 8:40. We were meeting two other
people who had spent the weekend camping, in Idyllwild though not at Hurkey
Creek, and they were expected around 9:00
We got ready and the other people showed up right on time. We knew it was
getting warm, though it didn't seem too hot just yet. Because one of the riders
isn't too fast, we were fully prepared to take our time and regroup at the top
of the climbs. This suited me just fine because I knew it was only going to get
hotter as the day wore on and I wasn't feeling particularly fast this day
anyway.
We knew from the last two years that the race course was roughly 10 miles and
was broken up by three distinct climbs and three distinct descents. We didn't
have any reason to believe that the course would be any different this year
although somebody we met along the trail said they were adding a 2 mile section
about mid-way through the course. We didn't explore and I couldn't find any
reference to an addition on the adrenaline website but maybe they are adding a
section. Either way I won't complain. The course is fun now so an addition
should only make it even better.
The race course treats you to a wonderful 2.5 mile climb right off the start.
This is the climb that I just hate during the race but I know that once it's
over the remaining climbs are shorter. This climb starts off gradual enough but
it starts to get rockier and more technical as you get towards the top. To
further enhance the climb, it also gets steeper as you approach the summit.
Cresting the hill you are treated to a fantastic tight single-track downhill
that winds in and around the Pine trees and high desert scrub. There are a few
sections of the trail that have been eroded by braking bumps but for the most
part this section is nice and fast. There are two large dips (each about 8 feet
deep) where you instinctively want to slow down as you drop into them but if you
carry speed you will just coast right up the other side and be on your way
without losing any speed. There are a couple of turns that can sneak up on you
if you approach them with too much speed, and there are some sandy sections to
be careful for but overall this downhill is a real treat after the climbing you
just did.
At the bottom of the downhill you enter a wonderful grassy meadow with fantastic
mountain views on your left side. I was honored with the sunrise lap last year
and it was in that meadow that the purple glow of the rising sun first hit the
granite in the hills truly making them the purple mountains majesty. It was
just a beautiful sight. This grassy meadow doesn't seem like a hard place to
ride but it's slightly uphill, the terrain is soft and sandy, and every single
time we've ridden there (two races and two pre-rides) there was a nasty headwind
coming down the valley. These factors all combined to make you work
exceptionally hard and when you look at your speedometer you realize you are
only going 8 miles per hour! The grassy meadow gives way to a short steep climb
out of the valley up to a short fireroad climb.
The fireroad gives way to a wonderful downhill that twists and turns its way
down the hill. This section of trail is pretty smooth but there are a few trees
and some random ruts that can grab you if you aren't careful. At the bottom of
this downhill you climb a short hill and then have a very fast fireroad
downhill. You can just get going super fast down this downhill but at the end
of the fireroad is an immediate 90 degree left turn so if you're going too fast
you will blow the turn.
This turn leads you to the third climb of the ride. This is a fairly short
climb, but it's pretty steep and pretty technical. It definitely gets worse
with each successive lap but when you crest this hill you are almost done with
all the climbing of the course. You suffer up this climb and then hit some more
twisty and fast single-track. The single-track winds it's way through the trees
to the base of the dreaded hike-a-bike. The hike isn't too long, and it's a
fairly easy climb but after exerting yourself for all the other climbs this hike
pretty much sucks during the race. After you crest the top, hop back on the
bike for the most technical of the descents on the course.
This downhill isn't too steep, but it's loose and littered with ruts and sand
pockets. At the bottom you sort of weave your way in and out of the trees and
go around a lot of rocks that others use as launching pads. The downhill gives
way to some flat single-track which then gives way to a short stint on a paved
road. You turn off the paved road as you ride around the camp but you aren't
done yet. The bastards who make the course feel they need to break your will
just as you think you're finished. There's one very short but very steep climb
left followed by a quick descent before you can truly head towards the finish
line. The climb itself isn't that hard, but after all you've already done it's
just rude to make you do it!
At any rate, the laps are fun and fairly fast given the terrain. We stopped for
a bite to eat at the car and headed out for another lap. I hadn't felt
particularly great all day and it only got worse on the opening climb of the
second lap. I was slow but I just told myself to take it easy and I'd get there
eventually. At the top we stopped to rest and I got a case of the shakes
going. Since somebody said that was a sign of heat stroke and/or exhaustion we
decided to call it a day since everybody else was feeling the effects of the
heat too. We cooled off at a water faucet at the camp and headed back to the
car. AT the car, the temperature sensor was registering 109! We figure the
sensor was off by a couple of degrees and it was really in the neighborhood of
104 but that's still do freaking hot to be out riding!
All in all it was still a great day and I'm looking forward to the race next
month.