Whiting Ranch Ultimate Time Trial- 21 March 2015

A quick and dirty climb up Dreaded, a little descent, and a climb up Vulture, and drop to the finish... Looks easy!

And, my Dreaded time is only slightly double that of the fast guys... I may go just to watch someone climb Dreaded in under 8 minutes. :shock:

http://nondotadventures.com/home/races/whiting/

 

I will be out there volunteering.....most like at the top of Santiago Ranch Rd climb.

 

8 minutes sounds fast. Is that to the bench?

 

Yes... There were a few sub 8 times by the pros.

I can't fathom moving up that hill that fast.


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I'll be out there slogging up Dreaded. I'm just doing it to do it, not really compete

 

The one and only time I went up Dreaded (and only because I made a wrong turn and by the time I realized it figured I might as well keep going) I clocked a 26:33, I was so proud because I did not stop or put a foot down. There was some serpentine-ing involved tho. :yawn:

 

I just checked the calendar, and I have no parental obligations that day... I may have to give it a try.


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Any time up Dreaded is a success!


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Well, I decided to go out there and give this loop a go for it.

According to STRAVA, I did the 2014 Non-Dot Adventures Whiting Time Trial.

My time? 35m30s! Amazing that people are doing this loop in like 18-19 minutes! So inspiring!

There were a couple spots on Dreaded Hill where I thought, "Maybe riding up this on my second day clipped in pushing 36x40 in my current shape is asking for trouble" (side note: current shape being the best shape i've been in, haha)

Good luck to all those who ride it in a couple weeks! Don't forget to do a nice whip on the little kicker into the finish line!

 

I need to get out there next weekend to pre-ride it. I missed the organized pre-ride

 

I am no good at short races.....hmmmm, I'm no good at ANY races. I hate Dreaded. Therefore I had to sign up.

 

Now that is some impeccable logic right there!

 

Anyone who likes Dreaded Hill has a screw loose... I try to hit it once per month as part of a larger loop, and I seem to like a little pain. It's my own personal fitness test, and I've knocked about 5 minutes off my time in the last year (19+ to 14+). On the way up, however, it's anything but enjoyable, and I have never seen another rider on the hill at the same time- going up or down. Usually I run into 1 or 2 walkers, and they just look at me funny, as I pass them in slow motion. That should be a clue to stay away... You really have to have a "happy place" to get up that climb, especially the bottom 1/3.

The good news is that the surface condition is better now than it was a couple months ago. There were some loose sections near the base that were brutal to climb at those speeds. It was a slow motion train wreck.

 

Good to know on condition. I have only gone up dreaded once in my life, and that was after making a wrong turn years ago as I was getting back into MTB. Will be interesting to see how I do now that I have more experience under my belt. I remember stopping to catch my breath A LOT!

 

Well... How was it????? Exquisitely brutal? Painful? Still climbing?

 

I raced yesterday and had a really good time.

I have done whiting a bunch, but before the previous weekend (pre-ride) I had never done Dreaded. I will continue that in the future I only walked once in the entire race, and it was a "planned" walk. The first really steep section about 2 minutes in, I had planned to walk that because there was a really obvious stone "tower" (pile of rocks) off to the right when it flattens out as my signal to get back on the bike. I figured I didn't want to burn my legs out so early to better pace myself. It ended up working really well.

I did the climb in 15:33, and clocked a 31:38 time for the race. I wasn't as fast as I wanted to be from the top of Dreaded to the bottom of Cactus, but I made decent time (for me) up to Vulture and in the finishing downhill and flats.

I ended up placing 5th in my class (Beginner Men 30-39), and only 8 seconds behind 4th. Sadly, the 1st place guy should have been riding Sport (23 minutes, when 2nd and 3rd clocked 27min). My goal was to beat 33 minutes (given that I did 38min in my pre-ride) so I was really happy with my effort and placement. I'm a middle of the pack rider, so 5 out of 8 (or 4 out of 7 if you discount 23min dude) is good for me.

Needless to say, my Strava ride was packed with PR's (as a good race should do!). <a class="postlink" href="http://www.strava.com/activities/271870984/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.strava.com/activities/271870984/</a>

I hope Aviatrix had equal level of success/personal satisfaction!

 

Props to all that raced.

By the time you all got to me at the top of Santiago Ranch Road....you didn't looked to happy. However, I think my wife got most of you to smile before the crest of the climb. Oh yeah, and more cowbell.

 

Nice job Cougar! And I will echo J's props to all who raced, and those who helped put on the race. :thumbup: :clap:

 

Woo Hoo! Great job! I've said that any time up Dreaded is a success... but the 15 minute range is awesome!


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Damn you all! Now I am going to have to go climb Dreaded just to know first-hand what all the talk is about!!

 

You go have fun with that one....I don't need to know for myself.

Kinda like slamming your finger in the door....you know it hurts....would you do it again on purpose? :lol:

 

To mix the metaphors...I've never slammed my finger in that particular door, so I don't know how much it hurts relative to, say, Grizzly Road, or Coal Canyon, or Eagle Point Drive, etc. So yes, I have to slam my finger in that door.

 

The climb is just under 1 mile in length, and it is all wide fire road. Sometimes, the bottom is loose dirt. The bottom 1/3 reaches a grade of 24% according to Garmin. This is usually the section that determines how well you will do on the total... It's easy to burn out and not have enough for the rest of the climb, which still hits 20% in spots. I think the average grade for the whole climb is 14%+. I usually climb Dreaded, and then roll right into Modjeska Grade. I think of them as 1 climb...

Let me know when you want to try it!


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I'm thinking very soon...Thursday is supposed to be about 93 degrees, but unfortunately I have to work that day. Maybe on Saturday or Sunday next weekend. I'll post here when I know for sure. I have a teenager that rides horses, so nothing is definite this early on. Thanks for the offer!!

 

I can usually sneak out for short rides during the week, normally under 2 hours... Sunday is usually my best bet for longer rides.

 

Nice job to everyone that raced! I was up with the Red Monkey crew cheering people on and was impressed with everyones effort. Good job!

 

It was horrible! Five seconds after Andy says "GO!" Dreaded comes into view from under the trees. I screamed out (literally) "OH MY GOD!!" then put my head down and tried to find my happy place. Molly (the animal) came blasting past me first, then another speedy lady just to put me in my place. The Monkey guys only gave me a suffer score of 2, and I will never forgive them. By the time I got to Crash at the top I think I was seeing stars. I should have had some Baileys in my coffee. I zipped down to 4 corners and on to Cactus feeling pretty good that I was still alive and thinking I was past the worst of it. WRONG! I forgot Vulture was that long.....and that grueling. "Dreaded!" I cried, "I can handle you. This Vulture sh*t is just unfair!" Picked the wrong line and my rear tire spun out. By then I was in full hypoglycemic-blood-sugar-meltdown and had nothing to give to recover so I stepped off and walked the 10 yds or so until the switchback came and I could get back on. I crested that climb and recovered my dignity (wait; what dignity?). Next I recovered my fun. Knowing the trails are closed and you're not gonna come around a blind corner into a hiker is one of the biggest perks of racing this series. I let go and started smiling. Then I smiled some more. I smiled (and maybe chuckled a little) all the way to the finish line and 6th place. By then I was warmed up, so naturally I felt like a million bucks making the climb back to the parking lot. :lol:

HUGE Kudos to the Non Dot Crew for making this one of the most well-run race series. I think I started within 30 sec of my appointed time. It's evident you ladies and gents worked your tails off to put this thing together. I remember a time when I thought we'd never have a race series in our beloved parks. Thank you.

 

This has to be one of the best descriptions ever!

Great job out there!

 

Yeah..... About that. Our scores and cheers turned more to heckling as the day went on. :lol:

But boy did the crew get the wrath of you on the way back down the hill. ha ha ha. That was great.

 

I love heckling. I thrive in heckling. I'm glad you knew I was joking. And yes, that suffer score of 28 I made you guys give me afterward was awesome. BTW: the misty water thing was a good touch. Thanks for cheering me on. I would have been a lot meaner to me if I was you :lol: