100km of Walnut Creek - Endurance Ride #1

Ever wonder if you have the legs and lungs for some real distance on the dirt? Now is the time to find out. This is the first of a series of 100k rides at local trails. They should occur around once every two months and future rides will be posted with more advance warning than this one was.

For this Walnut Creek 100k ride, it will be an intermediate-level 10+ mile loop repeated six times. This means almost 3,500 feet of climbing and from six(if you are a god) to ten(for most mortals) hours in the saddle.

The route is viewable here:

http://app.strava.com/activities/27897399#501454645

Pay no attention to the times logged as Strava does funny things with long segments

On December 2nd at 1:30pm, I will lead the Ridge Rider's meetup ride on this route for two laps so everyone is familiar. It is a pretty traditional route and was chosen to minimize cross-traffic or head-ons.

This ride is self-supported in that there are no water or feed stations mid-lap, but each lap takes you back to the parking area where you can eat/drink/make repairs/throw-up/etc. If you have to bail during a lap for some reason, but wish to continue the ride after fixing the issue, return back to where you left off and pick up the route again. Feel free to ride in a group if you wish and pool resources.

We are using the honor-system here, so have integrity and do not cut the course. If you cannot finish the distance, just do as many full laps as you can.

SCHEDULE:

Please be ready to ride by 8:30am at which time there will be a review of the route, a safety briefing, and some tips after which we will hit the trail enmasse at or before 9am. I will lead Lap One along the route at an easy pace and after that, you are on your own.

Everyone should have 3-4 laps in by 1:30pm when the Ridge Rider Ride starts and riding with that group is of course an option as long as the route is adhered to.

REQUIRED GEAR:

Helmet, Hydration, and a Mtn-bike in good working order.

You will probably want gloves, some extra gallons of water at your car, snacks, electrolytes, tools, tubes, and the like to keep your bike and yourself going.

OTHER STUFF:

If anyone wants to cook out, pass out snacks or water, or join for a lap or two to encourage the distance riders, feel free.

Feel free to post up comments and questions or email me directly through Meetup.

RIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK!! 100k on knobby tires 100% off-road is a hard day no matter who you are. Know your limits and know when to throw in the towel and watch everyone else suffer to the end. THIS ROUTE INCLUDES ENDO VALLEY. Walk it if you need to as well as other technical sections, but know that after a bunch of miles, things that were easy to clear early in the ride become most difficult and your chances for a crash start to increase exponentially. If you get off to walk, please yield to those who chose to ride that section.

But all that said, this ride is very doable if you are comfortable on your bike, pace yourself carefully, stay hydrated, eat properly during the ride, and have a positive attitude. Even those that seldom ride more than a single lap will find they can finish much of the distance.

Go get some practice in then come out on Dec 9th and give it a go!

I hope to see you there!!

~The Nomad