Steve Schmidt's story about his Trona 308

The Trona 308 goes from Santa Clarita to Trona via Rosamond, California City, and Johannesburg, then back (time check points in each of those cities in both directions.)  It is the same roads as the first two stages of the Furnace Creek 508.  There is a bit over 20,000 feet of climbing.  There is a 30-hour time limit for solo racers and 27 hours for relay teams (2 or 4 person.)  My target was 24 hours in good conditions.  We did NOT have that…

This was my first endurance race as a solo racer.  I did 4-person Furnace Creek 508 in Oct  2012 and 2-person Trona 353 (shortened FC 508 due to the govt shutdown) in Oct 2013.  And my longest ride to this point was a double century last fall (my only double to this day.)  So, a bit of trepidation, but I trusted the training plan, the work I had put in, and the guidance of my Coach, Mike Wilson.

The entire time my crew (Ellen Ward and Doug Wiederholt) was awesome…ensuring I was fed, hydrated, taking salt, cool/warm as conditions warranted, and safe.  As you may know winds can be quite high in that area (there are windmills after all.)  And there were brutal head/cross-winds on the return from Trona (the turnaround point.)   I made it to Trona in 10.5 hours, but knew the strong winds and fatigue would make the 24 hour goal a difficult one at best.  It was so bad at times I even unclipped one foot during some gusty side winds…scary.  And on the 10-miles climb along Oak Creek Rd (gets you back to Tehachapi-Willow Springs Rd for a long descent to Rosamond) the gusts were so bad I stopped when I needed a drink(!)  And temps were high during the day, reaching over 100F.  Hell, it was 80F at 8am at the top of San Francisquito Cyn.  So, in a nutshell it was tough!

On the return I made it to the Rosamond Blvd crossing at 3:38am (the final time check, #7, before the finish.)  We stayed a few minutes to rest up, grab a bite, and take off some clothing having just done a fast, cold descent.  So I had about 2hr 45 min to meet my 24 hr goal.  It had taken me 2hr 54 minutes to get there from Santa Clarita on the first leg of the race, so maybe…

Well, Coach Wilson prepared me better than I thought possible.  My legs never gave out.  Never even felt like I might cramp.  Sure power went down (a lot), but I was confident they would not let me down so I was still doing some standing on the last climb after Rosamond (3mi and 1k ft) and the one near the top of San Francisquito Canyon (1.4mi and 400 ft) and was powering over the rollers on San Francisquito Canyon on the final run back into Santa Clarita.  I was in the aerobars and pushing hard down the canyon descent.  Once out of the canyon (3.7 miles to the finish and 14 minutes to go) Doug was masterful getting to the traffic lights ahead of me to trip them to green.  For the 3.7 miles from the traffic light at the end of SF Cyn to the finish line hotel I averaged 21.1 mph with no stops for me.  We finished in 23hr 55min.  Goal achieved!

Then there was my night-time get-off when the shoulder on California City Blvd suddenly turned from pavement to sand just west of the 14.  A little scuff on the left knee and elbow and a small raspberry on the left hip was the result….and a bruised ego.  Oh, well. 

Many more short stories to tell! 

I came in first of four in my class (male, solo, 50+.)  Not a “deep” field, as it were, but I’ll take it! 

Want to Improve Your Racing Skills? Try the Track!

Cyclo-Vet Member Bill Zegeler on his way to a national match sprint championship

by Lou Brooks

Whether you’re a time trialer, road racer, criterium specialist, or just riding for fun and fitness, learning to ride a track bike on the velodrome will improve your skills and speed.  You don’t need to own a track bike to try this.  The San Diego Velodrome Association (SDVA) has bikes and classes for beginning or new riders to the track.  Contact the San Diego Velodrome for more information. http://sdvelodrome.com/

If you decide you enjoy riding on the track and want to continue to improve your skills, there are a number of ways to go.  SDVA may offer continued classes at the next level, or you may want to hire your own coach.  There are a number of very excellent track coaches available in the area to choose from.  Eddie B., John Ledford and Sean Burke are all associated with the SDVA and are very active.

Here are the reasons for spending some time on the track.  It will make you a better, more efficient, and faster rider.  Riding a track bike with a fixed gear will teach you to pedal in circles, improving your efficiency, which translates to more power with less effort. It also helps your riding skills.  Because you have no brakes, you must adjust your speed using pedal pressure either to increase or decrease your speed.  You will need to learn this skill to ride in a pace line and maintain proper distance between bikes.  There are also advantages to riding on a banked oval track.  Because it is a closed circuit, there are fewer distractions to worry about (cars, kids, dogs, traffic lights, etc.).  As you learn to use the banking by moving up and down to decrease or increase your speed or change your position, you will gain confidence in your bike handling skills.

Sprinting is another skill that track training will improve. You can do repetitive jumps starting from a slow roll to top speed in a short distance both in and out of the saddle. You can also do standing starts (need holder) and go all out for a half lap. These will improve your ability to close gaps in the field when racing or just catch up to a friend when riding.

Top speed is another thing that can be improved at the track.  Motor pacing is a great way to do this and is safer and more easily controlled on the track.  Of course you need an experienced person on the motor to help with that. The motorcycle we use has a roller attached to the rear of the motorcycle and when your front wheel touches, it just spins. What a blast at 35+ mph!

Our club is a member of the Velodrome Association that allows our members a reduced membership fee on the velodrome.  That gives you access to use the facility at appropriate times.  We have some experienced track riders in Cyclo-Vets, who will be glad to give you information that would be helpful.   These include Vic Copeland, Bill Ziegler, Lou Brooks, Ray La Fleur, Bob Kenner, and Gary Devoss, who has recently joined Eddie’s group at the track to improve his sprint.

I started riding at the track in the late 70s. Time trials were my only previous experience.  I enjoyed the track and started out training with different groups and racing on Friday nights.  I could see right away that my skills were quickly improving.   At that time they had a Masters class on racing nights and I joined in on all of the events.  I had the good fortune to be coached by some really great riders, Gary Shutes, Dave Grylls, and a few others whose names escape me.  I have had periods of inactivity with racing and training and getting back in shape isn’t easy, but getting back on the track has always helped.  It is one of those things that once you learn, you don’t forget and it carries over to other events.  In my case, it has helped me win a couple of state criterium championships.

There are many different types of training we can do to improve our cycling skills and the track is only one of them, but I would highly recommend you give it a try.

Fiesta Island Time Trial - Cyclo-Vets Medal

Cyclo-Vets ITT Racers Took 4 Medals @ Fiesta Island Today!

Pictured (L to R): Mike Holcomb, Lan Tran (Silver), Steve Turner, Leslie Mendez (Gold - new PR of 30:37!), Richard Hasse (Silver), Leon Sowers (Gold)