The Grizzly Century
October 3rd, 2009
100 miles/10,000 feet of climbing
To take a look at the output of my garmin GPS (heartrate, pace, elevation, etc.)
paste the line below into the search bar at http://maps.google.com
http://www.robstone.org/gps_data/Grizzly_Century_North_Fork_CA_10-3-2009.kml
Prelude
So while riding the Tour de Tahoe last year, I noticed some pretty cool bear-themed jerseys which were being sported by a few folks with apparent cycling street cred. In talking with them, I came to find out that they were from a ride called The Grizzly Century which took place in North Fork, California and boasted 10,000 feet of climbing over 100 miles. As most people can probably attest, I have very little fashion sense and dressing with flair is of little importance to me (some might argue as they have seen me in my Captain America suit); however, after seeing the jerseys that these guys were wearing, I made it my resolve to do the Grizzly Century the following year, and lay claim to one of the Grizzly jerseys. I convinced my buddy Israel (C-130 pilot in the Coast Guard - this is important later) to sign up for it with me, and together we planned our assault upon the course.
Before the Ride
So a few days before the ride, an earthquake created some tsunamis which ended up causing a bunch of damage to American Samoa. You may be wondering how relevant this is to the travails that awaited me on the Grizzly Century, but basically it forced my partner in crime to abandon the ride as he was called on for humanitarian duty; flying a gazillion pounds of potable water, MREs, and shelter over to American Samoa. It was a dang bummer that he couldn't join me for the ride, but considering the circumstances and the given choice (totally awesome cycling jersey and brutal course or helping one's fellow man with the basic means of survival) I believe the correct choice was made.
With Israel out of the ride, I quickly secured a means of transportation for the 3.5 hour drive down to North Fork, CA; lining up a 50%-off-weekend-special with Enterprise rent a car. Enterprise ended up giving me a Ford Focus (never driven one before in my life) which got decent gas mileage, but was somewhat lacking on space and other amenities. Now I can't say that I live the lap of luxury when it comes to vehicles (as my 2006 Hyundai Elantra with no bells and whistles can attest to), but I must say that I took a serious step back with this vehicle (I normally rent cars for longer trips as I like to travel in style for a day or two). Key deficiencies included: no remote lock/unlock, drivers side only key hole, no running day-lights, and no cruise control. I spent a large portion of the weekend thinking that I was one mistake away from locking myself out of the car and having to call a locksmith...it made me wonder how I ever survived the 80's, 90's, or up to 2006 without key-less entry; it was primitive and barbaric.
After getting the rental car I headed home and started pulling together everything I had packed for my pilgrimmage. I took the wheels off my bike and was able to get it into the back of the car with the back seats pulled down. I packed all of my cold weather cycling gear anticipating cold weather due to the season and elevation, though I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. For sleeping arrangements, I planned to save a little cash by staying at the Putney Ranch Camp (it was recommended on the century website), where they offered screened in community cabins for $10/bed. It was close to the ride start and offered a little extra spice for my adventure, so I decided to go with it. I borrowed a sleeping bag from a buddy (can't remember the last time I slept in one), grabbed my pillow from the house, gave the wife and kids a hug and kiss goodbye, and was on my way to North Fork..."the exact center of California" (I think this is the town slogan, as it is seen on all bumper stickers and license plate holders).
The drive down to North Fork "the exact center of California" was pretty uneventful, I stopped at Arco AM/PM and got a 44oz of Diet Dr. Pepper, cranked some tunes in the car, and enjoyed the agricultural sights along Highway 99. Once I got to the town of Madera (slightly to the south and west of "the exact center of Californa" - don't think that is their slogan), I got off of Highway 99 and headed on back-country roads toward my destination. I started getting into the foothills of the Sierra and enjoyed the granite outcroppings hewn forth from the underbelly of the Earth; I also distinctly recall only getting a few stations on the radio, namely Country, Spanish, and Christian talk radio.
I made it to the North Fork High School where the ride was being staged, and checked in with the event staff. Everyone was very friendly, and I was able to quickly check in and get my ride T-shirt and wrist band. I then went over to the area where they were selling the coveted ride jerseys. I had specifically gone to the ATM and withdrawn $60 for this special purchase, one which had been over a year in the making (this would quickly become the most expensive shirt that I own, followed by my $35 Boy Scout uniform shirt). I gave the girl my $60 and she gave me the XL (I still need to drop a few pounds), and suggested I try it on and make sure it fit. I opened the bag, pausing for a second to take in the significance of the moment. Now while I wasn't 100% sure, primarily because the staging area was humming with activity, but the moment I broke the seal on the jersey's bag I'm pretty certain I heard angels from above, singing hosannas with great acclamation. I quickly pulled the jersey over to make sure it fit (it did), but then took it off and put the Excalibur back in it's sheath (I'm a big believer in not wearing the event T-shirt, jersey, hat, pin, bumper sticker, etc. until you've actually completed the event)...I would have to wait until the next event (Foxy's Fall in a couple of weeks) to unleash this beauty upon the world. I talked to some of the organizers and was able to get directions to the Putney Ranch Camp, where I wanted to get before dark, seeing as the Camp Director suggested I bring a flash light due to not much lighting at the camp.
So without much trouble, I found Putney Ranch Camp and made my way down towards a guy who seemed to be watering the trees with a hose (not really too sure what he was doing). It was Eric (the Camp Director whom I'd exchanged emails), and he welcomed me to the Putney Ranch Camp. He gave me a quick rundown of where the cabin was, as well as where the restrooms were. The whole place was pretty primitive, but the price was right, and it would lend to a "rich experience". Eric also let me know that there would be a campfire around 7:30 if I wanted to head down to the fire pit. I went to the cabin he suggested, and found that I'd be sharing the cabin with another guy who was up from Orange County for the ride. After claiming a bed, I headed back to the car and decided to head into North Fork (the exact center of California) to see if I could find some dinner at one of the 2 restaurants in town. I found the Italian place that had decent sandwiches, so I enjoyed an "Awesome" (that was literally the name of it) sandwich. After dinner I headed back to camp and the fire pit, where I met up with some of the other folks who were staying there. It was actually a lot of fun chatting with the other folks, and I really had a good feeling of kumbaya. At about 9:00 everyone said they were tired and decided to go to bed (I actually cannot remember the last time I went to bed that early). I had a bunch of bizarre dreams, but slept off and on throughout the night, and before I knew it the alarm was going off at 5:30.
Pre-Ride
I packed up my stuff (sleeping bag, pillow, clothes, etc.) and headed back over to the school for the start of the ride. The parking lot was nearly full by the time I got there at 6:15ish, as the local Lion's club was providing a free pancake breakfast for all the riders. After breakfast, I decided to use the little boy's room before the ride; this truly was a little boy's room as I think the sink may have come up to my knees. I went back out to the car, put the wheels on my bike, changed into my totally non-color coordinated cycling clothes, filled up my water bottles, and prepared to get myself underway. It was actually relatively warm, so against my better judgment I decided to simply wear my windbreaker over my bib shorts and cycling jersey. I paid for this a bit later on, but it probably wasn't the end of the world...
The Ride
The first mile or so is down hill, and then there is about 2 miles of rolling flats and hills, and then the climbing starts. This is somewhat not good as there is about 6 miles of significant hills, and then about 4 more miles of climbing before the first rest stop. Within about the first 4 miles of climbing I quickly realized I hadn't done enough stretching as my back was starting to feel a little tight, and I was concerned it was going to seize up on me. I ended up standing out of the saddle a bit more than I normally would, but I wanted be sure I was limber as I knew this was just the first of many hills. Although I was somewhat preoccupied thinking about my back, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful scenery. I snapped off a few pictures as I rode, trying not to topple over the side of the hill and go plummeting to my demise.
The first rest stop was about 13 miles into the ride, and it was staffed with numerous friendly volunteers. I must say that this ride certainly had a lot of good food at each of the rest stops, likely the highlight of it all being sushi at every stop. I'm not normally a fan of sushi, but figured it wouldn't be often that I could actually have sushi on a 100 mile bike ride, so I went in full bore...I may have actually gone a little too full bore with the wasabi on a couple pieces, but I figured you only live once.
After leaving the first rest stop, there was a slight downhill and then a bunch more uphill before the next rest stop. Again, there were many breathtaking views (actually it may have been the climbing that was breathtaking) and I got off the bike to take a few pictures. I did a lot of my riding and picture taking in solitude as Israel was off saving lives in Samoa, and it caused me to reflect that these rides are a lot of fun, but it sure is nice to have company. There were certainly a lot of nice folks along the ride that you chat with in passing, but since you aren't really compelled to wait for them, it is usually just in passing; picture taking is also less problematic with a friend.
The second rest stop was at the Mile High Vista which was, you guessed it, about 5200 feet above sea level. It was a beautiful vista and they had a great spread of food: sandwiches, potatoes, sushi, cookies, fruit, and a bunch more. I grabbed my fill, took a few pictures, did a little stretching (the back was feeling a bit better), and decided to be on my way.
So after the mile high area, I was able to enjoy a decent bit of downhill before the next climb, which as it turns out, was the first of two which would test my resolve as a cyclist and weekend warrior athlete. The climb started off rather innocuous, and after only a few miles of climbing there was another rest stop. I thought it was a little odd, but I decided to stop anyway and make sure that my water bottles were topped off. Basically this rest stop was partially up the hill to the century turn around point (basically if you were going to do the full 100 they had you go out and back on a spur), so I figured it was just a bit higher to the turn around spot. After filling up, I hopped back on the bike and started climbing again. This was a winding mountain road, and there was a nary a patch of down hill for the next 6 or 7 miles. I watched as my speed crept down to 7 or 8 mph and my heart rate climbed to a consistent 165-170 (not anaerobic, but not comfortable). I kept thinking, "I bet the summit is just around that corner", only to be met with more twists and turns which climbed higher into the heavens. About 40 minutes into this climb I started getting a stitch in my side and I began to wonder if my insides were going to rupture out of the incisions (they were scars now) from my appendix removal 6 weeks ago (I seriously doubted that was really going to happen, but my insides felt like they were about to blow up). Finally after an hour+ of climbing I made it to the "turnaround" point and took a break before the downhill that awaited me. I took a couple of pictures, zipped up my windbreaker and made my way back down the hill.
After a harrowing descent (exacerbated by limited sight from the sweat all over my sunglasses) I made it to the right turn where I would begin the final major ascent of the day. They had a water stop set up, so I paused and filled my water bottles and killed a little time by looking at my map. Some of the volunteers said that it was 12 miles to the summit of this climb, and that I should make sure to have full bottles. After hanging out at the water stop for 5 or so minutes, I decided to tackle this last climb of the day and departed.
So this climb didn't start off too bad as I decided to take it slow and not really push it too hard. I seesawed with a few cyclists as this climb started before we settled out into a steady pace. For most of this ride there was virtually no vehicular traffic save the SAG wagons and dirt bike enthusiasts, and this continued as this climb took us up higher onto roads less traveled. This climb did offer a slight downhill about 2-3 miles into it, so that was a welcome relief, albeit a little short. As the climbing picked back up, I was starting to run into body issues (you know breathing, heartbeating, energy, etc.). It was also around this time that there were a couple of pick up trucks pulled over to the side of the road with some "back-woods" type individuals doing something (in reality I have no idea what), but they did kind of pause as I and the other cyclist road by. All that I did notice was that one of the guys was looking at me a little funny and he had a ginormous stars-and-bars confederate flag belt buckle around his waist. While my ears may have deceived me, I thought I heard Dueling Banjos coming from the inside of the truck and all I could think of was some nightmare out of the movie Deliverance; in reality these guys may have simply been intrigued by these spandex clad foreigners. Anyway, I continued to push it up the mountain, and was quickly running out of steam. I didn't necessarily want to take a break before I reached the summit, but I soon realized it was becoming a necessity. I finally gave in, and paused at one point, pulling over to the side of the road and eating my piece of humble pie. To save face I pulled out my cell phone and pretended that I was responding to some urgent piece of news that required my immediate attention, but I knew in the depths of my soul that it was simply a facade. It was also around this time that I heard the rumble of vehicles coming from the curves behind me, and I turned to find the two pick up trucks coming up the road toward me. My confederate friend was looking out the window with a look on his face that spoke volumes of bumper-sticker jargon (i.e. Lee May Have Surrendered, But I Didn't! or The South will Rise Again! or The Only Good Yankee is a Dead Yankee!). They drove on by (in reality I never felt threatened), and simply added to my rich Grizzly experience. After taking my fake cell phone break, I got back in the saddle and continued my climb to the Cold Springs Summit at 7308 feet. It was a welcome sight as I knew that the major climbing for the day was over, and I had a nice 12 mile descent to Bass Lake and then an easy rolling 18 miles back to the school at North Fork (the exact center of California).
After getting some grub at the rest stop at Cold Springs Summit, I zipped up my windbreaker and started my descent. For the first few miles I was freezing cold, literally shivering as I descended, though the air got warmer the lower I got, and pretty soon I was feeling good. The 12 mile descent took about 20 minutes and it was a blast, lots of winding curves and high speeds. At the bottom of the hill we began our ride around Bass Lake on roads that were a bit more rough and populated. I was feeling quite good at this point (hard to believe I was hurting so bad not long before), and was cranking pretty good most of the way back to the exact center of California. There was one more rest stop that I stopped at more as an afterthought, but was glad that I did as there were some senior folks managing the stop and were fun to talk with. After that stop, I cranked back to the school, with the truly final hill being the brutal half mile long driveway up to the parking lot. Once I got back to the parking lot, I broke my bike down, got it into the car, and went into the school to check in with the organizers and get my dinner ticket.
Post Ride
On the way down to the post ride dinner I took a look in the rear-view mirror and saw all the salt caked all over my face. I considered heading back over to the Putney Ranch to take a shower before the meal and before the ride home, but I missed the kids and missus so I decided to pound the dinner and drive home wallowing about in my own filth and stench. The post ride dinner was quite tasty, tri-tip steak, chicken, ribs, corn, salad, and rolls all hit the spot rather nicely. Shortly after eating I got back on the road and pointed my ship away from the exact center of California. I made my way back to Highway 99 and headed north to Sacramento. Early into the drive I had a hankering for a tasty 44 ounces of Diet Dr. Pepper, so I decided to keep my eyes peeled for an Arco AM/PM (these are the only places where I can consistently count on Diet Dr. Pepper to be in the fountain drinks). After what seemed like hours, I finally saw one in the distance so I pulled off at what seemed like a logical exit and made my way over to it. It ends up that out of the 24 different fountain drinks that they offer there was only one "out of order"; just my luck...I ended up with Diet Coke and continued on my way. I stopped by Israel's on the way home as he had just come back from Hawaii and Samoa and he had gotten a big/fresh pineapple for our family. I dropped off the event shirts that I'd picked up for him, and then made my way home to my wife and 3 sleeping kids.
All in all it was a great time. It was a tough course with all the climbing, but I thought it was a very well supported ride with great volunteers and great food. I'd highly recommend it!
The Jersey and the Route/Elevation Map
3590
