6 2010 Highlander Highathlon

Bike Ride : 130 miles
10,000 Ft of climbing
Ride Time : 10 hours
Day : Saturday, 11 Sept
Location : Finger Lakes, NY

Run Distance : Full Marathon
Time : 4:20 hours
Day : Sunday, 12 Sept
Location : Rochester NY




I have been away for more than a week or so from this blog mainly because of my preparation for this event, what they call a Highathlon. I did it!! Now I'm recovering from some kind of over-training symptom but I'm okay. The above video is a satellite flyby of my weekend adventure, easily one of the toughest things I ever had to do in life so far.

The bike ride is one of the most challenging in the country and few people have even heard about it. This year, the folks with the Highlander Cycle Tour team aptly called the marquee ride "Death Before Dismount", a double metric featuring over 10,000 feet of total climbing. The name is bit striking - it was perhaps telling the riders that if they were crazy enough to even think of doing something like this, they'd rather jump down a cliff and expire themselves than shamefully dismount the bike while attempting to traverse the sick inclines of the route. Was it in any fashion supposed to carry a reminder to ideals of the medieval Japanese Samurai? I don't know...

I have already mentioned last year why it manages to match (or even exceed) the difficulty of the Triple Bypass ride in Colorado. The ride features short, nasty, steep hills one after the other, all of them mostly in the range of 8-13% grade, like one giant rolling route on asphalt enhancing steroids. You are challenged constantly in finding a suitable gear and a rhythm to climb, unlike long climbs that take 20 or more minutes to complete where you can settle down at some point into a zone.

But on a full plate of luscious pain, you are served a side of some of the most beautiful views of the Finger Lakes area that you may ever see as you climb over 15 climbs in the region and visit both Canandaigua Lake and the oddly shaped Keuka Lake.

For the people who didn't think this ride was enough challenge, 10 or so folks including me ran the full marathon the very next day in Rochester. This was what they call the Highathlon.

Last year during the Highlander Century, I had painful seizures in my lower back and something slapped me in the face making me realize why its so important to build core strength to do an extreme event like this. This year, my core had no problem but I was suffering from cramps on the inside of the thighs during the last 30 miles. Some of the initial climbs were on newly chip-sealed roads so it was near to impossible to stand and pedal because of loss of traction.

At mile 90, the organizers wonderfully planted two asphalt walls before you - the initial sections of Skyline Rd followed by the infamous Yoder Hill - a climb that stands so naked and steep before you that it plays games with your mind. Most people who attempted the ride said this was the climb that took them out. Both roads are in the range of 10-12% average grade and its not unlikely to see a 18% or a 20% step here and there.

As the route unraveled itself over that day, we were constantly asking when this ordeal would be over but the roads near to the end at mile 110 were not easy either. Cold and tired, we found ourselves snailing across the last portions of 6 and 7% grades until we were back in Bristol Mountain after 10+ hours of ride time for a hearty meal and a chance to share an adventure with others who were just as tired as you were.

But in an event like this, its always the marathon that roundhouse kicks you straight in the face.

I woke up the next morning with 5-6 hours of sleep and choke full of Adrenaline with a capital A and started out the first 10 miles with 800 other people at a pace that I couldn't sustain for the complete run. 7:50 mile pace crashed down to 9 or 10 mile pace after mile 13 and all I wanted to do after then was just finish. The route was by no means flat and there were inclines along the historic East Ave as we passed sights like George Eastman House. Then there was a 2 or 3 mile section of Erie Canal trailway that featured nothing but gravel and the wretched stones didn't do good to my feet.

I guess pushing yourself like this doesn't come without some "gifts". :)

Hence, I ran my first marathon with painful blisters and a searing pain in both toes of my feet. Later, when I sprinted past the line at mile 26.2 in downtown Rochester at the Frontier Stadium, and crashed into the grass near me, I inspected my feet to find two nice black toenails on both feet. I limped over and got minimal medical attention just to make sure I wasn't going to lose my damn toes!

It was all going to be okay, said a medical staff. "Don't apply much pressure to the feet for a week, a new nail with grow and the old one will fall off." Me and a buddy who did the marathon together walked 1 mile back to his apartment with some shining medals around our necks. What a weekend!

Will I do it next year? If I have the time, you bet.

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7 Tour of the Highlands : Part 2

140 Miles  
8000 Ft Climbing  
10 hours saddle time

In two weeks time is yet another edition of one of the toughest rides in the country - the "Highlander Death Before Dismount" Double Metric. 125 miles long in the beautiful Finger Lakes region, with over 10,000 feet of climbing in 16 major climbs, it will surely challenge any rider.

Preparation and judgment are keys to riding an extreme event like this. My own preparation has so far been limited to perhaps half the roads in DB4D, on the western side of the map. Following is a look at some of the roads I had managed to survey yesterday.  Let this be a sequel to my exploration last year of the same area.

It was a difficult day on the bike - all alone, with temperatures in its 90's. But the sunlit landscapes I passed on the bike managed to neutralize the heat. Overall, it turned out to be an extremely pleasant experience for both sight and smell and sounds. One of the highlights of the day was that I managed to talk to a young Amish country guy, whom I asked for directions after I overshot one of the roads I was required to take by 5 miles. He had the most pleasant smile on his face as he stacked stock for his animals into a tractor. He also carried this peculiar accent, something almost out of this world.  It was like he came straight out of these classic movies you see...

Enjoy these pics, all of them taken from the bike - an artform I call ciclofotografics! Do come ride in the Finger Lakes area! Its a bit different, I can tell you that much.

Route 96

High Street

Town of Victor, NY

Route 444 to village of Bloomsfield

 Route 64 to Bristol Springs

 

Montanye Road

Descent on Deuel Road to western side of Lake Canandaigua, fourth largest of the Finger Lakes

Seneca Point Road to Bopple Hill

Bopple Hill Road - 1 mile at 11% average gradient (will be chip-sealed on Monday 30th August)

The familiar cemetery greets you at the peak

View to the eastern side of the Lake

Bills Road to Stid Hill , 1 mile at 13.4% grade

Summit of Stid Hill in Ontario NY at 2100 feet

West Gannett Hill Road - 1.35 miles at 11% grade

Clement Road

Gulick Road

Highlander Staff member Ken lays down the road signs for the event in 2 weeks. He has traveled many places in the world and was an interesting man to talk to! He offered me a bottle of gatorade or something like that from his car and wish me a good journey.

Eelpot Road

Strong Hill to Blodgett Road

Mattoon Road, after Route 53

An Amish lady is busy with her work at the farm

Descent into the rural town of Prattsburgh, NY

This ends the Highlander route. I catch a diversion - Italy Hill Road heading north.

I pass the towns of Italy and Rushville NY

Descent along Co. Rd 1 onto the eastern side of Lake Canandaigua

This is definitely a first, having explored both the eastern and western sides of the Lake

Leaving the town of Canandaigua

Homebound on the 332

Homebound on the local bike path in Rochester. It is dusk here. This ends 10 hours of cycling.

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14 The Highlander Cycle Tour

Distance : 105 miles (170km)
Total Vertical Climbing : 10,000 feet+ (3050 m)
Weather : 54 Deg F, Foggy With Rain (13 deg C)
Ride Time : 8 Hours


In between these days thinking about bicycle dynamics and other personal affairs, I managed to pull myself together and ride the one and only Highlander Century on September 12.

The organizers of the Tour call it the King of the East, desiring to put it close to strenuous rides in the U.S such as the Triple Bypass in Colorado (120 miles, 11,140 ft climbing) and California's Death Ride (129 miles, 15000 ft climbing).

Held in the stunning region of the Finger Lakes (NY's answer to the Napa Valley in CA), the riders who participate in this marquee event of the weekend visit 5 beautiful lakes and climb all the hills separating them. Featuring more than 10,000 feet of total climbing in 18 separate climbs, 40% of these climbs are 1-2 miles long with grades ranging between 9-23%. Fabled climbs such as "Le Grand Egypt", "Mont. Ste. Millers", the now legendary steeps (23% grade) of Le Alpe de Bopple and the Col de Gannett, are all Highlander staples.

The following is a 15 min Google Earth video essay of the 2009 Highlander route that I prepared for you, with relevant details of aid stations, climbs and regions visited. The music captures the drama and difficulty of this ride, yet it does look much easier from the sky. Note that you can view the same on Youtube, broken in two parts, and in slightly higher quality. See : Part 1 and Part 2.

The Highlander Century : A Google Earth Essay from Ron George on Vimeo.

The route for this year had lots of character in both paved and graveled roads. The weather imposed a necessity of fine bike handling skills while using the gravel paths. The cold was constant and the foggy, rain mist was periodic and made for reduced sight. Sweat saturated the helmet lining and emulsified with rain making it slightly more harder on sight. Multiple flats had us stopping many times to change tubes in wet weather. I mean, there really is no way to keep these variables at bay.

6 aid stations keep you loaded with well-needed food and liquid supplies. Its also a time for conversations about routes and cramps and hills gone and hills to come. The psychological factor can grab your head like a scorpion if you're a newcomer here. Sometimes, its better to stop listening to people's conversations.

The ride was a great test of fitness and challenge to me. Instead of talking about myself, I would like to say a few things to those who are willing to face challenging rides such as these :

1) Carry extra food that you are familiar with. You don't get too many electrolytes at the aid stations so have something of that nature with you. I gave up on crappy race gels long ago. For relentless periodic climbing, I take glucose tablets.

2) Find a friendly group beforehand to ride your tour with. Maintain a sense of humor through challenges. This is hard as it is already. And always lend a helping hand to someone stuck out on the road in the middle of nowhere with equipment issues.

3) Come prepared to ride by having lots of miles in the legs. If you don't have time to train, the least you can do is practice plenty of hill repeats. I rode 4 centuries in the summer for fun and did rake some serious mileage and climbing in the Green Mountains of Vermont earlier this year.

4) Pay close attention to your core strength and conditioning before attempting a ride such as this. In a ride that features 10,000+ feet of climbing, you'll quickly come to realize why you climb only partly with the legs. Most of your power comes from the torso, especially the lower back. Weak muscles in this region can seize up pretty quickly and your experience climbing relentless hills will be extremely painful. If something of this nature does pop up, get off the bike and stretch.

5) Never, ever attack hills if you don't know what you're doing. Give them the respect they desire, or they'll topple you upside down. Its like dealing with a black mamba. Breathe from the belly and stay relaxed on the bike. This isn't a race.

6) On steep roads of more than 20% grade such as Bopple, its more energy efficient, but slower to cut across the hill in a zigzag path. If you can't do that either, its better to walk but do that knowing its hard to gain momentum to climb back on the bike again.


Here are some few pictures I captured from aboard my Colnago C40. I hope you like them, although they don't do much justice to the understanding of this ride. Enjoy and do ask questions if you have any!

Come ride this beast and be a Highlander! Are you game?

Rollout from start at 8am

Gannett Hill

Gravelled road

Aid station 1

Aid station 2

Pinewood

Gullick to Mosher Hill

Egypt Valley

Bristol

Lake Canandaigua

Final climb up Bopple Hill

Jubilous Highlanders at the finish after dinner (me in the center in white)

ADDITIONAL READING :

Highlander Cycle Tour Official Website
Tour of The Highlands (more on Bopple & Mosher Hills)
Democrat&Chronicle : Highland Cycle Tour has been drawing cyclists to Ontario County hills for 10 years (Sept 10,2009)
Visit Finger Lakes NY

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