Monday, August 9, 2010

MC results mid-day update

- Chad Nelson: 6:09; full sus mountain bike
- Alan Jacobs: 6:09; full sus mountain bike
- Tom McFadden: 6:09; hard tail, mnt bike
- Joe Thomsen: DNF - Liberty Lake; Novara Element CX bike
- Mike and Diane: DNF - Liberty Lake; Novara Randonee (both)
- Mystery Ben: DNF - Liberty Lake; mystery bike
- Glen Copus: DNF - State line; Elephant CX
- Pat Sprute: 9:15; Elephant fat-tired road bike
- Eric Erickson: 9:15; LHT
- Mystery Dan: DNF - Spangle; mystery bike
- Mystery Dennis: DNF - Spangle; mystery bike
- Jake McBurns: 7:40; Voodoo Single Speed 29'er
- Justin Becker: ?; 1983 Specialized Expedition
- Jason Gilman: 8:24; Trek 7500 hybrid
- Mark K: DNF - Saltese and Barker
- Ron D: DNF - Redline Monocog

Unclear on whether the North Division Bike team (NDB) team finshed per route or with a route variation (by cutting out Sands/Bruna climb).
From Joseph:

"Our ride went fairly well, one rider had two flats, and even with the GPS we missed the Sands Rd. turn, and didn't figure it out until we were halfway up the other hill! We were pretty slow, but it was nice to have some daylight out in the Palouse."

With 5 riders, 2 flats, and a back track (assuming you didn't cut the Sands/Bruna climb), completing in 8:29 would be a great accomplishment -- not slow in my book. Can someone on the NDB team verify if you cut out the Sands/Bruna climb -- you would definitely know it if you did it.

- Barry NDB: 8:29; full sus bike
- Jayce NDB: 8:29; CX bike
- Greg NDB: 8:29; CX bike
- Jim NDB: 8:29; CX bike
- Kevin NDB: 8:29; CX bike
- Joe NDB: 8:39; Scott Sub 10 (Alfine hub, 32 mm tires)

Keep corrections coming. This will evolve into the unofficial Results.

Tom: I'm not sure where that "official 2008" map came from. Maybe the fellow that helped me with the MC site did it. But -- the last two years when the MC transitioned to dirt, it's started and ended at the Elk.

Specifically:
From Elk to Cent trial:
- Go east on Pacific, to transition to 1st Ave
- Take 1st Ave all the way through down town and go left on Bernard.
- Go under opera house breezeway to Cent Trail.

From FLT to Finish:
- Go to end of FLT at new trail head on Sunset/Gov't Way.
- Go east on Sunset Ave, over high bridge, to Cannon.
- Left on Cannon, to Elk.

Stuff that needs to get done for next year (anyone? anyone?):
- Create this route on Bikely, or other non-annoying map site that we can link to in MC.com.
- Create a Garmin route (with turns only, not an auto-generated route from a gpx file).
- Create a real cue sheet like Tom did. With real mileage markers and good notes.

I really like Tom's smiley faces. Maybe we can convince him to run out a couple different rip tags for next year at key spots on the route.

8 comments:

Jason Gilman said...

Also that route had the brief off CT section between the CT and Barker because of construction they were doing at the time. It really doesn't make sense to briefly leave the CT there now right?

I thought the downhill start on Riverside plus the tour of Peaceful Valley was kind of cool actually, although as Pat said the hill on Main blows up the group pretty quickly. I definitely think we should go with the finish to the Elk as you described it here. Making participants climb back up Riverside to the finish at the Elk while in keeping with the character of the ride seems excessive.

mechBgon said...

John, I concocted the cue sheet based on the map that MC.com links to (the 2008 variant), which is why it didn't show The Elk as the start/end point. The 2009 route is also great. Next time I tour the MC route, I'll take that route and note down the real-world mileages, then create a cue sheet to reflect that.

Here's another route question: now that there's no need to take the Barker construction detour, should the route just follow the Centennial Trail instead of going up to Montgomery?

In the big picture, the route is defined by the major climbs and the gravel/dirt sections, so anyone who's done any variant has secured their bragging rights :)

Here at the Department Of Smileys, we take our duty seriously, so look forward to more of that next year :) Glad to hear the riders enjoyed them. Sorry we didn't have you out there this year, John, but we'll look forward to your bike-nerd presence next time! :)

John Speare said...

Jason: Yeah: the Barker piece should go away and just follow the Trail.

Tom: your absolutely right: the ride is defined by the length and the climbing and the dirt.

An updated Tom-cue-sheet would rule.

I'll be there next year for sure. This is my favorite ride of the year and a highlight for me. It kills me to think that Jake rode it alone. Erg!

The bar for missing a MC is high. It requires death of an immediate family member or the near equivelant.

mechBgon said...

Oh, and I specifically recall that Kevin from NDBS was on his Surly LHT, LHTs rock :) My own bike was a Specialized Stumpjumper with Continental's Race King Supersonic 2.2" tires, which I also race on; they're light for a 2.2, and roll really easily for a mountain tire.

If anyone wants to mosey around the route this weekend to record waypoints, I'd be up for a ride and could take my mileage notes.

Mike Southworth said...

John, Mike & Diane's Newbie Rider's Report is posted at http://mikesouthworth.tumblr.com/post/928374003/2010-spokane-midnight-century-a-newbie-riders-tale

We had a great time - look forward to finishing next year!

yackrr said...

John, sorry for the confusion (I think my brain just woke up this afternoon). I had a GPS with the GPX from BikeRouteToaster.com loaded on. We followed the route to a Tee: Bruna climb, Dunn Summer Rd, etc. We did make one wrong turn, but even climbing for .5 miles on the wrong road I was able to convince the NDB crew to double back. So yes, we did Bruna. I still don't know how we missed the smiley sign on the gate. I guess we were just excited to find it and I know I was a little nervous about riding Dunn with those slicks!
Also, I finished at the Elk at 8:49 alone, after sending the NBD guys on ahead. I just met those guys that night. I thought it was great that they were all able to start and finish together. I stopped by the shop today and they said they made the Elk at 8:37.

Alan Jacob said...

The results for Tom, Chad, and I are correct but they don't tell the whole story. While we finished as a group, it was Tom who pulled us on nearly every flat, beat us up every hill (with enough time to dismount, make the smiley faces, remount, catch and pass us), and knew the route. I think in total, Chad and I only pulled about 20 miles. So, in fairness, Chad and I should have a little asterisk next to our names, noting that we're wheel suckers.

mechBgon said...

Here's a map I made on a non-annoying site that's been around for a while:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3961299

I'll probably cruise around it tomorrow and take mileage notes for a new cue sheet, and maybe some photos. Note that this version also skips Maringo Drive and just takes Upriver Drive straight to Farr Road instead.