XTERRA Tahoe City Race Report

Now that the sting of a disappointing race has worn off, I’m sharing my race report from XTERRA Tahoe City, which occurred on Saturday June 29^th.

What an incredible venue and well put on race by Big Blue Adventures.  The swim is in a chilly Lake Tahoe (about 60 degrees), the bike is along some beautiful single and double track trails, and the run is quite difficult—about 3 miles up, then 3 miles down.

Lake Tahoe from Tahoe City

I arrived in Lake Tahoe on Thursday afternoon with my two kids after a 9 hour drive.  Our hotel was 200 yards from the start and finish of the race, so it was an ideal location.  The plan was to chill out on Thursday, ride the course on Friday, and race Saturday.  I was pretty familiar with the course since I did the race before.

My pre-ride went well on Friday.  The bike felt incredibly fast and my legs felt strong.  The bike course consisted of a long hill to get up on the mountain and two loops up top, with one short steep hill on each loop.  The short steep hill would be the only place I’d need the small chainring (my bike set up is a Specialized Epic Expert with 2x10 gearing).  I planned on using the big chain ring for the initial long climb up the mountain for a hard and fast effort.  The weather was perfect when I rode—a little warm, but not hot.  I had a great time on the ride and felt that my training was perfect for the course.

Single track on bike course

Double track on bike course

I got back to the hotel and quickly got into my running gear for a quick look at the first steep uphill mile of the course.  It was an exceptionally challenging start of the run, which I really liked.  I only ran 1/3 of the way up the hill so I didn’t burn up too much energy for race day.  What a tough run it would be!

On Friday afternoon, some rain clouds started to appear, which could really have changed the course if they dumped a lot of rain.  Luckily, there was no moisture with that system.  I got the kids some cheap floatable rings, so they had a great time on the water.  Next year, I’ll bring the kayak.

 

I was looking at these storm clouds coming in

The kids were looking at the geese

Race morning arrived with some perfect weather.  I got into the transition area when it opened and got a great spot in some very soggy grass on a baseball field.  My towel was soaking wet and my shoes became drenched from sinking in the mud of the freshly watered turf.  The swim start was about a quarter mile away, so I stopped back at the hotel, got the kids ready, then headed toward the swim start.  I hadn’t been in Lake Tahoe since we arrived, so I did a quick swim before the start.

Race morning swim course

The swim started about 100 yards from the shore because the water was so shallow that the race coordinators didn’t want folks running on submerged rocks for the start.  What a smart move!  The chilly water was actually bearable when we started the race.  It consisted of two laps and then a 100 yard stretch to the shore.

 

Swim start was at that yellow buoy.  Note how shallow.

Getting my swim gear on before the start

I had a pretty good start and found myself at the same pace as about two other racers nearby.  I followed one of them for the remainder of the race, which was probably the longest I’ve ever managed to keep on someone’s feet.  The swim actually went pretty well for me—not great, but not too bad.

 

Swim exit

I left some running shoes at the water’s edge so I could comfortably run the quarter mile to the transition area.  I got into the transition area after a good hustle, passing a lot of other competitors.  Transition went smoothly, I got on my bike and headed out for the course.

About 2 miles of climbing is all I was focused on.  This is the steady hill where I wanted to press hard and gain time.  I felt real strong going up, keeping it in the big chain ring, and passing a lot of competitors.  I’m not sure if they were sprint or the longer distance competitors, but there were both flavors on the bike course.  I got to the top of the hill in pretty good time, feeling strong as I started to descend.  I passed a woman on the downhill after about a half mile of descending and shortly felt something weird.  I got a flat in my rear tire.

I pulled off the course, put my CO2 inflator together and attempted to fill the tire.  The air came out of the hole in the tire almost instantly.  Now I had to beg for air from racers rapidly descending down the hill.  I got a few canisters, but still couldn’t keep air in my tubeless tire.  After four attempts, I ran out of gas and ran out of compassionate competitors descending the hill with extra air.  So I walked up the hill to where the race marshals were directing racers to hopefully hitch a ride down the mountain.  A woman came by and gave me a tube that I struggled to get on my rim and 10 minutes later an older gentleman let me borrow his hand pump.  I got my tire repaired, but I lost about 30 minutes in the process.  Racers who I expected to be riding with were already on their second lap.  Completely dejected and debating whether I should continue with that questionable wheel or ride safely down the hill, I chose the latter and turned in my chip to a guy in the transition area.  I've got more opportunities to compete this year and didn't want to make a bad situation worse.  My kids saw me come in and were more bummed than I was.  I learned some very important lessons on that day, which will last me a long time.  Maybe they’ll help you out too.

 

LESSON #1: Check Stan’s sealant in tubeless tires before each race to ensure it hasn’t dried out.  My Stan’s sealant was partially dried, so there wasn’t enough fluid to plug the hole in the tire.  Regardless of sealant condition, I’ll replace it at least every other month now.

 

LESSON #2: Carry a tube, even though you’re riding tubeless tires.  If the first CO2 canister doesn’t do the job, go immediately to the tube.

 

LESSON #3: Carry two canisters of CO2; one for the first tubeless try, then one for the tube if the first try doesn’t work.

 

LESSON #4: I’m pretty sure I got the puncture while passing a racer—you’re more likely to get a flat when not riding on a beaten path.  I’ll be more careful passing in the future.

 

LESSON #5: Race with a Camel Back.  It will hold tire repair stuff so I don’t need to be so creative in finding a way to securely mount it on my bike.  More importantly, I’ll have convenient access to water at any time I want it.  You can’t drink out of a water bottle while descending because you need two hands on the handlebar.  On steep ascents, the same is true.  XTERRA World Champion Lesley Paterson uses one and so do a number of other XTERRA Pros, so it isn’t a novel idea.  It will be a little warmer with a pack, but if I always train with it, I'll get used to it.

Next for me is XTERRA Snow Valley, CA on July 27^th, then another trip to Tahoe in August to right some wrongs!

Lake Tahoe in the evening