Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge...10,800 feet of climbing and 100.5 miles!

Kenny giving the big NUMBER 1!

We're here to ride!

I'll keep this one short but it was a great to ride this past weekend with Team SA. What made this ride extra special was the opportunity to ride with my friend Ken Emerson as this was his first major ride following heart surgery just 9 weeks ago (yes, that's "9" weeks)! Ken was incredibly strong and by no means did the group need to slow the pace...although he did ride his geared bike this year as opposed to his preferred choice of a fixie.

I felt I rode strong this year beating last years time on the famed Jamison Creek Time Trial (by a couple of mins but the final results have not yet been posted) and kept a lower cadence from the start all the way up the 2.9 mile course that had an AVG Grade of 9.7%! My Garmin reported a whopping 23 PRs (Personal Records) over the multiple climbs that totaled 10,800 ft in 100.5 miles.

Bursley off the front leading the
breakaway up the first climb
under Police escort

This was a great ride...Steve, Ken, Virginia, and Lane, thanks for letting me hang with the competition for this event.

I proudly wore my Team WIld Hare jersey sporting the #10 that represents the 10 MILLION children and adults around the world that launch their attack on Primary Immunodeficiency diseases every day!

Just 67 days left till we battle it out in the desert at the Furnace Creek 508 with some of the fastest and strongest ultra cyclists from around the world with this year's roster including someone from the Pro Peloton who has raced in the Tour de France!

Enjoy the ride and NEVER FORGET THE CAUSE!

-Steve

We'll share more details on our 2012 plans soon!

While I am extremely disappointed to share that other unanticipated challenges will not allow us to drive the onetoughride fund-raising project for 2012, I will race as a part of a 2-man team in the 2012 Furnace Creek 508 this fall to continue to raise awareness for the 10 MILLION children and adults that around the world who live with Primary Immunodeficiency diseases. The DONATE NOW link on the right side of this page will continue to remain active throughout this cycling season.

Please check back for additional updates during the 2012 season and thanks to all of you that have supported the onetoughride project that has generated more $15,000 in donations during the past two seasons which has resulted in a total of more than $30,000 going to the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

one tough ride 2011, a strong finish!

2011 Furnace Creek 508 Finish: (L-R) Bursley, Melville,
Chris Kostman  (Race Director)

2011 Furnace Creek 508, Stage 1 neutral start
Bursley (RT w/"10")

Meals for Wheels Ride, Wild Hare U12 Team:
(L-R) Nicholas, Steve, Spencer

Meals for Wheels Ride, Wild Hare U12 Team:
(L-R) Spencer, Nicholas, Steve (team domestique)

one tough ride 2011 VIPs, Nicholas and Dr. David Lewis

It’s been a great season and this post will include a full recap of the 2011 Furnace Creek 508 as well as our last event for the 2011 Season which was the Wheels for Meals ride that I completed with Nicholas and his best friend Spencer whom I have dubbed the “Wild Hare U12 Development Team”.  This is a fairly long post so grab your favorite beverage and sit back and we'll recount the race stage by stage through to the finish!

The Furnace Creek 508 is an awesome experience in not only testing one’s mental and physical limits but also as a cycling odyssey that can really only be understood if you have done it.  In 2011, I had the pleasure of teaming up with Mike Melville as a two-man relay team as Team Wild Hare.

Mike took the even stages (2, 4, 6, 8) and I took the odd stages (1, 3, 5, 7) which would be completely new to me having ridden stages 4 and 8 with Team Magical Leopleurodon (a 4-man team) in 2010.  The 2011 Furnace Creek would also include the special treat of being able to race against the Founding Fathers of Ultra Cycling.  These four legends (Lon Haldeman, John Howard, Michael Schermer, and John Marino) were there when it all started 29 years ago with the 1982 Great American Bike Race which was the first non-stop bicycle race across the US and also covered at the time by ABC’s Wide World of Sports!

At 8:30 AM on Saturday, October 8th I lined up at the start and the crew and Mike headed out 24 miles onto the course to wait for me.  After a 5 mile neutral start led by the California Highway Patrol we’d turn left onto San Francisquito Canyon Rd. and the race was on!  The first 20 miles were tough with a lot of wind and much cooler temps (than last year) and I was fighting some sort of sinus thing and it was just tough to get into race mode.  After catching up with the crew at mile 24 I was feeling better and looking forward to a nice descent and then rolling along the flats till I’d hit the windmill climb before I’d hit California City and log my first 83.6 miles and more than 6,176 feet of climbing.

With cooler temps and fairly mild winds the Windmill Climb was not the effort I anticipated it would be and I rolled into California City at 14:21 with an AVG speed over the first 84 miles of just over 15.6 MPH.  Mike was ready to roll and I handed off the totem (a fake carrot of course since we were Team Wild Hare) and I got into the car to settle in for what would end up being just under a 4-hour rest before my next stage.

Stage 1 - Bursley: Miles Ridden 83.6, Elevation Gain 6,176 ft, Miles into Race: 83.6 miles, 6,176 ft, Time Station 1 Check-in 02:21 PM (Saturday)

Mike hammered Stage 2 with an AVG speed of just over 18.3 MPH over the 70 mile stage.  While Mike is always an amazingly strong athlete, this was an even more incredible effort considering he was still struggling with flu he had not been able to beat for the last three weeks.  Mike arrived in Trona at 18:11 setting me up for a great early evening start to Stage 3 which included the infamous 13 mile 3800 ft climb to the top of Townes Pass at just under 5,000 ft elevation.

Stage 2 - Melville: Miles Ridden 70.2, Elevation Gain 4,212 ft, Miles into Race: 153.8 miles, 10,388 ft, Time Station 2 Check-in 06:11 PM (Saturday)

Before we could roll out of Trona, we had problems with the vehicle safety beacon lights that had to be operational as it was after 18:00 and they would have to be on till 07:00 on Sunday morning (race rules and the penalty is a DQ).  After a bit of fiddling I was able to get them working and jumped on the bike and was off for my 99 mile stage.  I passed a number of riders as I headed out of Trona for Panamint Valley but as the sun started to set it was clear that the top of Townes Pass was going to be cold.

As I made that right turn onto 190 East I could see Townes Pass right in front of me and all I can say is that it looked like an elevator of lights that went straight up into the sky.  With 130 miles on my legs and 47 miles into my 99 mile stage it was getting cold and this was just not going to be a lot of fun.  After just under 2 hours of climbing, I was at the top with a 16 mile descent in front of me but with the wind it was going to be hard to enjoy.  I did warm up considerably about 4 miles before hitting the rollers into Furnace Creek where Mike would get on the bike for Stage 4.

Stage 3 - Bursley: Miles Ridden 99.2, Elevation Gain 7,538 ft, Miles into Race: 252.9 miles, 17,936 ft, Time Station 3 Check-in 01:47 AM (Sunday)

After refueling the car and getting Mike on the bike he was off and ready to pick off some of the competition and attack the other of the two toughest climbs in this race which is Jubilee Pass.  Again Mike was like a machine out there dropping other riders as he ascended on Jubilee Pass then up and over and rolled out of Death Valley into Shashone where I’d ride Stage 5 into Baker.

Stage 4 - Melville: Miles Ridden 73.6, Elevation Gain 6,744 ft, Miles into Race: 326.5 miles, 24,680 ft, Time Station 4 Check-in 07:08 AM (Sunday)

Mike arrived shortly after 7AM and I jumped on the bike and was off.  Stage 5 was probably one of the best stages that I’d have with cool temps and relatively calm winds which was very different than 2010.  According to the Garmin, I was idle for only 1 minute and 7 seconds over the 53.6 miles of Stage 5 and had an AVG speed of 18.9 mph! I rolled into the Baker time station at 10:16 AM and was elated to know that I had only one stage left that was roughly 34 miles...the heavy lifting for me was now done!

Stage 5 - Bursley: Miles Ridden 53.6, Elevation Gain 2,186 ft, Miles into Race: 380.1 miles, 26,866 ft, Time Station 5 Check-in 10:16 AM (Sunday)

Stage 6 while relatively short at just over 35 miles is a brute starting out with a 25+ mile climb that offers no relief and is unprotected from the sun.  Mike cruised up the climb at a steady pace where he’d descend 10 miles into Kelso over some pretty nasty pavement and in fact I was told that it was so rough that another rider had broken his bars the prior year.  Mike arrived into Kelso at 12:36 PM with another great effort averaging just under 15 MPH over the Stage.

Stage 6 - Melville: Miles Ridden 34.9, Elevation Gain 2,920 ft, Miles into Race: 415 miles, 29,806 ft, Time Station 6 Check-in 12:36 PM (Sunday)

It was now time for me to get back on the bike for what would be my final Stage (7) for the 2011 Furnace Creek 508.  The Garmin (like me) was ready for the race to be over having personally logged 236 miles (and 15,900 ft of climbing) of racing but unlike the Garmin (which died at mile 7.2) I soldiered on into Amboy arriving at just after 3PM where Team Wild Hare would be required to serve a 15 minute penalty (before starting Stage 8) for a Stop Sign that “I” had run in the first stage of the race...I am still not clear on where I did that:)

Stage 7 - Bursley: Miles Ridden 33.8, Elevation Gain 2,280 ft, Miles into Race: 451.3 miles, 32,086 ft, Time Station 7 Check-in 03:08 PM (Sunday)

After serving our time Mike was off to wrap this race up and he was a man on a mission.   Rolling out of Time Station 7 just before 3:30 PM a daylight finish was well within reach but we were also about to be treated to some head-to-head racing as Mike approached the Sheephole climb on Stage 8.  As he started the ascent Mike had our friends from Team Wolf Pack in sight.  I was driving and trying to make sure that both team riders were safe as the traffic was fairly heavy.  After a couple of attempts Mike attacked and overtook Neil just before the first half of the climb thinking that the false summit was the top. Both Mike and Neil are extremely strong climbers and I was enjoying the competition (especially since my stages were complete) but I feared that Mike had the disadvantage of not having ridden this race and Neil was a veteran and new the course.  Just beyond the false summit Neil would attack Mike and hold it through the top of the climb and descent but that race was apparently not yet over.

As we rolled along the last 20 miles into the finish Mike saw Team Wolf Pack and Neil was in sight and Mike was going to hunt him down.  As Mike closed in he dropped the hammer and passed Neil and never looked back.  Rolling into the city of Twentynine Palms with a tandem in sight Mike was going to drop another one before arriving at the finish line.  With a total time of 03:48 for Stage 8 Team Wild Hare had an official arrival time of 6:56 PM with an official finish time of 33:56:08!

Stage 8 - Melville: Miles Ridden 58.2, Elevation Gain 4,170 ft, Race Total: 509.5 miles, 36,256 ft, Time Station 8 Check-in 06:56 PM (Sunday)...we did it in under 34 hours!

Two weeks after the Furnace Creek 508 I had the pleasure of riding in the Meals for Wheels ride with my son Nicholas and his best friend Spencer whom I have deemed the Wild Hare U12 Development Team.  We had an awesome day rolling just after 9:00 AM and then arriving back around noon in time for a great BBQ lunch complete with live music and ice cream for dessert!

I was very proud to ride with Nicholas and Spencer and see them complete the 15-mile course for a second year running.  We were also looking great with matching Team Wild Hare jerseys emblazoned with the Jeffrey Modell Foundation logo, Wild Hare team logo, one tough ride web site and our generous corporate sponsors CSLBehring, BMC Software, and Crank2.

I want to acknowledge some very important one tough ride 2011 team members for without their support and help we would have never achieved the success that we did and they are: my very patient and supportive wife Paula and my children Rachel and Nicholas, Vicki and Fred Modell and the entire team at the Jeffrey Modell Foundation, and Dr. David Lewis who is both Nicholas' Doctor and the Director of the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

Thanks to everyone that supported the one tough ride 2011 project and for those that may still wish to make a contribution, please click on the Just Give badge on the right!

Racing for 10 million...

-Steve

It's "almost" time to ride!

2010 Furnace Creek 508 Finish

I want to thank all of our friends and family and our corporate donors and sponsors that have supported the one tough ride 2011 project. We have now raised just over $4,200 and I am hoping that others will join the team and consider making a donation to the cause (just click the JustGive badge on the right side of this page) as Mike and I race this weekend as Team Wild Hare at the 2011 Furnace Creek 508. I also want to thank our AWESOME CREW Amy Bode and Peg Miller who will support Mike and I as we race this weekend!

The 2011 Furnace Creek 508 will also be unique in that the founding fathers of ultra cycling will not only be in attendance but also competing. Race Director Chris Kostman shares his story while taking you back to the beginning at http://www.the508.com/2011web/fullcircle.html

For those of you that want to track our progress, you can check this blog or find us on the one.tough.ride Facebook Fan Page. You'll be able to track our location in near real time using the link on the right side of the page as we'll carry the SPOT GPS Messenger throughout the race and post Time Station check-ins to this blog and on the FB Fan Page. If you know me you probably are aware that I am a gadget guy and as such will try to share our whereabouts and happenings throughout the weekend with USTREAM, SPOT, Twitter, and FB updates.

Last, thanks to my wife Paula, and my children Rachel and Nicholas for supporting me and all of your inspiration as I could not do this without you! I will provide a post-race post and share photos from the event when we are back but in the meantime, enjoy the race. Check out the AdventureCorps official Furnace Creek 508 webcast page at http://the508.com/2011web/index.html for updates and photos as well as live webcasts at the finish.

Racing for 10 Million!

Steve

Find us and watch us during the Furnace Creek 508 at:
Twitter: twitter.com/onetoughride
blog: onetoughride.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/onetoughride/110681012284550
SPOT Page (live GPS tracking during the race): bitly.com/trackthehares
USTREAM: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/one-tough-ride-2011

Just three weeks till I'll line up at the starting line in Santa Clarita

Team T-Shirt (back)

Wow, as I start to write this post from 30,000 ft (yes I am in a plane) there's only 3 weeks till we'll line up at the starting line in Santa Clarita, CA for the Furnace Creek 508. This race is unlike any other ultra-cycling event in that there is so much planning and preparation that has to be done with vehicle preparation, race nutrition planning, crew, accommodations, night lighting (vehicle and bikes) race provisions, etc. That said, I am sure it will all come together and one again be an awesome journey for the team and for me even more meaningful for the cause I am racing for.

Right now we are at close to $4K and we'll fund-raise up to and right through the race but if you make a donation prior by Monday I'll also make sure that your name is recognized on the back of the team t-shirts (like those on the left side under the "Thank You") that we'll wear at race check-in and during the pre-race meeting. I know it's a tough economy but any donation helps and is appreciated as "all" donations will be matched by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation. Donations can me made electronically by clicking on the "Just Give" badge on the upper right hand side of the blog. If you prefer to send cash, check, or a money order, please send those directly to the address noted below.

"Racing for 10 Million" bracelet

Jeffrey Modell Foundation
780 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Attn: one tough ride project

All donors will also receive a one tough ride silicon bracelet with "Racing For 10 Million" on one side and our blog URL on the other. We will take the remainder of the bracelets that are not given to donors and pass these out during the race to raise awareness for the cause and also hopefully capture additional donations.

I have been traveling on business this week but plan on more training this weekend with a double assault on Mt Diablo and a training ride with Nicholas on the tandem which will definitely be the best ride of the week!

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

Less than four weeks till the Furnace Creek 508

The infamous Stage 3, Furnace Creek 508

As the clock continues to tick down to the start of the 2011 Furnace Creek 508 (watch the countdown on this page) Team Wild Hare is finalizing logistics, race strategies, and training for the race that is now less than four weeks away. The Furnace Creek 508 is unlike any other ultra endurance cycling race I have participated in previously and while Team Wild Hare will be a 2-man squad as opposed to the 4-man team I raced on last year, the crew is equally important to a successful finish! We are fortunate to have two friends joining us that not only have a professional medical background but are also ultra cyclists themselves. The team and assigned stages are:

Amy Bode: Co-crew Captain

Peg Miller: Co-crew Captain

Steve Bursley: Stages 1, 3, 5, 7

Mike Melville: Stages 2, 4, 6, 8

We are at roughly $4,000 in donations for this season and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed and reach out to those that may still be waiting to consider hitting the link on the top right side of this page and show your support. While I am excited to participate in the Furnace Creek 508, my main goal is to raise awareness and MUCH NEEDED research dollars so that the great work that the Jeffrey Modell Foundation started more than 25 years ago can continue delivering breakthrough treatments for Primary Immunodeficiency (PI) and ultimately a cure. As I have shared before more than 10,000,000...yes TEN MILLION people around the world are living with this disease and due to the frequently overlooked common symptoms, often go undiagnosed for years. Once again, I have the personal commitment of Vicki and Fred Modell that all donations will be matched and directed to Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford which is under the direction of Dr. David Lewis who is a world renown Immunologist and also one of my son's doctors. Last year "WE" raised more than $10,000 which meant that more than $20,000 went locally to the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

As I shared at the start of this post, this race will take a team effort and "WE" can't finish strong without strong riders on the bike and a great crew supporting those riders. This will be a difficult race and at least twice a hard a last year but as I make the 13 mile 3,800 ft climb up Townes Pass (EL 4,956') in the dead of night as my second of four stages, I know I will have the inspiration of my son Nicholas and the 9,999,999 other children and adults around the world that deal battle the PI every day...for me, it's a choice to participate in this race but for someone with PI it was something they were born with.

I am also pleased to share that you will be able to track the team again this year on the web thanks to the generous support of our friends at SPOT. The following link was captured during the race last year and then photos uploaded and linked to the various locations/times during the race - 2010 FC508 Magical Liopleurodon. I will post a new link on this blog to access the web page that will enable you to follow us again this year with updates roughly every 10 minutes as we compete in this 508 mile non-stop ultra endurance bicycle race...this can only be done with a SPOT GPS MESSENGER that posts via a satellite uplink! We'll also post photos and updates during race check in and if possible during the race from the very rare locations that offer cell access. We'll also post to the one.tough.ride FB Fan page so if you have not LIKED US yet please check us out.

Last, we just received the new one tough ride "Racing for 10 Million" silicon bracelets that will be sent to everyone that makes a donation of $20.00 or more. They look great and are obviously for a great cause. Also, if you would like to make a donation but would prefer to send a check or cash, please send those to:

Jeffrey Modell Foundation
780 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Attn: one tough ride project

I will try to post once per week up till the team leaves for Southern California for the race and then will be posting to the blog and our FB page throughout the day during race check-in and up till the race start at 09:00 PT.

Best,

Steve

Just five weeks till the Furnace Creek 508!

2011 Furnace Creek 508 Team Race Jersey

With just five weeks till I'll be a the starting line of the Furnace Creek 508 (I'll be riding the odd stages 1, 3, 5, and 7 for a total of roughly 277 miles) I have been working on trying to get some longer training rides in. Since my last post, I have completed the Santa Cruz Mountain Challenge, numerous training rides, and also spent a fantastic week in Maui with my family where we enjoyed some down time exploring the island as a well as riding a Zip Line, enjoying the beach, attending a luau, swimming and watching some awesome sunsets! During that week I even managed to get a ride in attempting to summit Haleakala which rises from sea level to more than 10,000 ft. With an inversion layer at about 5,000 ft I climbed to an elevation of ~6,000 ft over 24 miles and then decided to turn around as I had forgotten to bring both a base layer and wind vest. I do plan on returning one day to summit and check this one off the list. At the end of the ride I had logged about 48 miles with an elevation gain of more than 7,000 ft.

My fund-raising for the one tough ride project will continue through the end of October and if you have not made a donation yet, we could really use your support. Please consider using the Donate Now button at the top right side of the page. Every dollar donated s actually doubled with the commitment from the Jeffrey Modell Foundation to match the total donations raised from this project.

Our race jersey designs have been completed and sent off to production (design above). This year I was fortunate to find a great company to work with here in Pleasanton (Jakroo) that does short run production (order min 1) for full custom designs. We'll also be making a version of the team jersey available for purchase with details to come.

I will provide more frequent posts as we get closer to the race and we are also trying to work with SPOT to allow one tough ride fans to be able to track the team with live web race location updates posted the web approximately every 10 minutes.

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

Volagi test ride, helping a friend get to the top, and onetoughride fund-raising!

While I would have liked to have gotten a bit more training in over the past week it just didn't seem to happen. However, I do have a few updates including some comments on my Volagi test ride that I did last weekend which I'll save for last.

First, the one tough ride fund-raising campaign is off to a roaring start and if I have your email address you probably received a letter from me looking for your support. I am excited to report that we have received a check from our first corporate sponsor and four of our friends totaling almost $2,200! This is just awesome and on behalf of the Jeffrey Modell Foundation and the onetoughride team, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I will be sending out 1-2 more emails prior to the Furnace Creek 508 to share information on the race and let you know how you can track us live on the web as Team Wild Hares races non-stop across 509 miles with more than 35,000 feet of climbing.

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to get a couple of rides in starting with a ride with my friend and neighbor. He mentioned that he had a goal to get to the top of Mt Diablo by the end of the summer and I offered to help him train to get there. We'd done a few rides around town over the past year and then a little local climbing on a ride Friday after work. On Sunday we headed to the Athenian School in Danville to start the ride and I set a goal of getting to the pay station at the top of the S. Gate. Well we got there and he pretty much climbed that without a problem so we headed for the midway point between the pay station and the Junction and again, not a problem. This being his first real climb I was impressed and suggested that we shoot for the Junction if he was up for it and we nailed it. I am pretty sure that we'll beat his goal of summiting Diablo before the end of July so we may have to shoot for both sides of Diablo with a summit from each side as the goal for the summer.

After I got back from riding Diablo (even before I had a chance to change) Nicholas and I took off on the tandem to set yet another record for the day which was our longest ride together with the most climbing in a single day.  Nicholas and I headed from our house through Pleasanton and down Happy Valley Road. Next it was off to Sunol to climb Kilkare Road. Kilkare is classified as a CAT 3 climb and is 3.6 miles long climbing 665 ft. Nick and I rode non-stop from the time we left the house and then through Sunol up the climb and through the descent where we stopped at the Sunol train station for a quick snack. Nick is now getting so confident on the tandem that we don't even have to stop for him to grab his water bottle, drink, and then return it to the bottle cage. This was my best ride of the week and we are really enjoying the tandem and have already ridden more than 140 miles together since we picked it up in early May from Crank2 in Pleasanton.

Volagi Liscio Rival

Last, I had the good fortune of being able to get a real test ride in on the VOLAGI LISCIO RIVAL and have to say that I was very impressed. I picked the bike up on Saturday late afternoon from Crank2 and got it home and set it up to replicate the fit of my SL3. While I had originally planned to take it out to Portola Valley to climb La Honda and Tunnitas some unexpected car issues led to it being a local test ride which ended up being shorter than I would have liked due to 100 degree temps. One of the first things you notice is the Longbow Flex Stay Suspension which really does a great job at absorbing a lot of the road vibration and I gave the bike to proper test up the road to the S. Gate of Diablo which as you know if you have ridden it, this road is bad! The bike sports a BB30 bottom bracket and the frame is stiff when you stand on it. I cut the climb a bit short due to the fact that the cranks ended up being 175 mm and I set the saddle height assuming they were 170mm.

The disk brakes on the bike instilled an added level of confidence and the saddle was very comfortable. This is really a nice bike and considering it was a pre-production bike I was even more impressed. The bike I rode was a 53 and included the upgraded carbon wheel set. The weight was a bit more than my Madone 5.5 or my S-Works SL3 at roughly 17 lbs, 15 oz. This is a great all round bike and I especially liked the idea of the disk brakes for steep descents on a lot of the tougher centuries and double centuries as well as when the weather gets a bit wet. In wet weather disk brakes provide both the benefit of better stopping but also you are not tearing up the sidewalls of your wheels (especially bad with traditional full carbon wheel sets). I am sure that the production bikes will be lighter especially DA and Ultegra versions.

Thanks again for your support and if you haven't made a donation it is as easy as hitting the Donate Now button at the top of this page.

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

Thursday night training...to the top of the Devil non-stop!

L'Etape du California...one tough ride!

Game on, One Tough Ride will compete in 2011 Furnace Creek 508

Our application for the 2011 Furnace Creek 508 has been accepted and I'll be part of a 2-man team. I'll have more to share soon and also will be looking to reach out to corporate donors that may be interested in supporting the One Tough Ride project while gaining additional exposure for their company. More to come so stay tuned!

Enjoy the ride,

Steve 

onetoughride 2010 season recap video!

Furnace Creek 508 Race Report Part 1 (Stages 1-4)

Adventure Corps describes it as "The Toughest 48 Hours in Sport" with references on their web site that include: "A Spiritual Odyssey, An Unparalleled Personal Achievement and A Premiere Ultramarathon Bicycle Race" and I can say that Furnace Creek 508 (FC508) lives up to all of this and more.

The FC508 was the last of the series of scheduled events for the onetoughride season and this event truly represented the spirit of the project and the pinnacle of my cycling experience to date. This event was also very different from the others on this seasons schedule as I would ride with four other friends (three riders and a crew captain) as a part of a 4-man relay team over a 509.54 mile course with 35,000 ft of climbing which we would have to complete in 46 hours or less.

We departed N.CA on Thursday, September 30th and arrived at the start city of Santa Clarita, CA that evening to be ready for the vehicle and bike inspection and team check-in on Friday. After completing the inspection and check-in we had some time to run some last minute errands and then it was off to the mandatory pre-race meeting. It was during this meeting that it would really sink in that this race would start in just a little more than 15 hours. As the Race Director shared parting words that a lot of things can and will happen out there and that we all needed to do whatever it took to make it to 29 Palms before 9AM on Monday...I admit, I was a little nervous. Following the meeting, we headed off to dinner and then back to the hotel to call it an evening as Team Magical Liopleurodon had a race that next morning.

Saturday, October 2 at 3:30AM and we are awakened to the sounds of thunder, lightning and rain. We turn on the TV to check the weather only to find out the S. CA is being blanketed by a tropical storm that is not expected to pass until Saturday evening...I think, wow this should add an element to an already extremely difficult race. Gil and I head out to the van to check the damage to the signs that have been printed with an inkjet printer and while they are wet, only one is destroyed which is good as we'll be DQ'd without these and will not be able to start the race which is now only hours away. After removing the signs we bring them back to the room to dry them with a hair dryer and then apply clear packaging tape to seal them for what we anticipate to be a wet race.

About 5:30AM and the team is up and some are off getting breakfast while others are getting ready. Another hour later and we are loading up the car and the weather is improving and I am just hoping that this storm is faster than we are and that somehow we'll get a break and make it to 29 Palms by Sunday night. 8:00AM and the van is packed with everything we brought (the race ends in another city so we will not be back to Santa Clarita and must carry "everything") and Gil is ready to start as our lead man out and the rest of the team must get in the van and meet him at mile 24 which is before the end of the first mountain section of Stage 1. From there, we would leap frog (supporting them with liquids and fuel) our rider throughout the daylight hours of 7 AM to 6 PM when you are then required to trail your racer with the appropriate signage and lighting.

As I was able to work with a company called SPOT who generously provided us with a SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger (which would be worn by each racer during his respective stages) we were able to track Gil's progress by going to a pre-defined web page (on my iPhone) that had been set up so friends, fans, and donors of the onetoughride project could track the team by simply going to the web site.

At roughly 10:45AM Gil rolled past us as team mates Jason and Jim were ready to complete bottle and food hand-offs while I shot photos and our crew captain Cheryl (Gil's wife) readied the team car for departure and the start of the chase of our first team mate on Stage 1. As Gil passed and took fresh bottles and fuel he was nearing a long descent and then a relatively flat section for the next 23 miles till he'd start the next big climb. Gil was tearing it up over the flats and was making great time!

We leapfrogged Gil for roughly the next 29 miles and then waited for him in the middle of one of the climbs. After waiting for some time we were getting concerned as Gil had a great pace the last time we saw him but it was heating up and we were now about 53 miles in. Another racer would pass and told us he saw Gil on the climb and he'd arrive shortly thereafter. A little bit beat up from the heat, he took on some water and fuel and continued the climb finishing up the the second mountain section of Stage 1. At this point he had a nice descent and then a fairly flat run into time station (TS) #1 where Jim would roll for Stage 2.

After leapfrogging Gil for the next few miles we headed for the TS #1 to get Jim ready to roll for Stage 2 as Gil rolled the last 8 miles without us.

2:49PM Gil is in to TS#1 and Jimmy off and out on the course and the weather continues to heat up. Jim's got about 23 miles of rollers and flats before he starts mountain section 3. He's ripping up the course and taking taking positions from the other teams as he's now starting the mountain section and this guy is on a mission and not slowing down for anything! As Jim makes a short descent down to HWY 395 and then a right it looks like he may be cramping and we hand off more Enduralyte's and he's got another rider ahead...and that means another one to pass!

With a chance to refuel before heading into the evening hours (officially by race rules this is 6PM to 7AM) we leave Jim on the course in pursuit of a couple of other teams and the rest of the crew pulls over for water and gas. Jimmy's got a quick left in less than a mile and he'll begin some more rolling climbs. After refueling we're back on the course and chasing Jim but he's nowhere to be found and then we see him further up the course and he has now passed at least another 4 riders since we left left him before the gas station.

Jim is now heading for a 3 mile descent but we'll have to stop him right in the middle as it is a couple of minutes before 6PM and we have to start trailing our race with the appropriate lights and signage or face the possibility of being caught and receiving a time penalty or DQ. After stopping and readying the van for night riding we are back out on the course and heading for TS #2 and ready to get Jason on the bike for Stage 3 which will be our first stage that we'll complete in the dark. As dusk turns to dark Jim passes another rider who cannot keep the pace but struggles to get back in front of Jim. The Course Marshall sees this and waives the other rider and his crew to the side of the road...not sure if they got a penalty or a warning. Since we are now riding under night rules we cannot leave our rider and must pace Jim all the way in and only then get Jason ready and on the bike but he'll have to wait till we have Jim's bike back on the roof before he can start his stage.

TS #2 and it's 6:47 PM and Jason is ready to roll as he starts Stage 3 with 153 miles behind us and 355.8 miles to the end of the race. Jason's ride will include the well known Townes Pass which is a 13 mile 3,800 ft climb.  With grades of 10-13%, this is going to be one night of climbing. In addition, this is the longest of the first four stages at roughly 95 miles! Jason is riding like a machine as he pounds out mile after mile which includes a fueling regimen of Hammer products plus Skittles, Coke, and Red Bull. After nailing Townes Pass and the climbs that preceded it, it's a long descent and we cannot keep up with him as he passes other riders on this steep and sweeping descent!

Wrapping up Stage 3 Jason rolls into TS #3 at 1:47AM on Sunday morning and I am up next. While it is late and I have been up for almost 23 hours the adrenalin is flowing and I am ready to get out there and pound out some miles! It's now 2:15AM and after some logistics at TS #3 I am on the course for Stage 4. With 252.89 miles behind us we are roughly at the halfway point and I've got some Rush R30 on the iPod and it's just an awesome night to be riding with the stars out in the middle of the desert. About 1.34 miles up the road it's a right turn and I am heading for Badwater which also happens to be the lowest elevation in N. America at 282 ft "below sea level". I am feeling great and passing a few teams as I am able to wind it up when I am not out in the wind. After about 45 miles of rollers (and being a bit concerned as I see lightning in the distance) I am at the start of mountain section 6 and overtake another team as I start the climb up Jubilee Pass. Once at the top, I've got a 1 mile descent before hitting Salsberry Pass which will I will soon find out is a 9 mile grind that will take me an hour and 26 minutes (according to my Garmin) to finish. The sun is now coming up and I am ready to get off this bike as I have now seen the sun rise 2x without any sleep. At 7AM I am a mile or two from the summit and I waive the team forward to head for the next time station (it's 7AM so we can start leapfrogging again) so Gil can get his bike off the van and be ready to roll when I get in. 7:51AM and I am into Shoshone and TS #4 and Gil rolls out on Stage 5.

There's more to come but you'll have to wait for my next post!

It has been an awesome cycling season but this year the onetoughride project is my reason for riding. I'll be fund-raising through the end of October and while we are close, we are still about $425 short of the $10,000 goal that I have set (which will be matched by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation). If you have not donated yet, my family and the families and friends of the 10,000,000 children and adults around the world living with Primary Immunodeficiency diseases would greatly appreciate your support. For those that have made a donation (and in some cases multiple donations), thank you for your support!

Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Furnace Creek 508 recap video!

2010 Furnace Creek 508: Recap Video from Rachel Schmitt on Vimeo.

Furnace Creek 508 - Team Magical Liopleurodon | Our SPOT Adventure!

Furnace Creek 508

Share your Adventures with SpotAdventures

Furnace Creek 508 - Team Magical Liopleurodon will be on the SPOT

With the last major event of the One Tough Ride project just ahead of us on Saturday, October 2nd, I am happy to announce that we have now raised $9,434.00 that will be matched by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation and directed to the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. As I write this post on the eve of my son's 10th birthday, I am so grateful to all of you who have supported this project.

Team Magical Liopleurodon will depart for Santa Clarita, CA on Thursday for race check-in and vehicle inspection on Friday with race start time for all relay teams at 9AM on Saturday. I am excited to share that friends, family, and fans of the One Tough Ride project will be able to watch the Team Magical Liopleuridon's progress over the course through a live GPS feed (web page will be activated prior to the start of the race) as we compete in what is referred to as "The Toughest 48 Hours in Sport" against a field of more than 200 racers from six countries. Each member of the team will carry the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger in his jersey pocket for their stages of this 509+ mile non-stop race that starts in Santa Clarita, CA and ends in 29 Palms, CA. I want to thank our friends at SPOT for supporting the One Tough Ride project and we look forward to sharing our progress during the race and also our story after the race on SPOT Adventures.

Team Magical Liopleurodon is:
James Batson - Stages 2 and 6
Steve Bursley - Stages 4 and 8
Cheryl Hopkins - Crew
Gil Hopkins - Stages 1 and 5
Jason Pierce - Stages 3 and 7

I'll be tweeting and providing updates (from our departure on Thursday through the race and our return to Northern CA on Monday) to the one.tough.ride Facebook Fan Page and you'll also be able to get updates by using the links on the right side of the onetoughride.blogspot.com site - see links underTeam Magical Liopleurodon | Furnace Creek 508

Thanks again to all of you that have supported this project and if you haven't ,there is still time to make a donation to this worthy cause and of course one that is very personal to me. I will try to issue one more post prior to the race and will also provide a complete race report with photos and video next week.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Furnace Creek 508 Press Release...race start is 3 weeks from tomorrow

For those that may not be familiar with the event, check out the Press Release that was posted today for the 508! http://www.the508.com/2010web/2010pr.html

Furnace Creek 508, it's just around the corner...and the number 10

With the Furnace Creek 508 just over a month away the team is making the final preparations for travel, vehicle, signage, etc. This race will be like no other that I have participated in this year and while the mileage will be less than the Death Ride, the conditions and fact that we will spend up to 40+ hours in the car or on the bike will provide both physical and mental challenges for each of the riders.

With a total of 508 miles to race through some of the toughest weather conditions, each of the team members will be put to one of the ultimate endurance cycling tests. In preparation for the 508, I have now completed 5 of the toughest Double Centuries on the California Triple Crown Schedule with 4 of those 5 being in the top 4 of the 10 most difficult events of the 2010 season schedule. Additionally, I completed the Death Ride and have ridden a total of more than 3,600 miles and climbed more than 260,000 feet on the bike (the equivalent of ~9x the elevation of Mt Everest) since January 1st.

So, am I ready? I think so but I'll continue to train up till about 4 days prior to the event and then I'll rest. Right now the race schedule is as follows -

Racer / Stage
Gil Hopkins / 1, 5
Steve Bursley / 2, 6
Jason Pierce / 3, 7
Jim Batson / 4, 8

We have a strong team of seasoned riders but the competition will be tough with a total of 217 riders from 7 countries that includes 117 veteran racers of this event. With the cycling season nearing conclusion with the Furnace Creek 508, I'll wrap up this fund-raising effort at the end of October. With thousands of miles ridden, hundreds of thousands of feet climbed, countless hours of blogging, posting on Facebook and Twitter, Photoshop , Illustrator work, PowerPoint pitches and meetings, and relentless requests of donations, this project truly lived up to its name.

As I prepare for this last race of the 2010 season I have designed and ordered a special jersey that I will wear during my last stage that I will ride (front and back graphics are included above). The design of the jersey acknowledges those that have supported this project through the generous donations that I have received but also includes a design element that I hope creates awareness of Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (PID) as well as continued donations. This is the number 10. For those of you that watched the last stage of the Tour this year, you obviously took note of a statement that Team Shack made with a kit change (with the emblazened #28) that almost got them thrown out of the race but was also very effective at drawing attention to the more than 28 million people around the world that continue their battle with Cancer. And while many of you might be surprised to hear it, more than 10 million people around the world today live with PID.

I have and will continue to ride and race to raise awareness of PID in honor of my son Nicholas and all of the children and adults around the world that continue their battle with this disease. Through the tireless efforts of Vicki and Fred Modell (founders of the Jeffrey Modell Foundation) and the many doctors and researchers around the world, there are better treatments for those that battle this disease as well as better tests to detect the disease. And while treatment and detection has improved, we still do not have a cure...yet!

With more than $8,500 raised from this project so far, I am hoping that we can raise another $1,500 or more over the next two months to close this project out with a total of $10,000 or more in donations. With the Jeffrey Modell Foundation committed to matching these donations, this would equal a $20,000 that would go to the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. To donate, you can use the button in the top right hand corner of my blog, click on this link, or contact me to send a check.

I will post a couple of more times prior to the 508 and then Tweet on the way to the event and on the course (based on cell availability). To close the onetoughride project out, I will include one whopper of a post ride report with plenty of photos and video from the team car.

PLEASE SUPPORT ME AND CLICK THE BUTTON OR LINK NOW!
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Double #5...Mt Tam Double Century Recap

The Mt Tam Double was my 5th Double Century of the season and the 6th of the onetoughride series that included the top 4 of the toughest of the Double Century calendar and completing my CTC (for a second consecutive year), CTC Stage Race Series, and the Gold Thousand Mile Club. With the completion of the Death Ride, the total course miles ridden over these 6 events (in the past four months) was 1,133 miles with and just under 85,000 feet of climbing.

I arrived at the start of the Mt Tam Double about 3:30 AM and planned to start with my friends Jason and Mike. We were planning on an early start (mass start is was scheduled for 5 AM) but as it turned out we ended up being a part of an official 4 AM mass start with 32 riders. As we rolled from the start the pack thinned out as we headed for the first of many climbs up Lucas Valley Road. I set the tempo for the first climb but was overtaken by one of the riders about a half a mile from the top. As we descended the other side, most of the pack re-grouped and then split up again over the next 10 miles on Nicasio Valley Road.

As we rolled into Fairfax I missed the first right turn but then saw the group reassembling and was back on course. The pack again split up as we climbed Bolinas Fairfax Road toward the first rest stop at Pine Mountain (mile 24.5). After checking in I headed for the top of the first real climb which was Mt Tam. As I ascended Bolinas Fairfax Road toward Ridgecrest the pack had thinned to a point where I had only seen one other rider. As I crested the top of Tam at mile 38 I was told that I was the 4th one check in. Descending Tam and heading for Santos Meadows I saw Jason heading for the top of Tam. The descent down Pan Toll Road and then out to Muir Woods would be a combination of dense fog, extreme dew (resembling rain), and strong winds. As I rolled into Santos Meadows check point (mile 50) here comes Jason who must have been descending like a rocket.

After a quick refuel Jason and I were back on the road and heading for a ride up the coast. Clearing the next few rest stops and rolling into the Valley Ford Rest Stop at lunch (mile 124) we had a great pace but many of the fastest riders that left at 5 AM had now caught and passed us. After a quick lunch it was off for the infamous Coleman Valley Road climb. If you have ridden it you know, but if you haven't this is one of the toughest 1.4 miles of climbing of the entire course.

After getting dropped by Jason between leaving the lunch stop and the Bay Hill Road climb I caught up with him as I arrived at the Coleman check point (mile 136). Jason had been there for a bit so he rolled and I left shortly thereafter (downing Red Bull #2) and caught up with him as we rolled down Joy Road. As we rolled back into the Valley Ford Rest stop we refueled (Red Bull #3) and caught up with a few friends and were off again with 153 miles behind us and a few climbs to go.

As we got out to the coast it was a constant battle of head winds as we made our way down HWY 1 pacelining to try to pick up some time or at least save some energy for Marshall Wall. At mile 160 it was a quick left for another climb up Marshall. It was clear that the climb with 160 miles on our legs was wearing the group down but after reaching the Walker Creek Rest Stop and a short break we initiated a good pace and picked up few riders that we would ultimately find to be wheel suckers that wanted a free ride.

After a good pace considering the winds that we continued to encounter we had a decent climb and nice fast descent before turning left onto Nicasio Valley Road. As we caught up with another rider we again pacelined out to the final rest stop at Nicasio Valley School and grabbed a quick drink (no, it was not a Red Bull this time) before our final climb up Lucas Valley Road and then heading for the finish. As was the case throughout the day, Jason dropped me on the descent but I was able to catch up with him on the last few miles and we had a great 22 mph+ paceline as we rolled to Las Gallinas for the last 1.5 miles into the finish.

The Marin Cyclists put together one of the best supported rides hands down and this year also met with the same high expectations that I have seen in the past. It was great to ride with Jason (a.k.a. rocket of the descents) who is also my team mate for the FC 508 this year and it was again amazing to see Mike Melville add yet another of the toughest rides to his fixie resume...yes, that is correct he rode this ride on a fixie! And last but not least, I was very cool to see Peg Miller nail this years event well within the cut-offs (after being so close in 2009) and getting her CTC for 2010!

As I near the close of the onetoughride project with one last BIG event to go (the Furnace Creek 508) I am excited to report that we have raised a total of $8,500 and I am confident that we can get that to $10,000...or more by the end of October when I will be wrapping up this project. This project was a complete grass roots effort from the concept to pitching the idea to a number of organizations to marketing the project, fund-raising, and setting up all of the infrastructure to support the project....not to mention the training and completing the events. Because of the 32 individuals, one corporate donor, one foundation and the matching funding of the Jeffrey Modell Foundation WE will make a difference in the research for better treatments and ultimately a cure for the millions of people living with Primary Immunodeficiency diseases like my son.

If you haven't donated please consider doing so right now and remember that every dollar donated is matched which means that right now the $8,500 is $17,000. Being an overachiever, I threw in an extra Double Century and I'd also love to break that goal of $10,000 and hope I can have your support in doing so. Last, the final jersey artwork (all donor names will be on it) will be submitted this weekend to Voler to ensure that I have the jersey for my final stage of the Furnace Creek 508 as well as the photo op at the finish. If your company (or you know of someone else) is interested in making a donation of $300 or more, I will add your company logo to the jersey.
Until next time...Enjoy the ride!
Steve

PS: I shaved 35 mins off of last years time coming in at 15:36 vs. 16:11.

Death Ride 2010 | onetough ride series - almost 1,000 miles and 100,000 feet of climbing

The 2010 Death Ride was the 5th of the onetoughride Series which is my personal fund-raising effort to raise funds in the fight against Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases. With the end of the Death Ride the tally of miles and elevation over this series of five of the toughest ultra endurance cycling rolls up as follows:

April
- Mulholland Double Century (Stage 1 of the CTC Stage Race Series): 211.68 mi / 17,568 ft
- Devil Mountain Double (Stage 2 of the CTC Stage Race Series): 206 mi / 20,000 ft

May
- Tour de Starbucks (guest rider with Nicholas): 6.88 mi / 75 ft

June
- Alta Alpina Challenge: 200 mi / 21,000 ft
- Terrible Two (Stage 3 of the CTC Stage Race Series): 200.97 mi / 18,470 ft

July
- Death Ride: 124.01 mi / 15,386 ft

Total (for the season to date): 949.54 mi / 92,499 ft

We arrived in Kirkwood (approx 20 mins from the start of the Death Ride) on Wednesday and planned to do some activities with the family on Thursday and Friday preceding the event. The weather outlook seemed to change day by day as it often does in the mountains but the day of the actual event would once again be clear, warm, and without the threats of the isolated thunder storms that were in the forecast.

I decided to take a later start this year rolling at exactly 5:30 AM (DR 2010 stats) and my pace from out to the bottom of the first pass (Monitor) was better than last year (DR 2009 stats) rolling into check point 2 at just under 1:47 (just under 25 mi.). Deciding to skip the rest stop with enough water to refuel back at the top of Monitor I started the climb. Back at the top of Monitor the clock reads just under 3:09 and it's a quick stop and a refill of the water bottles before descending the front side of Monitor to head for the 3rd of the 5 passes. At 3:28 on the clock I am at the bottom of Monitor and heading for Ebbetts Pass and the one part of the course that I consider the toughest of the event.

At just under 5 hrs on the clock and 55 miles behind me (check point 3) I am at the top of Ebbetts with 3 passes down and 2 to go. The back side or West side of Ebbetts is my favorite descent with great pavement and gentle turns for the most part. It's a great descent until the last mile or two when I am stuck behind a couple of riders that just won't allow me to pass and with the number of riders ascending it's just not safe to get around these guys. I hit the bottom of the back side of Ebbetts and there's another 12 mins on the clock with about 61 miles down. It's now getting warm and I decide to refill the bottles and grab a Pepsi and a handful of orange slices with the hope that I can keep rolling and grab a sandwich during the last climb up Carson around mile 90 where Paula, Rachel, Nicholas, and Bruno will be waiting with sandwiches and a serving of inspiration. At the top of the climb of the back side of Ebbetts with roughly 66 miles down there are 6:05 on the clock and after another topping off of the bottles it's a fast descent down the front side of Ebbetts and then a fairly flat ride into Markleeville with a climb past Turtle Rock Park and then a nice descent into Woodfords before starting the last climb up Carson.

Sticking to the original plan of reducing stops the plan is to grab lunch during the Carson climb. As I head into Markleeville I spot my friend Amy and make a quick stop to say hi and I am also able to shed my jacket and arm warmers that won't be needed for the rest of the day. As I roll out about 12:45 I have a good pace on the climb past Turtle Rock park rolling into Woodford's just after 1:00 PM. There's now about 6.5 hrs on the clock and a sub-10hr DR is still a possibility. As I leave Woodford's I soon realize that delaying my lunch stop is going to cost me and as I climb Carson to meet Paula and the kids at the junction of Luther Pass I am not feeling well. After sitting down and parking the bike, I down two more bottles of water and a half a peanut butter sandwich and put the other half in my jersey pocket.

It's just before 3PM with 91 miles down and Paula snaps a couple of photos of the kids with me and I am off. Paula would prefer that I abandon the event but I am going to finish this thing off. After reaching the summit of Carson and checking in, I put down 3 juice bars and congratulate friends and take advantage of another photo op with the kids. It's now time to descend and head for the finish and as I make the second wide sweeping right turn there's a rider down in the middle of the lane with the medics attending to him. All traffic is at a stop and the local authorities are directing the riders around the accident.

After descending Carson it's a hard right onto HWY 4/89 and a climb back into Turtle Rock Park. I rolled in 15 mins ahead of my 2009 time at 11:51:57 as my total time. My actual riding time was less than a min from my time in 2009 at 10:09:20.

We have now raised over $8,000 with the onetoughride project and as promised I have added a 7th ride to the series with another of the toughest double centuries on the circuit this season, the Mt Tam Double Century. I want to thank all of you that have made a donation and ask that those that haven't to consider making one right now using the Donate Now button on my blog or by using this link onetoughride - donate now . With the Mt Tam Double and the Furnace Creek 508 still ahead of me, my new goal is to raise a total of $10,000 or more. With the Jeffrey Modell Foundation committing to matching all donations this would be a total of $20,000 or more going to this very important cause.
Best,
Steve