2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

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Dobi
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2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by Dobi »

Idaho City 100 ISDE qualifier

The events depicted below are to the best of my memory and reinforce the fact that I am not a journalist. Hope you enjoy.

It all started with a seemingly innocent text on a Wednesday in April from a riding companion asking if I had ever heard of this Idaho race and would I be interested in attending. A quick Google search led me to http://www.boiseridgeriders.org/ where I became a bit more intrigued. A few hours later with a few Youtube videos for good measure the call went out to my riding group to see who was interested. I received a quick reply from MarkVFR on here saying he had always wanted to do it and Monty Brown chimed in that he was in (Monty never did any research but is always down for a ride, no matter where or why). By midnight that Friday night we had paid our $200USD entry fee and started asking all the questions about logistics and what to bring.

A frantic month of continuous harassment to my favorite parts person Allison at Cycle Works Calgary had me set up with everything I thought I would need and more. I settled on running a set of Techno Mousse bibs and my new favorite tire combo the Bridgestone battlecross X30. I ran these at the Panorama race and fell in love with the traction and the resilience to wear.

As the departure day for the event was coming up Mark texted me a shot of the weather for the weekend. My initial reply was to ask if that was in Fahrenheit? I don’t think I am well suited to ride for that long in that heat. I started my hydration for the event on Monday and was drinking water like no tomorrow and popping my Ryno Power electrolytes. It made for a tough week at work where I would have to leave practically every meeting to have to use the bathroom…

The trip started out on Thursday night after work (we had loaded up the night before) and the goal was to put as many miles on as possible so that we could arrive in Idaho City early Friday in good time to have a casual sign in and to finish the last minute items on the bikes. We made it to Helena that first night and were back on the road nice and early the next day after a solid 5hrs of sleep and a complimentary breakfast. Pulling a trailer at 85mph in high winds with a small tank GMC means lots of fuel stops so those overhydrated bladders only needed a few panic stops at overpasses along the way.

My navigation skills failed me in the middle of Idaho somewhere when I got caught up in work emails on my phone and forgot to look for our turn off the I-15 over towards Boise. A few miles of concern around the distance till empty indicator and the next fuel stop and the choice to continue South was made. It turns out this was the best route anyway and the back route, while shorter was much slower.

We made Boise in time to hit Clarks Cycle for some last minute USFS approved parts for Monty’s bike and spare parts to haul home. We arrived in Idaho City after a 40 minute drive North of Boise on what must be one of the most scenic drives in the West. The temperature was creeping up over 30C and I was starting to get a little concerned about my well-being. Pulling into town was crazy. Imagine a small forgotten mining town with one gas station and 2 café’s that has been overrun by dirtbikes. Parking was at an absolute prime and we were able to secure a nice spot in front of the old jail. After a lovely talk with the curator about the facility we were off to sign up.

The line for sign in was massive, but was well organised. They were very prepared to take your money, upsell you on shirts, raffle tickets and get you on your way. We left sign in and pulled over towards the impound and found a great spot right against the impound fence to park our trailer. We asked some official looking guy if we could park there and he neither confirmed nor denied if we were good to park their….

We managed to get the work done on the bikes and get them through tech inspection. The tech was super sensitive to ANY dirt on the bikes and it resulted in Mark and Monty being sent to give some bucket wash love to their steeds before being allowed back into the tech line. Once through tech, the next step is to get gas cans approved. They are very particular on this and you must take your cans to tech inspection for an approval tag to hang on your cans in order for them to make it onto the fuel trailer. Pro tip, don’t fill your gas cans in Montana and have to carry 3 jugs across town, passed the gas station, to the tech inspection, then back to your truck. I had arm pump and had lost 2 litres of sweat carting jugs around. After all was said and done, we buttoned up the trailer for the night to leave it and headed back to Boise. We hooked up for dinner with fellow Canadians Nick and Lee from the Cornergrass fame and enjoyed an incredible steak dinner and gallons more water as we prepared for the day ahead.

Day 1 – Hydration and food was going to be the most important factor for the day. A quick stop at the free hotel breakfast had me gagging over the eggs. Breakfast on race day is hard enough, to add microwaved hockey puck eggs and fake bacon put me over the edge. With coolers and camelbacks full of ice we headed off for refuge under the golden arches for a breakfast of champions.


We arrived at the race site around 7:30am after navigating 25 miles of single lane highway with a road bike race taking place on it. I am not sure who was in charge of coordinating the overlap of the events, but I felt sorry for all those bikers getting blasted by chipped diesel trucks getting around them and trying to make time to get to the race site.

We arrived to a nice and cool 16C day and were ready to get going. As we arrived it turns out our parking stall for the trailer may not have been the best choice and a race organizer was grilling us to move the trailer. We managed to leave the trailer as is, but had to park the truck a few blocks over and carry all of our supplies. It turns out, the trailer was parked right next to the gate for impound. While we saw this as an incredible win, the organiser was not so keen. We loaded up bags to tie to our gas cans that had food, water and electrolytes and got them onto the trailer for their 8:30am departure. I ran a mixture of eload and Ryno Power carb fuel in my camel backs and was hydrating like mad with the electrolytes and preparing for the day with the rest of my Ryno supplements in small containers in my pack (shameless plug for Ryno Power. I was buying this stuff myself and approached them as my first sponsor as I believe so much in their product. Use my name for a discount code when ordering from the Ryno Power Canada website).

I have to give credit to Mark and Lee for helping us figure out this whole endure time format thing. I struggled to wrap my head around it and just copied their checkpoint times onto a strip of duct tape to mount on my bike (kind of reminded me of cheating in math 30). We were in the shade of the trailer and listening to the judge announce the rider entries into the impound to get our bikes. We had 10 more minutes after pulling from impound to mount our time cards and to give the bikes one more look over. We once again closed up the trailer and were waiting on the line for our minute to roll and head off into the dust and heat.

5 minutes into the ride we hit the first test. A grass track that was in the trees and meandered through hills, trees and a gulley or two. I was riding a good pace, but trying to save myself as I knew I had a lot of miles ahead of me. I managed to pass Mark in the first test and then took the lead on the transfers to the next tests and the first gas stop. The second test was a nice flowing singletrack that lasted about 3 miles. The third test was 7 miles of grueling technical sidehill and uphill switchbacks with amazing views. I made the first gas stop with good time to spare and had finished fueling when Mark pulled in. I was trying to be helpful and went to put Mark’s gas cap on when he yelled at me not to touch his bike. I put on a pouty face and went to drink more water from the coolers and wait for an apology.

Mark left gas stop number 2 and I was following behind in the dust. As we entered into some very tight singletrack I noticed a KTM gas cap laying in the middle of the trail. At first I thought to myself “that poor sap”, then I realized it was likely Mark’s cap. Sure enough, seconds later I meet Mark on the trail complaining about gas in his crotch and a missing gas cap. I leave him to go find his gas cap and head out on my own.

This section of trail was my least favorite. The heat was coming on hard and there were some serious whoops. On the way back towards the second gas stop I was feeling good and was passing people at a good rate. I was watching the numbers and noticed that I must be close to catching Nick and Lee who left on minute 51 ahead of us, so I picked up the pace. I managed to put a pass on Nick about 8 miles from the end of the section and it was a full on goon pass with the throttle wide open, clutch pulled in and hooting and hollering (I need to use my gopro…) then the hammer went down to pass Lee. The last 3 miles into the second gas stop was solid whoops. I was amazed at how well the bike suspension was working as my guy has it working so well in the singletrack around home. I managed to put a more gentleman like pass on Lee (I did still holler and cackle) and made it back to the second fuel stop with plenty of time to enjoy a PB&J sandwich that was being handed out.

Pulling into the fuel stops you wonder what will greet you as you left your fuel on a flatbed trailer hours ago with your food bag attached to it, but I was amazed at how well the club had set it up. They had the gas cans in rows based on your minute and had fueling mats for us to ride onto for the work. There is a small army of volunteers at each check to help and direct you. We had been reaching the fuel stops with plenty of time to get water and food in and to get a stretch in before hitting the trail again. I added another 3l camelback in at the 2nd gas stop and quickly set out to drink what was left in my first pack.

Leaving the second gas stop Mark took the lead to get some fresh air and I started sucking more dust. We hit a special test very quick after the fuel check and I had not gotten my heart rate back up. It spiked in the test and I started sucking wind like crazy. I was making mistakes in the dust but managed to get out of the test unscathed, but couldn’t get a pass on Mark.

The next section of transfer was my favorite all weekend. I was pacing with Mark and we were having a great flow. As we started a decent into the valley I noticed a weird noise from my chain and rear brake. It was getting louder and worse and I was getting concerned. I had planned to stop at the bottom of the trail to inspect, but luck was on my side and we landed in the 3rd gas stop. My axle was loose and my adjuster bolt was all the way in. A quick fix and a flashback in my memory to try and recall if I tightened that the day before when I adjusted the chain made me realize I probably goofed up. The wrenches sitting on my toolbox that afternoon were so hot they were painful to hold.


We blasted out of the 3rd and final gas stop with 24miles to go and one hour to get there. We made the final special test for the day and it was another 7 mile section that was wide open and fast. I was pushed way over my comfort zone for speed. I was blinded by dust at one point coming on a pack of 3 or 4 riders when I saw an orange bike go cartwheeling off the trail. I braced for a hit that I couldn’t see and at the same time yelled you okay? And got a thumbs up. I was floored by how hard I was smashing my front tire into things and the bike was staying straight and planted. I got to the end of the test and was told I only had 10 miles to go by a young kid serving water. I got into a good pace and started smiling knowing I had passed the 100mile mark and was on the home stretch. I came across a bunch of lost riders on a road section at one point and just continued off onto the singletrack and thought nothing of it. A few miles later I popped onto a road and was momentarily confused on direction, but saw an arrow across the road and continued on the singletrack. This was the point that caught a number of riders that day. I got lucky.

I rolled back into the finish check and looked at the clock. It read 4:10. I looked at my notes and saw 4:27 so thought I had to wait before crossing. I got off my bike and was having a nice conversation with the scoring ladies until Mark came blasting through at the 4:15 mark and went straight across the check line. I asked him what was up and he told me I was late? I was supposed to get across at 4:12 and then had 15min to do bike work and get into impound. A mad dash across the line 3 mins late had me flustered. A quick filter change and gas, check bolts and the bike was in impound for another night’s sleep.

Mark was having issue with his bike. The starter button wasn’t working and he pushed it into impound (thankful of our parking spot) and said a prayer for day 2. As we walked back to the truck that night we found a guy selling burgers under an EZ up in that incredible heat. We each scored one of the best $5 burgers I have had in ages. It filled the hole nicely until we got back to Boise for the night.

A great supper in downtown Boise was had amongst some incredible scenery and a very vibrant downtown that was almost European. The rest of the night was spent pouring over online results and re-living how foolish I was to take a penalty for no good reason. I dropped from 2nd to 7th for the day due to that goof up.

Day 2 – repeat filling of ice and going to McDonalds for breakfast and a coffee. The drive out was much better on day 2 due to the fact that there was no bike race on the go that day.

We arrived at the site nice and early to fill fuel cans, re-pack the food bags with air filters, water and snacks. The course for the day had new times and a bit shorter distance so it was back to looking over the shoulders of Mark and Monty and copying times. I made certain to be clear on my final time only to discover that the 15 min rule doesn’t apply on the 2nd day. Back to rethinking why I am doing Enduro….

We lay low in the shade of the trailer and wait for our minute to be called to head into impound to retrieve our trusty (well mine and Monty’s are trusty) steeds. We roll them out and give them a once over before heading to the line for our minute. The temperature on Marks bike is reading 85F and its not even 10am. Our plan is in place, If Mark’s bike doesn’t start he heads back to the trailer to see what he can do to get up and running and Monty and I are held responsible for carrying the pride of Canada on our backs this day. 9:59 am clicks on the clock and Mark’s bike is a no go. Monty and I ride off into the dust and wish Mark the best.

First test is that blasted grass track 5 min in and its run backwards today (not that I could remember anything from day 1). I manage out the other side of the test and hammer my way towards the fast 7 mile test that finished day 1. I was trying to get flow and pass riders before the test to avoid the dust, but there was hardly anybody on the trail. Apparently the DNF rate was close to 50% at this year’s event. Day 2 was drastically down in numbers. I made it into the first test and felt I did much better with hardly anyone in front of me and I was feeling a bit fresh.

I made my first gas stop of the day with good time to catch up with Lee from minute 51 and talk smack about his riding partner that also pulled out after day 1. We waited in the shade and enjoyed the watermelon and bacon sandwiches that were being offered by the volunteers. Mark came screaming into the gas stop with a few minutes to spare and I helped where I could. Mark had passed Monty in the second test and was nowhere to be seen.

Mark and I pulled out of the gas stop on time with me in the lead as he enjoyed the last 59 seconds of his break before heading out. About 10 miles into this great section I clipped a stump that was hidden in the shade of a shrub. It hurt instantly and I almost went down but managed to keep it upright. I had trouble shifting gears for a while and was struggling with my pace. Thankfully this section of trail was my favorite bit from day 1 and I just enjoyed the ride and kept a watch on my time to see if I needed to pick up the pace.


I pulled into the second gas stop and caught my friend Lee just finishing up fueling his bike. I hadn’t caught him, but it was close. Some encouraging words were shared and we lined up for Nick to pump us full of water, carb gels, advil and hope.

Mark and I pulled out of fuel stop 2 together made our way through the most difficult transfer section of the day. The heat was brutal, the dust was bad and it was a long re-routed test in this section. I got held up by one gentleman picking his bike up off the ground and managed to squeeze by without knocking him over again.

Fuel stop 3 came just in time. Nick was once again there to help fuel our bodies and bikes. I managed a quick air filter change as the bike was starting to bog in the top end and gave the other bits a once over.

We pulled out of fuel stop 3 expecting a long trip home and to be tight for time given the button hook they threw at us on Day 1 with the final section. There was no special test in this section as they wanted to get the scoring done and awards finished early.

Mark and I arrived back at the final check with gobs of time to spare. There was a big pack riders laying in the shade waiting for their minutes to cross. The score keepers allowed us to pull through 15 minutes early if needed, but then I had to add, or follow Mark through and trust him…

The heat was incredible by this point. We rode over to turn in our transponders and get our money back and to look at results. There is something great about driving a dirtbike down the streets in town that we just don’t get to experience here in Canada. A review of results showed Mark and I had scored our gold medals for both days and that he had won his class for the day (lets be fair, he only had 3 riders left due to DNF’s in his class) and I had taken the 2nd place that I knew I deserved. We received our finisher medals and our gold stickers. They also had these really cool finisher stickers to boast about, and some DNF stickers for those less fortunate.

Back to the trailer and time to get out of this hot riding gear. My left foot was swollen and in incredible pain. I managed to get the boot off and immediately into an ice cold chest of water and ice for a long
time. More advil was administrated and cold water was used to replenish.
Monty came through ahead of his time and the grin on his face showed he had won his race, regardless of what the results said.

We managed to score another couple of burgers from the guy under the EZ up and get the trailer packed up for the long ride home. As I got into the truck the heat was incredible. I ran the truck for 5 minutes with AC before getting into it. I sat down and admired my coffee from the AM and grabbed the cup for a swig. The coffee was so hot in that cup it burned my lips.

Loaded up and ready to head home we awaited only one thing. The gas cans that we has shipped out in the morning. We debated leaving them, but instead went for ice cream and a shady spot to bench race with Lee and Nick until the trailer came back.

We traveled back to Boise and dropped Mark off at the holiday inn so that he could fly out the next morning to some fancy launch of a dirtbike brand where he was handed fancy new gear and hung with celebrities for the day. Meanwhile Monty and I headed back to the great white north with the cruise set just over 85mph and were home in time to put the kids to bed in Calgary and a quick trip to the emergency room for x-rays and a CT scan

The event was one of the most grueling things I have done physically and mentally in a very long time. The preparation of bike and rider was key, as well as having a drama free travelling team. Registration opens in April for next year and I am already thinking about what tires to run and how many air filters to bring.

A huge thanks to my family, friends and my sponsors supporting me on my crazy adventures.
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Dobi
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Re: 2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by Dobi »

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Re: 2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by Spinalguy »

Great write up!
You hurt? You just want to optimize your performance? Step inside...http://spinalguy.com

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Re: 2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by Ynot303 »

Spinalguy wrote:Great write up!
Ditto!
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Re: 2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by timbruce »

:thumbsup: Great Job guys! Thanks for posting Mike.

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Re: 2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by boland »

That was a good read! Thanks for taking the time to post that :applause:
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Re: 2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by Dakota_c69 »

:thumbsup:
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Re: 2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by thirtyseven »

Wicked
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Re: 2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by RJHenry »

boland wrote:That was a good read! Thanks for taking the time to post that :applause:
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Re: 2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by bombdrop »

Yup good write up and good read. :cheers:

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Re: 2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by Shibby! »

Awesome stuff Mike.

We were impressed with all of your results. Being through just one day of the 100 last year (117 miles - 4th place 30B), I knew I would struggle. It was about the same temperature this year so I knew what I was in for. Malcolmzilla made it easy for me when he convinced the girls at check-in to adjust our classes to the 50... Feeling sold out, I was in it to win it. Which I did. Sadly, the win doesn't feel as good when you only did 50 miles... of one day..

The subsequent days were far more enjoyable for riding than the person in our group who did the one day of 100 miles. I started to feel better.

Just to add more hurt to the storey, the trails last year were MUCH better. The last 50 (first 50 of day two) were not near as beat. So 50 really fun miles, then 50 of very whooped out, harsh miles.

Anybody who crosses that line deserves credit. It's not an easy race.

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Re: 2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by Dobi »

Thanks Quinn,
Great work on the overall for that class and day. I would liked to have had the chance to spend more time exploring the area after the race like you guys did. I don't think that would change my desire to do the full 100 miles x 2 :D

I am glad to hear that the trails vary that much from year to year. This year did have some whooped out sections and unfortunately the 50 miles you guys did on Sunday was not the best stuff they had to offer.

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Re: 2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by bikingagain »

Congrats, that was a great read. :thumbsup:
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Re: 2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by Dobi »


some video from one of my favorite scenery sections. Not my camera. I never seem to remember to wear mine.

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Re: 2016 Idaho City 100 ISDE Qualifier

Post by Dobi »

and here is the last test from day 1 that was sooooo fast.


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