Southeast - Mountains of Misery 2010 in the history books

It was a great event and a great ride though very scenic terrain - mostly in the Jefferson National Forest and New River Valley.

I started the weekend by riding the Wilderness Event on Saturday, staged out of Radford, which is also nice and scenic, and well supported. Met up with BikeWNC later on Saturday afternoon, and we had a great dinner buffet at the Inn at Va Tech. James DeMarco (I think that was his name) gave us a very detailed briefing on Sunday's event, and boy did he do a good job organizing and managing this event. Its really hard to imagine how an event can be better organized and supported. There were many volunteers and they were all engaged and active. It numbers among the best supported events that I have participated in.

The highlight of the event is, of course, that final climb up to the Mountain Lake Lodge. And, its not one to forget. No easier this year than last, 3.5 miles at a 12% average grade that starts right at the 99 mile point, with about 7500' already on the legs (the double metric riders have about 10K' on the legs). With a temperature in the upper 80's and humid, it was tough. Very tough. Of all the climbs I've done, this one remains the most difficult. But we ride these mountain events to experience the climbs, the ecstasy in conquering the peaks, and they don't get any better than this one.

We ran into jppe and jimF on Sunday morning at the Newport Recreation Center, and after dropping off our change of clothes bag we lined up for the start - 500 riders.

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People would be on the side of the road here and there, cheering us on.
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Patriotic barn.
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BikeWNC, at a time when our legs were still fresh.
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Rolling mountain valley terrain.
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The route was very scenic.
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We had right at 100 miles on our legs, we we were tired and hot, and the road tilts up - for 3.5 miles at a 12% average grade. It was tough.
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There was no more welcome sight than the finish, the cookout and food, talking to other riders, getting messages, cooling down, and starting the recovery process. Whew, tough ride.
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Thanks for the report, Neal! It was great seeing you and jppe there at the start. I "only" did the 100 mile route, but it was plenty. I felt good for most of the ride, but started getting some hamstring and groin cramps on the last climb. So I ended up walking the last quarter mile or so :( Oh well, it was a great day anyway. I'll have to try it again next year, to see if I can make it two out of three...

I also had some hamstring/groin cramps and, had to stop a couple times to shake out my leg. I usually don't have cramping issues but, I guess the heat and ride length worked on me. I thought I hydrated pretty well but, maybe not - I don't know. Fortunately they disappeared about half way up the final climb and I actually felt pretty good other than being too hot. But when the sun was bearing down on us it was really hot.

Jim, its still on my list to get up to the DC area and get a good ride in. We need to keep this in mind as the year progresses.

Sounds great. I was hoping to be at the finish to see if a friend could beat his record but it didn't work out. I wish I had known about the Wilderness ride earlier but didn't hear about it until a little mailer showed up in the mailbox the day before the event. Thanks for the report and pictures!

I had a great time, too. Rode the first 64 miles at a torrid pace (equal to 2009, when the weather and my conditioning were far more favorable), then ramped back for a while, as I didn't want to completely blow all of my energy before the Mountain Lake climb. But from the mile 94 rest stop (where I affixed the frame number to my bike and filled both bidons with ice), I managed to tap some reserve energy that propelled me to the finish. I rode the last 4 miles 9 minutes faster than in 2009 (11 faster than in 2008) and was pleased with the fact that those last miles were under the shade of trees and storm clouds.

T'was a great day in the saddle, and I can't wait for 2011!

Here's a glimpse of the pre-ride scene in the mist of Newport:

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I also had some hamstring/groin cramps and, had to stop a couple times to shake out my leg. I usually don't have cramping issues but, I guess the heat and ride length worked on me. I thought I hydrated pretty well but, maybe not - I don't know. Fortunately they disappeared about half way up the final climb and I actually felt pretty good other than being too hot. But when the sun was bearing down on us it was really hot.

Agreed, Neal: it was hot when the sun was out, and I was very, very grateful for the dark storm cloud that shaded the final climb.

Regarding the cramp: it's not just hydration, but electrolyte balance that can stave off the cramp. I had a bit of cramp unclipping from my pedal at the summit of John's Creek, after which I took some Endurolytes and a couple Tums tablets. I re-upped on the Tums at mile 94, and all was cramp-free otherwise. It's the first time I hadn't cramped on the final climb in three years of riding MoM, so I think I finally had the balance dialed in.

12%?

That sounds pretty miserable.

12%?

That sounds pretty miserable.

That's just the average grade over the last bit. It tops out around 16%.

There's another climb at mile 60 (on the century route) that tops out around 17-18%.

Yup - miserable. And a helluva rush when you finish it.

I took in 10 or 11 Clifs shot bloks, which i thought would do me for electrolytes, but I guess not. Normally I'm not a heed or gatorade person. Might have to try it next time though...

I did drink Heed on this ride, and some Perpetuam also. I also took some Enduralytes but, this was at the Newport rest stop which was probably a bit late in the game. I am going buy some Enduralytes and start taking them early, even before and during long rides per the instructions, and perhaps add in Songfta's Tums approach.

Historically I don't cramp on rides but, do tend to have leg muscle cramps on the drive back home. Something about sitting in the car for long periods. I made a habit of stopping about every 40 miles to get out and stretch the legs.

I was impressed with the number of females riding this event. It seems as if we're seeing more and more on these event rides.

@Jim: Clif Shot Bocks are a great source of calories and some electrolytes (the Margarita flavor ones are especially high in sodium). However, they don't make a great sole source for the latter. Supplements (Endurolytes or Tums), sports drinks (Gatorade, HEED, Cytomax, et al), foods (peanut butter, pickles, bananas) and even some salt added to water help in this regard.

I rode with two bottles at MoM. One was filled with a "slurry" (a concentrated mix of five scoops of Perpetuem, five scoops of HEED and a pinch or two of sea salt, mixed with some ice and kept in an insulated bottle to keep it cool and prevent fermentation) that I'd drink every 30 minutes or so (it's very high in calories and electrolytes and digests easily). The second had HEED, which I'd drink every 15 minutes (or more frequently if I was thirsty). The slurry bottle didn't get refilled during the day, save for a lot of ice at the mile 94 rest stop. The HEED bottle was replenished twice (top of John's Creek and at the Newport Rec Center, with an ice top at mile 84). I supplemented this liquid intake with cups of drink at the aforementioned rest stops.

This was supplemented with gels, PB&J, bananas and orange wedges during the day.

@Neal: Yes, it's best to proactively take on electrolytes before a long endurance event, especially one where the heat and humidity provide extra challenge. So take a few Endurolytes and a Tums about 30 minutes before the event, then replenish as needed during.

Regarding cramp prevention after the event, I recommend getting a massage if one is available. The first place I went after claiming my bad & t-shirt, drinking a recovery shake, and cleaning myself off, was the massage table at Mountain Lake. 30 minutes of deep tissue rub down makes post-ride recovery a lot less painful - and it makes the long drive much, much easier and less cramp filled.

And yes, I also saw more women at MoM than in the past, as well as fewer folks on tri/TT bikes (a setup that makes little sense on such a hilly course, given the steep geometry and less-than-ideal gearing that's on most tri/TT setups).

Good information songfta. Obviously a more aggressive hydration/nutrition regimen that I have been employing. I will have to keep this in mind on my next century, which happens to be this Sunday (Fletcher Flyer).

I see you have ridden the Mountain Mama out of Monterey. I'd be interested in your take on it. I hear its pretty tuff. I try to get in several Va event rides during the year. Monterey is a bit of a drive but, this event does have its appeal.

Great seeing and catching up with everyone at MoM. I too experienced cramps on the last climb severe enough to stop just before the last rest stop and allowed 10-12 folks to ease on past! When I restarted several minutes later I got cramps in a different spot and could hardly straighten my leg to pedal. It hurt like the dickens but I just pushed on through it but feared I might pull a muscle. My legs are still pretty sore in those spots......

I started taking endurolyte supplements several days prior to the event and probably took at least 10 during the ride. This was along with drinking sports drinks but I did not supplement them with sodium. I'm prone to cramping so this wasn't completely unexpected. I had some margarita blocks but didn't take any as sometimes they will upset my stomach.

I'm still waiting on my wife to download the pics she took. I'll get those posted whenever she gets around to it. Don't wait on them though!

Neal-hope to see you in Fletcher. Right now I don't have a bike as my Trek is on its way to Colorado and the Prince is in the shop getting the shifter fixed. I'm hoping it will be ready by Friday/Saturday. My only other option is doing it on my TT bike but the furtherest I've ridden on it is 40 miles.

thanks for the electroylte advice. I will "heed" it (ha ha, see what I did there?)

Neal, I did Mountains Mamas last year, and I personally found it harder than MoM, although I've heard the opposite from others. I think the main difference is there isn't anything like the really steep/long climbs in MoM (except for shortish rollers), but there are a ton of 5-6-7 mile climbs at 7-10%. I was really worn out by the end of the day.

Probably do it again though :)

Regarding Mountain Mama: I tend to find it easier, but I think that has more to do with having had better conditioning going into the ride (e.g. more long rides, more hills). For many riders, Mama is more of a challenge because there is less opportunity to rest and recharge between climbs - a fair assessment. Needless to say, Mountain Mama is a challenging ride.

You can see my Garmin data (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/10400647) from last year to get an idea of the terrain profile: the climbs are longer and more gradual than on Misery for sure, and there are more of them (9 substantial climbs plus rollers vs. 2 substantial climbs plus rollers at MoM). It's typically hotter at Mama, though this year's weather at MoM was exceptionally hot compared to past years - and Mama is higher in elevation, on average, so it tends to feel cooler at the beginning and end.

One thing is certain: it's a different vibe of a ride. Mountain Mama is a lot more laid back, more rootsy. Comparatively speaking, MoM is more of a sportive/fondo compared to Mountain Mama, which isn't timed (though there is a group start for Mama so that the county sheriff can assist with traffic control over the first two climbs and descents).

I hope this helps!

That's just the average grade over the last bit. It tops out around 16%.

There's another climb at mile 60 (on the century route) that tops out around 17-18%.

Yup - miserable. And a helluva rush when you finish it.

Yah. I've recorded the profile twice (2007 and 2009) on a Garmin and seen peaks of 21% on the final climb when you go through a steep switchback. That's so unbelievable that I didn't believe it, until another rider told me at the top that he'd seen the same numbers. After the recording averages out the peaks, it seems to be more about 18% and the climb at mile 60 almost that steep.

I got miserable IT band pain on MoM in 2009 and have been struggling with it since.....a year! So, I'm headed back to the orthopedic to schedule the lateral release surgery, and hope to be back at MoM in 2011.

LOL, when we started up the John's Ck climb at mile 60 Neal said not to worry it was like a 5% average climb. Needless to say there was some cussing on my part. Neal didn't remember the climb being that steep. How could anyone forget? :notamused: