This was my first race since the Tour Divide last year. The plan was to take my learnings from that race and apply them with a fresher headspace. I was also planning on riding through the night for the first time during this race.
I set out a week before the grand depart, since I wasn't able to get signed up in time for it. That meant this was entirely a solo experience. I saw the tire tracks of one other ITTer, but otherwise no signs of cyclists doing this route.
My bike setup for Stagecoach was pretty much identical to the Tour Divide, with a few minor exceptions:
- No dynamo hub, Kovee XXX wheelset instead
- Outbound Lighting Detour front light instead of dynamo light
- Replaced my homemade rear bag with a Tailfin CargoPack
- A working bike computer mount
- Salsa Salt carbon flat bars
Other important components of my gear included:
- Enlightened Equipment 30F quilt
- Borah Gear bivvy
- Therm-a-Rest XLite half-length pad (more patches than pad)
The Stagecoach 400 is a route with many different portions, which I appreciated a lot, since it meant I was able to break the race up mentally.
The route starts in Idyllwild, CA, a small mountain town which is a common stop for PCT hikers. I hadn't come through it on my hike, but had heard tales of the Benevolent Mayor Max III, the golden retriever who is the true head of the town. Unfortunately, the 6:30am departure meant I again missed the chance to meet this PCT icon.
From the mountains it descends (with plenty of climbing mixed in) into San Diego. The ride through San Diego is mostly paved and flat, though there's a good portion of grubby urban singletrack mixed in on either end, which I found exhausting. The first portion of the race went well. I kept it broadly in control, with only a single small spill into a soft pile of dirt descending into the first gas station. I was moving pretty efficiently, but ended up not eating or drinking enough, so I spent most of the easy miles in San Diego recuperating with chocolate milk from the numerous gas stations.
Climbing out of San Diego, after leaving the singletrack behind, followed some perfect dirt roads which made gaining elevation in the dark far easier than it could have been. The major resupply during this portion was Alpine. Unfortunately the gas station on route wasn't 24 hours as advertised, and after much hemming and hawing I decided to go off route to another gas station for a frozen cheeseburger and a pretty significant resupply. If I hadn't done this, I don't think I would have finished the race.
Unfortunately the cheeseburger made me very sleepy, and I took a two-hour nap on the side of the dirt road about 30 minutes after Alpine; there goes my possibility of riding through the night. I think this nap was critical though, since I managed to feel mostly alert for the remainder of the next day.
The singletrack around Cuyamaca Rancho State Park was brutal, but fortunately the sun had started to rise, and I was treated to a massive descent down into the Anza-Borrego desert. None of the resupplies were available through this portion, but I had enough food to make it to Ocotillo Wells.
The desert portion of this route was my major concern going in. I don't typically like the heat, and I'd heard that large portions of this route could be unrideable with the amount of sand. The portion heading towards Ocotillo Wells, however, was largely rideable, if fatiguing. The mud canyons were incredible and provided excellent shade for the morning sun.
Reaching the OHV area, much of the shade went away and the washboard began. I hate washboard; the width of the road makes you think you can find a line that is smooth, but it's almost always as bad as the one you had just left. I ran out of water towards the end of the OHV area, but with a market in sight, kept pushing and reached the market in Ocotillo Wells thirsty but in adequate spirits.
A quick ice cream, snack, and water refill in Ocotillo Wells carried me quickly to Borrego Springs, where I again resupplied on the same cold drinks and melt-proof snacks before heading up towards Coyote Canyon. Having a vest with cold water in it was critical on this ride. I was frequently spraying it on my arms and bibs, which provided some necessary relief from the heat.
I thought it was hot and sandy earlier, but this next portion was some of the most brutal travel I have ever had to do on a bike. I pushed my bike through a deep sandy road for an hour before pushing it up an overgrown creek for another 30 minutes, followed by another hour and a half of pushing my bike through more sand. My Coros read 117F during this. Pushing my bike in the creek was honestly a relief, and I sat in the creek to mentally reset a few times.
Again low on water, I barely missed the closing of the market at the trailer park in Anza. However the owner was still closing up and was so kind as to reopen it, and I got to pet the cats while I chugged some chocolate milk.
Sunset on the way into Idyllwild was gorgeous. I was pushing pace the rest of the ride to try to make it under 39 hours. I missed it, which was heartbreaking, but it is what it is. The singletrack climb to the top, while arduous, was close enough to the end to not be mentally terrible.
My placement compared to the other racers the following weekend is unclear. There was a point system for visiting POIs which heavily impacted the placing. A bit of a bummer, since I think I probably would have been competitive.
All in all, I was glad that I did this race, and will probably be back next year, hopefully to race in the grand depart. I learned a lot about resilience, particularly with respect to being willing to push my bike, which would turn out to come in handy in both the Tour de Los Padres as well as Unbound XL.
