OC Classic: Aliso and Wood Canyons

Cougar

Cougar

Well-Known Member
Hey all,

The OC Classic series (Nondotadventures) Aliso race is approaching. May 16th is the actual race, and the pre-ride for this race is this Saturday the 9th at 9am.
<a class="postlink" href="http://nondotadventures.com/home/races/aliso/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://nondotadventures.com/home/races/aliso/</a>

I'm planning on racing this again (go go Beginner Men 30-39!) this year, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how much I improved over last year. Last year I raced this as my first race ever, had only been riding for 4 months (ever) at that point, and hadn't yet cleaned Mathis. I barely squeaked in under 60min last year, and while I don't have a time goal per-say this year, I will be massively disappointed if I don't beat last years time by more than a smidgen.

Last year: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.strava.com/activities/136916167" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.strava.com/activities/136916167</a> (Official time was slightly shorter than the Strava time (thankfully!))

Who else is going to be out there?
 
I'll be out on Catalina... Probably cursing the 8,000+ feet of climbing. :-)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
For those running the course or considering :

I will be leading a group ride through the super sport and under loops Satuday. Come on out.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.meetup.com/Pure-Ride-Cycles-Lake-Forest/events/222261522/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.meetup.com/Pure-Ride-Cycles- ... 222261522/</a>
 
Rain in the forecast. Up to an inch of rain in the two days before the race. The ground is so dry I'm hoping it sops it all up likity split, but who knows. It might look more like a cross race at the end if it doesn't! (okay okay, it won't be THAT muddy, but still :P)
 
Just got an email from Missy; the race is postponed. They don't have a new date yet, they need to work with the rangers today to get a new date.

Now I can go back to enjoying the rain rather than cursing it for being a mud race tomorrow :)
 
Cougar said:
Just got an email from Missy; the race is postponed. They don't have a new date yet, they need to work with the rangers today to get a new date.

Now I can go back to enjoying the rain rather than cursing it for being a mud race tomorrow :)
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You could have done Catalina and Aliso! ;-)
 
Ride up Baldy to watch the Lycra bunch speed past faster going uphill than most of us can do it downhill.
 
Just got an email from Missy; this race has been rescheduled for Sunday July 19th.

Nondot usually doesn't race on Sunday's, but apparently Aliso is pretty booked this summer. Thankfully I can make the new date, gotta keep my points racing hopes alive for a series podium! hehe
 
hey cougar at what time, hopefully I can go and cheer for you, and check out a race in person now that I have sun off !!
 
jaime said:
hey cougar at what time, hopefully I can go and cheer for you, and check out a race in person now that I have sun off !!
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All of the info is here:

<a class="postlink" href="http://nondotadventures.com/home/races/aliso/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://nondotadventures.com/home/races/aliso/</a>
 
This race is coming up this Sunday. This is the new delayed race date.

I'm going to go out there, but I'm going to be points racing more than actually racing (which is a shame, this is the one race I might have been competitive in). I'm unsure how my hand will hold up to Rock-It, and I won't test it till Saturday morning (to try and give it as much rest as possible).
 
I'll be out there at the top of Meadows, then over to the top of Rock-It.

Looks like we may get a bit of rain on Saturday....might make the conditions perfect.
 
I'm trying to clear my schedule to hit this one. I did notice that all of the "event" signs were up when we rode there this past weekend. Still not looking forward to climbing Mathis........ :evil:
 
Wow, what a yucky race, haha.

It was extremely hot and humid today from all the moisture in the ground and in the air. There was a surprisingly big turn out for the race, given the threat of cancellation and the rescheduled nature of it all. As always the nondot crew (and volunteers!) did an excellent job!

I was really happy with my performance today, especially given the month loss of fitness. I finished 5th in my class (of 11), and blew my time from the previous year out of the water (59:44 last year, 54:14 this year). I was 4 minutes off the podium (which was a tight - to the wire - finish between the top 3).
11754845_10153439867416257_7169549024119403719_o.jpg


There was some mud out there, which left the bike pretty dirty (although I saw bikes that fared much worse than mine).
11698921_10153439614186257_415961169673764284_o.jpg


Outside of the humidity, the dirt conditions were great. My hand held up extremely well (even managed to PR Mathis... wtf am I doing PR'ing Mathis in a race), and only missed my PR on Rock-It by 20s or so.

I did see J early on as he was on his way up to the top of Meadows (even if I did have to chase him down to say "hi" :P), but I didn't recognize anyone else out there.

My wife was awesome, and brought our three kids to the finish line to cheer me to the finish line. She's also a near-pro photographer and snapped a pic of me approaching the line.
11202668_10153143777754531_8292893011120703287_n.jpg


[strava]http://www.strava.com/activities/349502202/embed/7f2d552e1c15d7c6e1b9a98336685ccc1933c4b6[/strava]
 
Nice job out there. 5 mins...is a big gap, especially since you really haven't been riding lately. Think how much quicker you would have been if you were able to open it up going down RockIt.

Sorry about this morning....I was a bit tuned out.

It was pretty rough out there.

I drew the short straw and go to man the top of Meadows. I rarely ride Aliso, so I was kinda looking forward to giving Meadows a go. Immediately it was apparent just how nasty the conditions were going to be today. Got to the bottom of Meadows and started the climb up. The dirt was soft and wet. As I went up it became more and more sticky. Finally about 1/3 the way up it started sticking to the tires. At that point it was HAB. It was 7:15 and I was drenched. The racers came through pretty quickly and with a small pool of Pro/Experts I didn't have to hang out very long. Last rider went through, so I headed back down Meadows. It was much better down than up.

I was supposed to head over and help my wife out at the top of Rock It. Got to the bottom of Mathis and was pretty GungHo...That quickly faded as well. HOT, HUMID, STICKY. At least the dirt was good. Past by a bunch of the other volunteers....good to see them. Made it to my wife and she immediately asked if I had any extra water. A rider was with her and suffering from the heat. I only had 2 bottles on me...both had Tailwind in them....and one was almost empty. I gave him my full bottle. Then gave him the rest from my other bottle.

At this point things went bad. Got a call from one of the organizers....someone reported a crash at the top of Rock It, and to go down and check it out. Got down where the ST starts and there was a rider balled up in the bushes. Another volunteer was already there. When the middle aged rider was asked his name and how old he was, she spewed out a a name and said he was 6....Not good...time to call 911. Shortly after, one of the Non Dot racers, who is an EMT came by. Fire Dept. showed up as well as the rangers, followed by the helicopter. So he got a chopper ride to the hospital. Not injured but suffering from sun stoke/heat stroke.

Bravo to those of you who raced. Today conditions were pretty tough.
 
Ugh, I saw the chopper pic on your instagram and was afraid it was from the race. Always sorry to hear about problems like that during an event :(

Thanks for volunteering, although that climb up Meadows sounded awful.
 
Nice job to all the racers - it was brutal out there.

I was sooooo late to my post. I underestimated how long it would take me to drive from Murrieta to Aliso Viejo. I had to run to my post (all the racers had past me before I reached the bottom of Mathis/Aliso Creek). I was drenched!!

Felt badly for the guys suffering from dehydration and/or Heat Exhaustion. It ain't to be taken lightly. My own daughter almost passed out by the time she reached our post.

How come I can't remember ever suffering from these conditions?? Is the sun just getting hotter (that's a rhetorical question :D )
 
One of those who got the privilege to race the Expert loop today...climbing Meadows added weight as the dirt stuck to the tires. Definitely rideable without doing damage to the trail, it was about the top 1/8" that was loose enough...thanks to the small cheering section at the top of Meadows...you know its hot and sticky when the sun is out, your socks are squishy, and there appears to be fog in the Canyon bottom. The rest of the race was just trying to push as hard as the conditions (and ability) allowed, making up a few places from those who slowed down later in the race...but couldn't catch the podium...maybe if I could actually clean Mentally Sensitive instead of having the KOM for running the middle section...but that ain't gonna happen.

One of our teammates stopped at the Rock-it turnoff on his second sport lap, suffering from heatstroke/exhaustion. He ended up catching a ride back to the start/finish with some of our people who had gotten up to cheer the race on via the top of Cholla. Unfortunately, his early attempt to rehydrate while curled up in the shade of a scrub brush ended up with him hurling everything back up...too much, too quickly. The good news is we got down the hill, and started rehydrating slowly so his body could absorb it. He was in much better shape than the person who was lifted out, but he's going to feel it until the body recovers. Next time, we might just run over to the quick-care for a quick IV...might be better.

Anyway, kudos to everyone who raced and looked after our fellow racers out there. Great turnout and am looking forward to the next race. At least it wasn't the Oaks race this weekend (add 10-15 degrees and keep the humidity).

Oh, and the wife ended up winning the Sport Women's class...so I get to hear about that forever... :mrgreen:
 
Congrats Cougar and Dan, and major props to those who helped. Sounds like the little local park turned into a brutal test of wills, skills and perseverance. Also sounds like a few persevered right over the line. Oh and congrats to Mrs. Dan! Healing vibes to all who suffered today.
 
MnMDan said:
One of those who got the privilege to race the Expert loop today...climbing Meadows added weight as the dirt stuck to the tires. Definitely rideable without doing damage to the trail, it was about the top 1/8" that was loose enough...thanks to the small cheering section at the top of Meadows...you know its hot and sticky when the sun is out, your socks are squishy, and there appears to be fog in the Canyon bottom. The rest of the race was just trying to push as hard as the conditions (and ability) allowed, making up a few places from those who slowed down later in the race...but couldn't catch the podium...maybe if I could actually clean Mentally Sensitive instead of having the KOM for running the middle section...but that ain't gonna happen.

One of our teammates stopped at the Rock-it turnoff on his second sport lap, suffering from heatstroke/exhaustion. He ended up catching a ride back to the start/finish with some of our people who had gotten up to cheer the race on via the top of Cholla. Unfortunately, his early attempt to rehydrate while curled up in the shade of a scrub brush ended up with him hurling everything back up...too much, too quickly. The good news is we got down the hill, and started rehydrating slowly so his body could absorb it. He was in much better shape than the person who was lifted out, but he's going to feel it until the body recovers. Next time, we might just run over to the quick-care for a quick IV...might be better.

Anyway, kudos to everyone who raced and looked after our fellow racers out there. Great turnout and am looking forward to the next race. At least it wasn't the Oaks race this weekend (add 10-15 degrees and keep the humidity).

Oh, and the wife ended up winning the Sport Women's class...so I get to hear about that forever... :mrgreen:
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:clap: :clap: :wave: :wave:
 
Talk about the total lack of correct information from the media:

As someone that was there....the info released was so wrong or incomplete.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.ocregister.com/articles/trail-672478-park-niguel.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.ocregister.com/articles/trai ... iguel.html</a>

LAGUNA NIGUEL – A mountain biker found lying at the side of a steep trail in Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park on Sunday was being airlifted to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, fire officials said.

The bicylist – between 30 to 40 years old – was found at around 9 a.m. by a group of mountain bikers. He was semiconscious on the side of Rock-it Trail, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi.

Paramedics could not initially determine the cause of his fall, Concialdi said.

It is also unclear if he was part of a pro-race event planned in the Laguna Niguel park Sunday.

The pro/expert field of racers were set to go up and down some of the most legendary trails in the park including Rock-It. The route included going up Meadows Trail and down Mentally Sensitive, then up Mathis Canyon Trail and down Rock-it to Coyote Run. The race was set to start on a trail unknown to many, the Aliso Creek East trail, directly across the street from Laguna Niguel Regional Park at the bike crossing on Alicia Parkway. Those trails were closed for the race from 7 until 10:30 a.m.

Concialdi cautioned mountain bikers to ride with a buddy, carry water and have a charged cell phone.

“It is unknown how long he was lying there,” Concialdi said. “If there had been someone with him, they could have called for help quicker.”
 
Email sent to the 'reporter'...makes it sound like the rider was just laying out there without anyone caring. Also doesn't sound like anything was second-sourced (I dunno...contact Non-Dot or OC Parks?).

Journalism fail.
 
After hardly touching my bike since the last OTH, I showed as one of the 5 women racing Sport. I was happy since I was guaranteed a top 5 finish :lol: Immediately the first 3 bolted out of the gate. I did ok until we hit Mathis. Then I got hot, and kept getting hotter. I finally stopped to catch my breath, and from there on out was just in survival mode. After going up Mathis once I told myself I would just enjoy my run down rock-it, stop and chat with Rox for a bit, and then go DNF. BUT, it always happens I got to the turnoff and headed back up Mathis. Most of it was walking. I stripped off my helmet, pads, and was still dripping. Should have doused myself with water at the bottom where the table was. Somehow I made it up that second time, and cruised over to Rock-it. That's when I came up to the downed rider at the Rock-It single track. He had about 4 people around him, but I asked if they needed help anyway. They asked if I had water. I stopped and emptied my camel back on him, and tried to provide shade until the ranger arrived and OC Fire was in sight. The sweep rolled up then so I figured I'd go ahead and finish. The rest of the race was a blast. I love this race series because when else can you really bomb down the trails: NEVER.
Overall I'm happy with my 5th place finish. It was brutal out there :)
As they say in yoga: honor your body.
Congrats to Mrs. Dan on the win. These people racing are all lightning fast.
 
Aviatrix said:
After hardly touching my bike since the last OTH, I showed as one of the 5 women racing Sport. I was happy since I was guaranteed a top 5 finish :lol: Immediately the first 3 bolted out of the gate. I did ok until we hit Mathis. Then I got hot, and kept getting hotter. I finally stopped to catch my breath, and from there on out was just in survival mode. After going up Mathis once I told myself I would just enjoy my run down rock-it, stop and chat with Rox for a bit, and then go DNF. BUT, it always happens I got to the turnoff and headed back up Mathis. Most of it was walking. I stripped off my helmet, pads, and was still dripping. Should have doused myself with water at the bottom where the table was. Somehow I made it up that second time, and cruised over to Rock-it. That's when I came up to the downed rider at the Rock-It single track. He had about 4 people around him, but I asked if they needed help anyway. They asked if I had water. I stopped and emptied my camel back on him, and tried to provide shade until the ranger arrived and OC Fire was in sight. The sweep rolled up then so I figured I'd go ahead and finish. The rest of the race was a blast. I love this race series because when else can you really bomb down the trails: NEVER.
Overall I'm happy with my 5th place finish. It was brutal out there :)
As they say in yoga: honor your body.
Congrats to Mrs. Dan on the win. These people racing are all lightning fast.
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I admire and respect you all for racing - I don't have what it takes to race. I'm in total awe watching the strength and reaching deep inside to just finish let alone compete. Seeing racers grimace (and some grins) as they ride by tells the story....

Thank you for saving my daughter w your Shot Blocks as well Kells. She was the next victim to the elements.
 
I enjoyed the dirt, the heat, the humidity, the climb, the descent, the final push on potholes, and the wooden medal @ the end (and the socks too).
Can't wait to do it again ;-)
 
ridinrox said:
I admire and respect you all for racing - I don't have what it takes to race. I'm in total awe watching the strength and reaching deep inside to just finish let alone compete. Seeing racers grimace (and some grins) as they ride by tells the story....

Thank you for saving my daughter w your Shot Blocks as well Kells. She was the next victim to the elements.
Click to expand...

Post of the month nominee, for sure! Summed it up beautifully. :clap: :thumbup:
 
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