Tour de la Patagonia
Overall Time: 9:16:10
Placing: 1st Open Women, 23rd Overall
By Rebecca Rusch (courtesy of singletrack.com)
Stage 1: Feb. 12
Route: San Martin de los Andes to Hua Hum, along the shores of Lago Lacar
Distance: 49 km
Time: 2:31:51
As with most South American races I’ve been to, the start resembles a dance party with pulsing music and a chaotic energy. The race was a mass start with 700 people, broken into two start groups: open men followed by everyone else 15 minutes later.
With that many riders, it was a good way to start the field to avoid unnecessary congestion. The controlled start rolled through the picturesque town of San Martin de los Andes, but within minutes turned uphill as the lead motorcycle peeled off. The hill was a wake up call, and all the mixed teams started pushing and towing just minutes into the race.
My teammate Heidi Volpe’s anxiety was high and she started really, really fast. I had some initial pangs of insecurity about my winter season fitness, but we quickly found a rhythm on the first climb and settled into a good race pace. We entered the singletrack with the top mixed teams and got really excited about the technical terrain. Our flow was disrupted when we quickly came across the back of the men’s field. Our clean, unrestricted lines near the front of the pack vanished and the rest of the stage was a video game of passing and dodging traffic. It made for some interesting riding and even more interesting communications.
Heidi and I were skirting around people and moving through the field quickly. I have to admit, it does make you feel ultra fast to pass hundreds of people in a bike race. Neither of us speaks much Spanish, so we threw around Spanglish phrases and added lots of “gracias” for good measure. For the most part, all the guys were extremely nice about letting us pass and were somewhat astonished as two female riders ripped by. There are some great athletes in Argentina, but the ratio of male to female racers is still quite disproportionate. Much of my inspiration for racing in South America is to act as a role model and encourage the local female riders to develop their skills and get out on the trails.
For our first ride EVER together, Heidi and I fell into a smooth rhythm quickly. She hammered hard and we communicated about pacing, passing, and strategies to work the course. We worked the drafting, did a little pushing and got to the finish line sandwiched between the 1st and 2nd place mixed teams. At a time of 2:31, the stage was super short for us, but we were laughing and passing tons of people on the sweet singletrack sections that day.
Stayed at a picturesque lakeside camp with 700 other racers and our friends from San Martin who are following the race. Their kids even made special flags with our names on them that they waved at the start. After the stage, the bike and body maintenance began. We washed our bikes and bodies in the frigid lake, got a great massage (a gift), the Specialized dealer, Adventure Store, had mechanics on hand to dial in the bikes so we could just relax, drink mate and refuel.
Stage 2
Route: Hua Hum, Argentina into Chile for a brief time and ending in Lago Verde in Argentina
Distance: Approximately 70 km broken into two stages
Time: 3:59:02
This stage was 12 hours of logistics and travel for four hours of racing. The pre-dawn start was a neutral 16 km rollout to the ferry launch for a 90 minute ride across Lago Pirehueico. The entire ferry was jammed with bikes and athletes trying to stay warm and snoozing before the start of the real racing. After disembarking, we lined up for another mass start, this time with the top 50 percent of the field.
It was a high-speed roadie start on sketchy gravel roads with about 350 people jockeying for position. We’d been up for six hours already and people were jonesing to get on their bikes and pedal fast. The group was moving along rapidly at about 40 km per hour and Heidi and I were just mainlining position and being super alert. Rocks were flying around and the traction was a bit like surfing around the corners.
Add into the mix occasional bridges with broken boards, tire sized slots, no guard rails and you have a recipe for disaster. About 15 minutes into the race, we’d already had numerous close calls when the crash happened. A couple of riders near Heidi got squirrely, touched tires and took out about five other racers, including Heidi.
I was in front of her but heard the mayhem and pulled to the side to see if she was involved. Hundreds of other racers and most of the field flew by and when the dust cleared, I could see Heidi’s red Specialized kit rolling towards me. She was upright, but not uninjured.
We rode on and began working to pass people back and get onto a train for this mostly dirt road stage. Her elbow and knee were dripping blood, her team kit was torn and there was blood on her race number. She’s incredibly tough, so we just kept riding and worked through the field. We never regained our position with the top peleton, but we got through the first part of the stage in decent position.
This is where the South American culture came in. The 70 km stage was broken into two separate race sections with a mandatory 90-minute break in the town of Liquine so racers could have the traditional giant mid-day meal. It was the strangest thing I’d ever seen and I’m not sure why we did not just keep riding, but it was part of the rules.
People were splayed across a park area, buying plates of pasta, eating chips and socializing. I used the opportunity to clean Heidi’s wounds with my Adventure Medical Kit and take stock of our situation. She was bruised and her shorts and jersey pockets were full of gravel. Most of her injuries were not threatening, but the cut on her elbow was deep, wide and would require stitches. However, she could continue the stage.
Some of the other riders in the crash were not so lucky. There were multiple injuries including a broken hand, ribs and shoulder dislocation. I cleaned her up as best as I could and put butterfly bandages on the wound to keep it from stretching wider. We wrapped it and then put her arm warmer over the injury to keep the bandages in place.
The second stage for the day was about 40 km, mostly uphill. Heidi and I did really well with the multi-hour climb and finished this stage just behind the top mixed team. Our camp spot was another beautiful lakeside setting on Lago Verde with volcanic rock and black sand beaches. Our group of friends all went to work on Heidi’s arm cleaning while we waited for the doctor who would be able to stitch her up to arrive.
We had some really qualified mountain guides and outdoor professionals among our group and we did a decent job of getting it clean and prepped for her stitches. Heidi never once flinched as we scrubbed and pulled at her skin. She got three stitches from the doctor and the green light to race for the last stage.
Stage 3
Distance: 67 km
Time: 2:45:17
Stage 3 started in reverse order of placing in groups of 25 teams at 5 minute intervals. We were ranked 23rd in the overall, so we started with the last and fastest group.
The start was a beach run through the black sand and out to the road. The small start group was a joy for about 10 minutes. That’s when we started catching the slower groups and for about 90 minutes, we again spent our time working through the field and eventually passing about 650 people of varying skill levels.
It was a fairly wide dirt road, but packed side-to-side with racers and also sprinkled with those sketchy broken bridges just to keep you on your toes. We spent most of this stage again practicing our Spanglish words for passing. Heidi took a few risks and threaded the needle a couple of times. The dust from being behind so many racers was gathering in our lungs and on our faces. You can see from the photos how much Argentine dust we were really eating.
After most of the passing was done, we fell into a good peleton of about four teams for a long road section. It was difficult to try to get the group to work together and swap leads. In fact, it was impossible, so Heidi and I just sat on the back of the train for about 30 minutes to eat and recover. On all the uphill rollers, each team would split from the group and begin towing and pushing their teammate. Heidi and I were doing the same. We had a great rhythm down and I was more than happy to do the towing. She thanked me about a billion times for helping her out. I finally had to cut her off and tell her that I am the one who should be thanking her.
I came to Argentina for some hard training and these uphill pulls and sitting with my face in the wind is exactly what I wanted to be doing. Those efforts will absolutely pay off in the height of the season in July and August. Once the road turned downhill, Heidi and I cranked into the big gears and dropped our little peleton. We rode the rest of the stage alone and finished with about 5km of fun singletrack as icing on the cake.
I let Heidi lead for this last part because she rips on descents and because she had been breathing my dust all day. I have a great mental image just before the finish of her riding in her bright red Specialized jersey through a giant field of purple wildflowers. I took a mental picture and was sad to see the race come to a close.
We had a great time riding together and an even better time connecting with the cycling community down there. I will miss hearing “vamos Chicas, vamos!” when I’m riding.
I was super inspired by the level of riders down there and also the strength of the women’s and mixed fields. We made some great friends and I’m already making plans to go back down there to help organize Argentina’s first 24-hour mountain bike race! Stay tuned for details.
South America Winter Training Camp
South America Winter Training Camp
Three weeks down, one to go!
I am in my final days of a month long training and racing camp in the lakes district of Patagonian Argentina and Chile. This is my first winter cycling excursion in this part of the world and it has been a fantastic way to get in some early season riding and connect with the ultra friendly and cycling fanatic community down here. I have honestly never felt so welcome in a foreign place and have never experienced such varied riding in such a condensed area. There are bike parks, jumps, sweeping single track and long adventure rides all around here. The scenery is a mix of Lake Tahoe and Yosemite Valley all wrapped into one. I have also been semi-adopted by a wonderful Argentina family who loves to ride, ski and be outside every day. It’s quite a paradise.
However, a month is a long time to be away from home and I am missing Idaho a wee bit. I’ll be home in the snow by next week, but first I have one more race to top off the training. I already did the Trans Andes and won the women’s division for that six day race. Next, I am racing a three day stage race called Tour de la Patagonia. By the time I leave here, I will have crossed the Argentina/Chile border 7 times! They are starting to question me at the border crossings about my wanderings.
I’m competing in The Tour as Los Chicas de Specialized (team #318) with Heidi Volpe from the US. Heidi and I have never raced together and she is not a pro athlete. But she’s fast and experienced and we are doing this event together as a media and training event. We’re both writing a few stories on our adventure and also hoping to keep spreading the enthusiasm for female cyclists in this part of the world. Heidi’s husband and well-known photographer, Michael Darter, is also with us on the trip so we’re getting some great photos and videos to add to the experience. It’s a long way to travel down here, but we all agree that it’s worth the effort.
There are rumored to be nearly 500 two person teams signed up for this race. It’s only the second year for this event, but it’s already one of the best attended and most prestigious mountain bike races in the country. The format of the race consists of three cross country length stages, interspersed with glorious lakeside camping sites, a ferry ride and two border crossings. The majority of the competitors compete for the travel and camping experience, but there is also a top echelon of serious athletes who will be racing for stage wins and the overall title. We are told that we will also be racing against a Giant women’s team and a Trek women’s team, so it will be the battle of the big bike companies!
The stages are relatively short for Heidi and me and I cannot envision 1000 people in a mass start trying to dive into a single track trail. However, we’ll just take it as it comes. We’ve discussed race strategy, dialed in our S-Works Eras and packed all of our camping gear for three days. No matter how prepared we attempt to be, there are still quite a few unanswered questions about the course, the terrain, the logistics, our competition and how the whole experience will unfold. Part of the excitement of these foreign stage races is the unknown adventure that lies ahead. Of course, we are both competitive and want to ride our best, but there is just no way to be 100% prepared in a situation like this. I think flexibility, a sense of humor, and a few phrases in Spanish will all come in handy.
Stay tuned for our day by day account of the Tour de la Patagonia! We will share our experiences and images from each day, but since we are camping in remote areas during the race, you might not get to read all of the results and stories until we finish on Sunday, so be patient! This IS South America after all. Tranquillo! (translation: take it easy, chill out!?
My Season is Shaping Up
This is the first race I will be competing in when I return to the good ol’ USA. Check out their site, and if you are in the area, come out and race!
Rebecca Rusch and John “Fuzzy” Mylne to defend titles at Spa City 6 Hour. USAC Ultra Endurance National Race Calendar Event.February 27 – 28 at Hot Springs Mountain Bike Course
HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK, Arkansas — Two of America’s top-rated riders — one male and one female — have signed up to appear at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Race Calendar event on February 27 – 28 at Cedar Glades Park.
John (Fuzzy) Mylne of Arcata, Calif., will ride in the Hot Springs event. Mylne rides for the Niner Cycling Team and last year set the Hot Springs Cedar Glades Parkmale course record of 80 miles in 6 hours and 20 minutes. At 35 years old, his resume includes a National Championship and many other top finishes.Rebecca Rusch of Ketchum Ida., is returning to defend the course record she set in 2009 of 70 miles in 6 hours and 10 minutes. Her resume includes three Solo 24 Hour World Championship titles. She has ridden on multiple continents and won the prestigious Leadville 100.“I am extremely excited to see these two exceptional riders return to Cedar Glades Park here in Hot Springs,” said Fred Phillips of DLT Event Management, the event director. “For 2010 we are part of the pre-eminent USA Cycling Ultra Endurance National Race Calendar. We will be offering a $2,500 prize purse attracting professional athletes from the four corners of the United States. This event is great for age group racers as well. We will be offering awards within the age groups on both the Male and Female sides. How often in sports do you see world champions and age groupers side by side on the starting line, I love this sport! .”The course itself is contained within Cedar Glades Park that Garland County created seven years ago.“The early-February ice storm that we just had has dropped several trees and many limbs on the course,” Phillips said. “One of Hot Springs’ main volunteer groups, Teen Challenge of Arkansas, is assisting park workers in clearing the debris and preparing the trail for the race. These Teen Challenge volunteers are a blessing to be associated with.”Last year’s events attracted 220 competitors and more than 300 spectators attending from 14 states, according to Phillips.“I expect this year to increase in participation and attract spectators from even more states,” Phillips said. “We received very favorable feedback from those who attended last year and also received excellent post-event publicity through several of the top pro riders who participated. They, in turn, talked about the excellence of the location, venue and over-all quality of the event via their Internet blogs and newsletters. Last year’s over-all winner, John Mylne, was featured in a cycling magazine interview, which contained extremely flattering comments about Hot Springs and the Cedar Glades Park courses.”For entry information, visit the DLT website at www.dltmultisport.com/Spa_City_MTB/index.htm.The racers in the endurance division will compete on a 10-mile mountain bike track and will work to complete the most number of laps in six hours. The race will have categories for individual riders as well as two- or three-person teams. Additionally, those competing in the age group solo divisions will be awarded three-deep on gender and age brackets. Team divisions in male, female and co-ed will also be awarded three- deep.
Argentina to Chile and Back: 6 Times
Buenas,
This week in San Martin de los Andes has been an awesome week of rest, training and the time honored tradition of having the locals show off their home trails. I’ve had a sweet cabin all to myself and the opportunity to catch up on sleep and emails. Every day consists of a lazy morning drinking coffee and communicating with the world, then some bike training in the morning, a group ride in the afternoon and home made cooking in the evening. Yesterday I did a great workout and rode up to the base of the ski area called Chapelco. There was a dusting of snow on the top of the mountain. I did two 20 minute sub-lactate threshold intervals with the Kings of Leon in my ears for motivation. In the afternoon, I did a 2nd workout with the local riders during siesta. It was a mixture of ages from 15 to 45 and a huge variety of downhill and XC bikes from brands I have never heard of to carbon Enduros. 
The ride was a complete maze of cow tracks, hand built jump trails and dirt roads. There is a complex network of trails here that are shared by the cyclist, the local Mapuche, horses and hikers. It seems to work pretty well. It’s sort of like the streets in the town. There are no stop signs, stop lights or any sort of traffic controlling measures. However, the flow seems to work and everyone just moves fluidly around each other in cars, on bikes, on horseback and on foot. I have not seen one altercation yet. It’s the mellow South American vibe, I guess.
The other day also included a trip to the local fire station to check out their equipment, say hello and see how the emergency services function here. The fire community is a family just like cycling. You can go anywhere in the world and have an instant connection due to a shared passion.
This weekend I went to Chile for a marathon mountain bike race around the volcano in Osorno. It seems every town has their local volcano. There were supposed to be a bunch of riders from San Martin heading over there, but the weather forecast was for high winds, rain and 40 degree F temps. Most people bailed, but my coach put this on the training schedule so I begged a ride from some locals and went for a good dose of suffering. I figure that’s why I’m over here anyway, so I might as well get in as much training as possible. We drove for 5 hrs, stayed in the Bates Motel, stood in the rain for 3 hrs, then they cancelled the race! To top it off our normal 5 hour drive home took 8, as we were stopped at the border for no apparent reason. It wasn’t a total loss though as I did plenty of EMT studying in the car. It’s a good thing I’m doing all of this riding because this area is famous for three of my favorite things: red wine, beef and chocolate!
Reba
Final Report: Trans Andes
The adventure of the Trans Andes stage race has come to a close. Jenny has left to head back to Colorado and I have been chilling in a cozy cabin in San Martin de los Andes with the Specialized dealer and his friends. The damp stench is finally washed out of my clothes and sleeping bag and the Era is all tuned up and shiny again. I’m relishing in long, hot showers and casual mornings where I can eat my food at a relaxed pace. The 6 days in the Patagonian wilderness were a fantastic experience and the riding was the best I’ve done in a multi-day stage race. The organization really did serve up some of the best trails they have to offer. In contrast to the thousands of racers in the Cape Epic, the small, multi-national field in this race made for a homey feeling around camp and the ability to get to know some very interesting people from around the world. We all bonded in our suffering and compared stories each night at camp.
Jenny and I got through the week with a pretty clean slate. Jenny had a flat on day one and a mechanical problem with her hub on day 5, but nothing that was race ending. We both went through a set of brake pads each and did the changes and maintenance on our own. Well, we did have a little help from Mike Broderick, our camp neighbor! We each had one rough day physically, but this was also nothing that was race ending. For early season miles, we were both really happy with how our legs performed and how quickly we slipped into pedaling again.
I was really happy that Jenny and I ended up being compatible race partners and camping companions. I can relate to her Kiwi sense of humor and we both have the racing maturity to get through multiple day events. It takes a lot of planning, patience, teamwork and self-preservation to come out the other end of one of these events unscathed. I am a little scathed from a high speed gravel crash on day 6, but otherwise all that remains from the race are some great memories and hopefully some killer fitness.
We both went into this race with the intention of some awesome early season training and a bit of adventure. We got both. Although some of the route information seemed inaccurate, courses changed during the event and my odometer died on day 5, we rode somewhere around 500km this week and an estimated 30,000 ft of climbing in approximately 25 hours of racing. Not bad for 6 days of training in January! I have no idea how we finished in the overall rankings. The race results that are posted do not add up, so it’s difficult to tell. I can tell you that only 18 teams finished day 5, including us, so technically less than ½ the field completed the whole course. It was not an easy task and I feel really good about our achievement. The Virgo in me would really love to see accurate race results and exact mileages and be able to compare our performance against the other athletes, but I’m practicing my patience and just chalking it up to a great travel and training experience.
I would recommend this race, but would caution anyone interested to come with the intention of being self sufficient with bike maintenance, camping comforts, route finding and bring plenty of travel and race experience. This is truly one of the most beautiful places in the world and getting to see it on your bike is the best way to travel.
I have two more weeks here of training and racing. The next stop is the Tour de la Patagonia, a 3-day stage race in this same area! I have created a set of photos on Flickr for all to see as well.
Cheers
Reba