As a beginner bike racer who works a full-time job, I wanted a ride that would test my skills and fitness but was still within reach. I completed an Ironman Triathlon last year but found the course a bit mundane, so a mtn bike race was in order. I signed up for the High Cascade 100 in Bend Oregon. Though the length was unfortunately shortened by the director due to high temps, this race through the Cascade mountains pushed me quite hard and took me almost 8 hours in the 99* heat! I enjoyed it so much I am now planning to give it another go next year using my experience to hopefully do it even faster!

Through this, I learned a lot about training, nutrition, gear and pacing so I’ll share a bit about each, what I’ll be repeating for next year and what I will be changing, like my training plan for the winter!

Training

What Worked:

I work full time and sometimes rest is the biggest challenge to properly integrate. For this past winter, i primarily used my stationary smart trainer connected to my mtn bike in my shed. I found an app called Trainer Road that I input all of my data into as well as races and time I have to train and it produced a full training schedule. If I needed to modify it for sickness, work or vacation like our trip to bike across Spain I was able to and it would adjust accordingly. Each workout is designed with a purpose and calibrated to my FTP which is your functional threshold power measured in watts (60-minute power output potential) so the training is perfectly tailored. It controls the trainers’ resistance via Bluetooth from my phone or laptop and adjusts to ensure I am producing the prescribed power output at any given moment. If I pedal faster, the resistance is reduced, and vice-versa so I have no choice but to pedal the correct power output. Each day I just open the app to see what workout I have for the day, or if there isn’t one scheduled I click “train now” and set a time parameter and it offers suggested workouts.
Additionally, when time and weather allowed, I trained outdoors using heart rate and RPE (relative perceived effort) to accomplish the workouts, though these tend to be less precise. I love riding outdoors and will do it whenever I get the chance to and if the desired workout can’t be done because of group pacing or terrain I will try to ride again on the trainer at home.

What I’d Change:

This winter I plan to take a similar approach with a few major changes. I will continue using Trainer road but I hope to integrate more outdoor workouts and more volume overall. I want to train 6+ hours a week and because of some new gear that I recently got, I will do a portion of it outdoors. I am hoping to get a gravel bike sometime soon and will do some training on the road or gravel where winter conditions aren’t as limiting and controlling power output is more doable so I can follow workouts.
I plan to also do some dedicated training trips to places where I can explore and get high-mileage training done. I might try to do another trip to Arizona and maybe even to another country, if we can make it work.
I also plan to do more zone 2 endurance training. Two winters ago I did primarily aerobic capacity building zone-two heart rate training as I built up to the Ironman triathlon I completed. After finishing that and having the capacity for long days of riding I spent this past winter doing completely power-based training geared around my FTP and I neglected to wear a HR monitor often. This winter I will do more HR-based Zone 2 endurance training in addition to the standard Trainer Road scheduling. I think this will help further my aerobic capacity and allow for higher volumes of miles without significant training stress increase.

**Nutrition and Hydration**
**Race Day Nutrition**:
Throughout the winter I practiced eating while on the bike to make sure my stomach was capable of consuming calories while riding. Many people struggle to take in as much nutrition as they need on race day, so this is a good way to train your body to handle it. I would do a mix of “real” foods and race-style gels and drinks that might be present on race day. Any ride of over an hour I made sure to have calories available and an electrolyte drink. I use Wilderness Athlete Hydrate and Recover and Energy and Focus for any of these longer rides and would plan for aroun 300 calories per hour, primarily carb-heavy foods.
On race day I started with a carb-heavy breakfast by waking up around 3AM to eat a muffin, then having oatmeal around 4:30 just prior to going to the start line. At the start line I ate an apple fritter doughnut because I love them. That got me through the first 60 minutes then after that I tried to consume about 25 grams of cabs every 15-20 minutes via Honey Stinger gels and gummy bears. I had a .5 liter bottle full of the Wilderness Athlete mixes (electrolytes + energy drink) and a hydration pack filled with 2.5 liters of water. At the aid stations, I had a few cups of Coke, a cookie, and half of a PB&J sandwich. Throughout the race, I consumed a total of around 2005 calories with 427 carbs, all after the first hour. This was about 60 grams of carbs per hour after hour one, which was below my goal but still seemed to work ok. Additionally, I had 679mg of caffeine and 1110 of sodium on race day which could both be higher.

On race day I started with a carb-heavy breakfast by waking up around 3AM to eat a muffin, then having oatmeal around 4:30 just prior to going to the start line. At the start line I ate an apple fritter doughnut because I love them. That got me through the first 60 minutes then after that I tried to consume about 25 grams of cabs every 15-20 minutes via Honey Stinger gels and gummy bears. I had a .5 liter bottle full of the Wilderness Athlete mixes (electrolytes + energy drink) and a hydration pack filled with 2.5 liters of water. At the aid stations, I had a few cups of Coke, a cookie, and half of a PB&J sandwich. Throughout the race, I consumed a total of around 2005 calories with 427 carbs, all after the first hour. This was about 60 grams of carbs per hour after hour one, which was below my goal but still seemed to work ok. Additionally, I had 679mg of caffeine and 1110 of sodium on race day which could both be higher.

Lessons Learned:

Next year, I will consume more calories. I will add more carbs to my drinks, probably just straight sugar, and get a lot of calories that way. Eating in the heat and while on a rough trail can be challenging and during such a long race your stomach gets less happy throughout the day. Some pros will consume upwards of 120g of carbs an hour which is wild, but there must be something to it. Perhaps I could get to 100g an hour next year since eating is one of my few natural strengths. Additionally, I will do even more sodium + caffeine than this year. If you’re looking for some great info on cycling nutrition check out this link and follow my friend Kyle, a dietitian that coaches mountain athletes.
My buddy who is a bit bigger than me brought significantly less nutrition with him on race day and he bonked hard. Like all endurance activities, nutrition can be one of the biggest limiters to success even if your fitness and gear are dialed. Don’t under-fuel!

Gear and Setup

My Setup:

For this race, I used my Santa Cruz Blur C with 29in wheels and Maxxis aspen tire in the back and Icon in the front for better grip. Everything on the bike is stock and I love it. While this bike was awesome for me, there were people on all different styles from aluminum frame hardtail mountain bikes to titanium single-speed bikes. I love bikes and don’t regret spending the money that I did on this high-end carbon race bike I also realize that budgets vary and options are many. I plan to continue riding this bike until I have a reason to change!
The day before the race (after months of dreaming) I finally got some Garmin Rally power meter pedals and an Edge 1040 Solar bike computer. These two combined make it possible to not only have the route map and directions present throughout the race, but it also gives me a live look at my power output, heart rate, pacing and other info. The computer will even give me a pacing guide based on what it knows about my potential that can help me decide how hard to push at different points while taking into account the future route profile. This will be a game changer for training sessions where I can now do highly accurate power-based workouts outside on any bike and in any condition. Additionally, the longer I use them to more attuned to my capabilities I will get and the better I will be able to pace in future races. Additionally, I will be able to save my phone battery or leave it at home since the computer gives me all the guidance I need. It even gives me a live look at my pace on Strava segments and helps me get competitive even when riding by myself!
Other useful gear was my new Smith sunglasses with self-tinting lenses and my robust mtb helmet. The glasses make the transition from dawn to bright sunlight possible in the same pair of glasses while also making dark treed sections not so jarring on the vision. My helmet was put to use a few times when I hit trees in corners and I also watched at least 4 different people crash, including one very hard crash right in front of me. A good helmet is a must!
If you’re in the Boise/Meridian ID area, check out Meridian Cycles. They have been a huge help in preparing my bike and me for this race and others!

Gear Mistakes:

As mentioned above, I will likely run a similar setup next year. I had about 26psi in my tires which is high compared to most people and because of the look surfaces, I may lower that a little next year.
I may not carry a hydration pack next year and instead will make use of the aid stations more. They were more well-staffed and socked than I thought which would have made carrying less on me easier. The weather was very hot so having better ventilation without a hydration pack would be nice

Mental Toughness

Race Day Challenges: Describe the mental battles you faced—how you pushed through fatigue, pain, or doubts.

While fitness and nutrition are important, I have definitely found that mental toughness is one of the key factors to success for me. The race was very long and you go through many phases of emotions, so having a mindset that can weather the storm is necessary. I believe that each training session and race that you do makes your tougher and over time the stacking affect makes what once seemed like an impossible feat to now be an easy day. Long training days can be the best way to harden your mind for race day so the roller coaster of emotions isn’t so intense!

Takeaways: Share how mindset played a role in completing the race and how others can prepare for the mental side of endurance riding.

I had a mindset of “be smart, stay steady” going into this race to push hard but not blow up. While I came close to blowing up, I held strong and finished in a time that I was happy with and didn’t have any big crashes. Next year, I will push harder and be ready for the experience with even better fitness!

Pacing and Strategy

Pacing Lessons: Talk about how you managed your effort over such a long race.

Pacing might be one of the hardest things for beginners like myself. It is hard to know what your capabilities are and how to temper your desire to push hard in the beginning of the race.

Rookie Mistakes:

One big mistake that I made was not showing up early to acclimatize to the elevation and pre-ride sections of the course. There were several times where I nearly blew by a turn or flew off a corner because I wasn’t familiar with the trails. If I have the time, I would love to show up 2 or three days early to pre-ride some of the more technical sections so on race day it is not my first time seeing them. At one point a guy behind me said “Hey, shift down for this next corner there’s an abrupt climb” and as I did I came to a steep rock climb that I would have been way over-geared for if he had not warned me. Little things like this add up and save a lot of energy throughout 100 miles.

Recovery

Post-Race Recovery:

During the training season, I would do my best to recover between sessions using our hot tub, and sauna and by sleeping enough. I have found that I have the hardest time maintaining a good sleep schedule and this impacts my training greatly. This winter I plan to continue using the heat therapy via our sauna and hot tub as well as being more diligent about going to bed earlier.

Advice for Others:

I would highly recommend finding a recovery routine that works for you and feels good. There are a million options from compression boots to cold plunges and I think the best one is that which fits your budget and lifestyle the best and makes you feel good. For me, the sauna is a big one and I plan to use it even more this coming winter.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, my first 100(ish) mile mountain bike race went well but I learned a lot in the process. If you’re considering your first one I am pumped for you and hope that some of my experiences help you plan. If you have more experience in this please share in the comments! Have fun out there and follow me on Strava and Instagram to keep up with my training and upcoming races!

Brands who have supported me along the way:

-Garmin Outdoors

-Wilderness Athlete

-Meridian Cycles