As we are all deep in training and preparations for our 2020 races and events, here is a look back on the day that was Cinco De Mayonnaise aka 2019 Belgian Waffle Ride! Special thanks goes our to Michael and the amazing team at Monuments of Cycling and Belgian Waffle Ride as well as the staff at Lost Abbey!
2019 has come and gone and 2020 race season preparations have begun. 2019 Belgian Waffle Ride was an adventure that words really cannot fully describe – you really just need to do the ride. Yes, this is a race and yes there are cutoff times at certain areas (although many times these are not firm and riders are given the opportunity to keep on riding with the risk of finishing past the actual end cutoff time or not being able to finish at all) but the main thing to understand is that THIS IS AN ADVENTURE which will probably take you half a day and you may lose a little bit of your soul, and a lot of your sanity. This was my 3rd year attempting this crazy, difficult ride with myself completing 115 miles in 2017 and 113 miles in 2018. During the previous rides my friend who originally suckered me into this “fun” ride was able to finally complete the ride after 3 tries – so I was hoping the third time was not going to be a strikeout for me and was going to be a charm. As many of you know I have been training like a loon since the start of 2019 (in reality BWR training never truly ends as once you cross the finish line you are already thinking about what to do better for the following year even though during the race you are questioning your sanity and swearing you will never do this dumb, insane, mind crushing race again) and even went so far as to swear off beer during this time to really lean out as much as possible and get as strong and healthy to ensure I would have no issues on race day. Well, the training, or was it just the craving for beer, did help as not only did I complete the race but I also crushed my 2018 segment times in some places by 30 minutes (yes that was my huge accomplishment for the 1st half of BWR segment on Strava) which made me even happier – and actually allowed me to have a few beers with friends to celebrate all of our amazing accomplishments. Well, let’s see just what it took for me to conquer the “Hell of the North County”.
A few days before the race we all received the email with the course, and I smiled a huge smile and sighed a breath of relief as the course was the exact same as 2018 and I knew the segments like the back of my hand. Since February there have been a few organized rides with fellow gravel adventure friends, so they too knew most of the segments leading to the actual course reveal. Even better was looking at the weather reports and seeing that it was going to be cool with the chance of slight moisture – the moisture stayed away until Monday, but the weather stayed cool and beautiful. I am sure many riders on the Waffle were questioning their decision as there is no telling the weather will be like (in 2017 it was 97 degrees up at the Mesa Grande aid station) and many went for the Wafer this year with the intentions to work up to the Waffle next year.
On race day, I was up at 4:30am to prep my breakfast and coffee and get ready for the day. I already had my bike set up with the exception of tire pressure and all my nutrition was laid out and packed as needed so I just really needed to get to Lost Abbey, get dressed, dial in my tire pressure, eat a couple of waffles, and get to the starting area to line up for the group start. I had met with a few friends the day before to discuss strategy of staying together to pace each other and give each other support during the ride and even though we lined up together, ultimately the idea never really came together for us as a group – a few of them were able to stay together and I was able to meet up with another in the middle, who I quickly lost again, and then another near the end who rolled in with me at the finish line The greatest thing about this day for me was the comfort of friendly faces and other riders taking the time to say hello and chat for a few as we played cat and mouse or they just passed me and I never saw them again for the rest of the day. This race for me just shows how large the cycling community is and how much this crazy group of riders really supports each other and I can’t say thank you enough to all the riders I passed or passed me for just taking a few seconds to say hello or wave or just acknowledge another looney rider!
As far as the actual race itself I am glad to report that I did not have any issues, physically or bike related, and I came away with no injuries or damage to my bike. The first road segment leading to Lemon Twist is where our little group got split up and once we made it to Lemon Twist, we were completely separated with over 500 racers trying to swim upstream like salmon. The cool thing about the road segment here is that you get a chance to see the leaders climbing out of Lake Hodges dam and cheer them on as they speed uphill like missiles. I was able to make it through Lemon Twist unscathed but there was carnage already from flats to broken chains to dropped chains to injured riders scattered throughout this area. I did get caught in the mess and had to dismount and run for a bit at there was no way to get back on the bike and get traction in the loose sand and gravel. Once we made it to the downhill leading to the wooden bridge I was able to pass a few riders as my Lauf Cycling fork (look for more on this carbon fiber marvel in a future review) did its job and soaked up any bumps and rocks in my way and I already knew that unless I slammed into a bladed rock my 32c IRC Serac CX Sand tires paired with Spinergy GXC wheels would hold up without any issues – many training miles over race segments and super gnarly singletrack gave me the confidence that I would not have any problems with my wheel and tire setup! Climbing up past Lake Hodges dam I was able to pass a few more people and then the fun began. First, there was the Del Dios road climb where I was able to hear the cheers of numerous friends and other riders who looked confused already seeing us headed in the opposite direction – many of them were on the Wafer course. Once we made it back to Lake Hodges the dirty fun began and it was time to put my dirt skills to the test and start passing as many riders as I could before making it to Mule Trail to avoid getting stuck behind slower riders in the sandy segment. Before this was the swooping turn leading to the creek crossing where I witnessed someone going wide and riding right off the trail into the bushes – luckily there were plenty of spectators here to lend help. For me I threaded the needle again and at the creek crossing I went to the outside around the palm tree, like most riders do, and made a huge splash to the cheers of my good friend Tony yelling “That’s the way you do it Michael” – thank you for the cheers and the awesome picture! I must say this segment really does dumbfound me in the number of riders who dismount and tiptoe across the little stones – maybe that photo of the rider belly flopping last year has a lot to do with that – whoever you are you are a hero to me as you still took a risk and went for it even though you went for an early bath. After the creek crossing it was all about pedaling like a beast to make up time lost entering Lemon Twist. As we came to aid station 1 at the start of Mule Trail, I was amazed at how many riders were already stopped – and standing in the middle of the trail like they expected every rider to stop here. I had to slam on my brakes and drift around a rider who casually decided to walk across the path in front of me to his needed refreshment as another rider almost slammed into me from behind – I think this aid station needs to be pulled back closer to the Farmer’s Market to make sure no one is blocking the riders who are choosing not to stop here! Once we got onto Mule trail it was literally a train of riders with a few random passers risking hitting a sand patch by crossing into oncoming traffic – yes there were a few casual riders and walkers out for the Sunday exercise but most of them were standing to the side cheering us on and avoiding getting run over. As we took the right turn to the start of Highland Valley I heard quite a few riders let out a sigh or a huff and one with “Here comes the start of Hell” but I think Hell is down and Heaven is up so wouldn’t this be the start of Heaven? And then the climb began. Oh – and right before we hit the turn is when I finally got passed by the faster Wafer riders as they were going balls out as they just had to go up the start of Highland Valley before dropping down to Bandy Canyon so they were full of energy and burning matches as fast as possible! Climbing up the firstzig-zags of Highland Valley I caught glimpse of my good friends Shelly and Tanya and remembered that I did not make up the 5 minute gap they had on me as they started right before our wave – I wonder if they were still stuffing their faces with waffles when their wave started. I decided to be strong and pull past them even though I knew eventually they would catch me, but I was still feeling the power of many months of training, so I went for it. Then as I burned one more match I heard them give me a cheer and pass me – but that also gave me motivation to stay with them as much as possible that day as I knew they were stronger than me and I would try my best to climb as fast as them to get through the hardest climb of the day as quickly as possible. As we were about to crest the zig zags, I heard another cheer from Alyssa as she smiled, gave me a big cheer, and passed me by (congrats on the 3rd place Wafer finish on a MTB). Once we crested the zig zags it was time to say goodbye to the Wafer racers as they would turn left to continue to Bandy Canyon as we continued our grueling climb towards Ramona. It was here that I was thankful that Tanya is good friends with Velofix North San Diego as she was wearing their bright red jersey which served as a target for me during the race to make sure they did not get too far ahead of me. As we started the long climb I settled into my pace and noticed that I was well ahead of my 12.5 mph planned average speed which put a smile across my face as I knew that if I could stay above this speed I would finish the race ahead of my planned 10:45 of moving time – this number does not take into consideration aid station stops and tequila breaks. As we crested the top of the Highland Valley climb, I got passed by a large group but we hit the light to turn into Ramona so I caught up to the group and was able to say hello to my friend Ryan and chat with him for a bit and then pulled in behind their little group to weave our way up to Black Canyon.
Once we made it to Black Canyon I was able to access my own support for a few fresh cold bottles filled with GU Roctane as well as dump my fanny pack with my tools to risk the gravel climb and road segment without a spare or tools – I had a can of GUP and my phone and crossed my fingers that I would not have to use either! As I left the aid station Steve from Lift Creative Studios who is my IRC Tire hook up ran up to me to take some pics and made me feel like a pro running alongside me to cheer me on as I started the 10-mile dirty rollercoaster segment to Mesa Grande – his pro picture was used so show my excitement for the kUDOs award. I have trained this segment many times and learned to use the mile marker signs to conserve energy and push once I get up to the top. The weather was perfect that day, so it literally felt like a nice Sunday morning ride with friends. It was during this segment that I saw Marty and Rick (sorry that you had too many flats and was not able to finish the ride) and they were kind enough to give me a few words of encouragement before riding off towards the top. As we crested the climb and came up to the Mesa Grande aid station, I knew my good friend Tomas from GUP Industries was going to be there and had a special surprise to kick in some extra power – margaritas! As I was enjoying my quick cold refreshment I looked over to see my good friend Terry who was refueling himself and I knew that I finally had a training buddy to ride with so I jumped back on the bike and started riding towards the halfway marker which is near Julian Pie Company. Unfortunately, I lost Terry and was not able to see him until he rolled into Lost Abbey at the finish, but I did join up with some groups and we were able to get through the nasty headwinds heading towards Sutherland Dam with ease. Once we made it back onto Black Canyon, I knew the hardest part of the day was almost over and that the fun of Bandy Canyon (aka Sandy Bandy) and Lake Hodges was just a few downhill miles away. Once I made it back to the Black Canyon aid station I refueled again, popped open a can of Pringles to munch on and share with other riders who were smiling with joy for those little salty chips, lathered on a fresh layer of Amp Human PR lotion on my legs, grabbed my fanny pack with spare parts and tools for the upcoming Lake Hodges segment, and got ready to ride down towards San Pasqual Valley road. I met with a few groups of riders and discussed staying together to get down the road as a group safely and everyone agreed that we would stick together. It was here that I was told that Shelly and Tanya had already taken off, so I jumped on my bike and started to chase them down. Little did I know that they actually did not leave the aid station ahead of me, so I spent the rest of the day trying to chase rabbits that did not exist. As our groups made it to San Pasqual Valley road we stayed together and sped downhill as fast as possible trying not to get blown off the road by the nasty headwinds. Staying together as a group really helped as traffic was kind enough to stay behind us until the bottom where there was a shoulder and we were all able to pull to the side and let them pass.
At the start of Bandy Canyon was another aid station which I chose to skip as I had enough food and hydration to last me until Lemon Twist, so I just kept pedaling. It was so good to see Amy out on the course guiding us where to go (I know you will conquer the course yourself this year) and as we got to the deeper sand, riders started to drift left and right with one rider almost slamming into the wooden fence. When we made it to the end of this segment it was time for the road climb out of Bandy Canyon and it was here that I decided to take a quick breather and walk a little. The irony of this was that some of the riders would pass me but they were really not moving much faster than I was. Once we dropped down the original zig zags that we had climbed earlier in the day on Highland Valley it was time to get back on Mule Trail and crush dirt through Lake Hodges back to Lemon Twist again. At the aid station at the Farmers Market I saw Joe and thought he was with the rest of my group but I kept riding as I did not need any aid and I also knew they were stronger than me so they would easily catch up – little did I know that Joe was by himself and the rest of our group was at least 20-30 minutes ahead of us at this point. When I made it back to the creek crossing I went for my same line from earlier in the day but with the number of riders that had already gone through I almost got stuck in deep mud and let out a scream of lots of bad words to power through and scared a bunch of hikers who were out for their Sunday walk. The rest of the ride to Lemon Twist was very uneventful with the exception of my rattlesnake incident. After Hernandez Hideaway is a long segment of gravel overlooking Lake Hodges. I was in a zone and knew I needed to get to Lemon Twist to refuel and as I came around a turn in the middle of the road was a rattlesnake trying to cross to safety. Instead of riding around the back of it I had a momentary lapse of sanity and rode right in front of its head! Luckily for me it must have been shocked that I would choose to do that as it did not bother with me and just let me pass before continuing its own journey. As I made it past the dam, I was able to see Del Dios highway and see riders climbing up towards Elfin Forest. We cheered for each other and waved as the ride was slowly ending for all of us. As I reached the Lemon Twist aid station, I was happy to see the smiling face of Laura who grabbed my water bottles and filled them up for me. I dumped my fanny pack again since the rest of the ride was mainly road, ate some GU Energy gels and chews before drinking a cold Coke and jumping back on the bike. It was here that Joe finally caught me, and I found out that he was alone and that the rest of our group was ahead of us. It was also at this point that I found out that Tanya and Shelly were not ahead of me so I could finally stop chasing the rabbits, but it was now time to handle the final climbing segments of the day which would lead to the finish.
The Del Dios climb is where my body finally started to say “enough is enough” and I started to slow down. I kept my eyes on riders ahead of me and kept pedaling and Joe eventually pulled ahead of me and at the final climb before turning towards Elfin Forest I was able to catch back up to him only because he had to wait for a stop light. Once we got into Elfin Forest, I started to feel energized again as I knew the final climbing segment from Questhaven up through San Elijo to the top of Double Peak was all that was keeping me from finishing my 1st Belgian Waffle Ride. I slowly pulled away from Joe as I also knew I was finally going to make it to the oasis and that gave me even more incentive to pedal harder. As I got closer to Questhaven I could hear the DJ and the music, and I had to smile as I knew the end was very near. I quickly refueled and jumped back on my bike to start the long climb to the top of Double Peak. It was a slow climb and I was very happy to see my TASCO teammate Michael standing here and cheering me on as he knew how much I had trained for this and his cheers gave me more energy to keep on pedaling! As I approached San Elijo road I started to feel a weird twitch in my leg and was scared that I was going to start cramping. So I pulled out a bottle of Pickle Juice and took some time to do some stretches before walking for a bit to give my body a quick rest. It was during this time that some riders were able to pass me including Joe so I knew it was time to get back on the bike and pedal to the top. Once we all pulled onto Double Peak road it was time for the final climb of the day – and I was exhausted and not looking forward to it. Once again Michael was there to cheer me on and as I started the final climb to the top I had to stop and start walking. I was so close but my body was telling me that I needed to stop and rest. But there was no resting allowed so I kept walking and then something strange happened. A vehicle slowly crept up to me and slowly rolled down the windows and there was Steve and the rest of the IRC crew heckling me to get back on my bike and pedal. I started laughing and they were laughing too but at the same time I knew they were right and got back on my bike for the final pitch to the top. My friend Erick from Wild Glass Photography was taking the pictures at the top of Double Peak and I had called him when I was on Questhaven to let him know where I was as he had told me earlier in the day that I had until 6pm to get to the top to get my picture taken. Needless to say, I did not make it there by 6pm but as I came around the final corner there he was! What was so awesome was that he ran to the DJ and as I came to the top of Double Peak he was cheering me on which made me feel so amazing and I started laughing as Erick also ran alongside me all the way to the very top of Double Peak to make sure I did not stop. Once there I took a deep breath, took in the view and smiled as I knew the end was just a few miles away. As I headed back down Double Peak there were many riders who were walking up the hill and I cheered them on as I knew exactly how they felt but I also knew the joy of making it to the top and speeding downhill towards to finish.
On the last segment of dirt Joe and I stayed together and as we went down the hill towards the finish, I couldn’t help but smile as my journey to the end of the Belgian Waffle Ride was near. As we rolled through the last neighborhood, I called my wife to let her know I was almost done and she said a lot of my friends were waiting for me which made me smile. As we exited the neighborhood in the distance Joe, and I could see a rider on the side of the road. As we got closer, I realized it was my coach Chi from Outdoor Fitness Coach there to guide us to the finish. She was so happy for me as my goal was within reach and she had helped me through the grueling journey with 4 intense months of training. As we rolled towards Lost Abbey, I could hear the music and the announcers and knew it was my time! As I got to the finish Jim and the guys from TBG Event Timing cheered me on and then I was swarmed by my friends and teammates and random other riders who I had seen during the day – thank you to everyone for really making me feel the joy of the community as you all had a lot to do with my success and perseverance.
The joy of finally completing the Belgian Waffle Ride is something that needs to be experienced as it is literally the “Hell of the North County” and is the hardest one day ride I have ever done!
The machine that made it all happen:
Well that was me!
The gear that made it all happen:
Bicycle – 2019 Giant Revolt Advance 1
Fork – Lauf Cycling Grit
Wheels – Prototype Spinergy GXC with Pink PBO spokes
Tires – IRC Serac CX Sand 700 x 32
Sealant – Orange Seal – 4 oz per tire
Handlebar – Contact SLR D-Fuse
Bar Tape – Supacaz Sticky Cush Star Fade Neon Pink
Brakes – Shimano Ultegra
Front Der – Shimano Ultegra
Rear Der – Shimano Ultegra RX
Chainrings – Absolute Black 32 / 48 oval
Crankset – Praxis Zayante
Cassette – SRAM PG-1170 11-36
Chain – Shimano CN-HG701
Chain lube – Wend Wax with Pink outer coating
Saddle – WTB SL8 Team 127mm with titanium rails
Pedals – XT-R PD-M9100
Bottle Cages – Supacaz Fly Anodized Oil Slick
Shoes – Shimano S-PHYRE SH-XC9
Gloves – TASCO Recon
Kit – Squadra TASCO MTB Team
Helmet – Giant Rev Mips
Eyewear – Oakley Racing Jacket
Nutrition – GU Energy Roctane
kUDOs for cyclists everywhere! 