Memories of RAO: from Maupin to Cooper Spur Ski Resort and the finish.
The descent into Dufur on US 197 from the summit of Tygh Ridge is eight miles long and straight as an arrow. It’s a welcome payback for the 7-mile climb up here from Tygh Valley. When I’ve ridden this section before, I usually sit-up, eat, drink, and enjoy the glide off the mountain.
But tonight, after 44 hours on the bike without sleep, the monotony of this road was causing me to doze. I had taken a caffeine pill about an hour earlier, near the bottom of the climb. That, and the lightning strikes along the north ridge, was enough to keep me awake while I was climbing.
I must have been doing close to 30 miles an hour on this descent because I was close to spinning out. I fought the urge to sleep. Every few minutes I would blackout, then snap-back. There was no traffic to speak of, so I steered the bike to the center of the slow lane and focused to keep it there.
It was on Dufur Valley Road that my crew finally stopped me. They said I was drifting to the far side of the road. The funny thing was that I wasn’t aware I was dozing, as I had been on the highway. The caffeine pill wasn’t having any affect. I asked for a second tablet. I knew it would probably make me sick, but at least I’d be awake.
Forest Road 44 is 14 miles long and 2000 feet up. It’s a gradual climb up the north flank of Mount Hood, protected from the wind by thick blanket of pines. From the way they were swaying and creaking, I could tell there was a strong west wind. Mostly, the trees protected me from it. It was like riding in a cocoon.
Justin and Bert were coaxing me to eat. But the nausea was back, so I decided to reset my stomach. It was actually easier to eat afterward, and for the first time in hours I began nibbling on pretzels.
Justin urged me to pick up the pace. He wanted me rolling just one mile per hour faster. Finishing in time had come to that.
The road was lined on both sides with dry grass. It had a fresh coat of blacktop and a new yellow stripe down the middle. Way up ahead, I could see it rise up and twist in the air like a cobra. A deer walked onto the road in front of me. The scene was surreal and I knew I was hallucinating.
But I was awake, and I knew that in less than one hour this race would be done.
Tags: RAO, Sleep deprivation
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6 Responses to
“Just one mile an hour faster”
Chris O'Keefe
August 10th, 2009 at 2:32 pmGreat job out there gutting a finish on a tough course with challenging conditions. I just missed seeing you by a couple of minutes at Dale. Hopefully you continue on this Ultra quest and we can race again.
–Chris O’Keefe
David
August 10th, 2009 at 4:14 pmThanks, Chris. Awesome work ‘out there’ at RAO! I wish I could have kept the pace I had at Dale and Spray. You live. You learn. See you next year at RAO?
Mick Jordan
August 11th, 2009 at 6:19 pmI’m curious about the risks of falling asleep at the wheel, which seems an endemic risk for all these endurance rides without sleep. You probably wouldn’t drive a car in that state and you could easily kill yourself, especially in the dark.
So how do you feel about this?
David
August 11th, 2009 at 7:13 pmSleep management is something you have to learn through experience. In the last 5 years riding brevets, I learned how to manage my sleep requirements. But ultras are new to me. I admit, I was worried about sleep deprivation going into RAO, because I wasn’t sure how long I could go without sleeping. I had been advised to experiment with that on the 600K’s – to ride through the overnight controls – but I didn’t.
I’m used to riding unsupported and making my own decisions. But by the second day of RAO, I had happily delegated many important decisions to my crew. It is a slippery slope that began with the cue sheet, which they carried in the van, so I wouldn’t have to be concerned about navigating. Then it was water and food; they were always there refreshing both. Then it was clothing changes, and finally, sleep. I thought they had a plan. They thought I did. So I just kept riding.
After the race, Justin and I talked about the experience and we agreed that in the future, I should stop and sleep after about 28-30 hours, which appears to be about the point where I will naturally fall asleep. If I’d done that, I would have napped about an hour outside of Spray, in full daylight – a much safer proposition for everyone involved.
I think you need to listen to your body and know your limits. Unfortunately, you can’t get to know either unless you go out there and experiment. Fortunately, my crew was quick to intervene when it was apparent that I was losing control of the bike. If I had done as others advised, and ridden through the night on a brevet, nobody would have been watching over me, and eventually, I might have wound up in a ditch.
Abram
September 7th, 2009 at 4:18 pmThat sounds so dangerous–riding down a long hill at high speeds while falling into microsleeps. I really like the idea of long-distance cycling, but I don’t think I’d like to risk my life that much. Driving while that sleep-deprived is a dangerous as driving while under the influence of alcohol. It is surely no different on a bicycle, except that you are mainly liable to hurt yourself, not so much others.
On your left
September 22nd, 2009 at 10:38 amThis is inspiring to an aspiring ultra long distance rider.
On August 21st I did my first 500km (310mile) ride from Vancouver BC to Portland. We left at 9:30pm so the darkest leg of the ride was done while we were most awake and we planned to take 24 hours. It worked well but it was a little difficult to get a proper “nights” sleep during the day before the ride.
Thanks for the blog.