First time doing High Cascade 100 (HC100). Relatively fit roadie, with reasonable technical skills. What should I expect? I know calorie/hydration intake will be critical. I think I have tire selection sorted as well - either Ikon 2.2 or Recon 2.2 or some combination there of.
Tips tricks and suggestions very welcome.
Last year a separated AC prevented me from racing the HC100 so I have signed up again. Being a newbie to the event myself I don’t have much advice to offer. I have ridden the Vittoria Mezcals in the Bend area quite a bit for testing and those will be on my bike this summer.
Having supported past 2 HC’s for friends/teammates and not racing it myself, I can tell you a few things I’ve seen/learned. I might finally do it this year now that I don’t have a race conflict…
Thanks for the intel! Would love to do an early recon, but that may be doubtful given the distance, thanks!
Great race. I did it in 2016, on a hardtail. Totally doable on a HT.
Yes on the mouth/face covering. There is a lot of dust at the beginning. If you haven’t seen it you probably won’t really believe me, there is a lot of dust. A freak t-storm the night before the race would be your best friend.
Make sure you are prepared for a long day in the saddle. When I did the race my Ironman count was 16. I knew it would take around as long as an IM, so I wasn’t too worried. However, it was about 2x as long as I had ever been in the saddle, and that just killed me. All I wanted to do at the end was get off my damn bike! Make sure you get in some long days in the saddle if you can.
Really appreciate all the feedback! Stoked.
Thanks. I’m doing this also and flying solo, great info!
Any comments on how technical the trails are and how steep/technical the climbs are?
I’ve watched a few videos and it seems pretty flowy, but things always look easier in a video. I won’t be able to do any recon and never ridden in the area so any advice a huge help. thanks! (and thanks for posting the thread Allan!)
I live in Bend and HC 100 is on my list. I train for Ironman and enjoy the occasional MTB rides for fun (1 to 5 hours). HC100 would challenge my endurance in a different way. That would break the routine of long rides.
I have done about half of the segments of this course; probably will have done most in proper direction by end of June. So if you remember you could ask me again then. They are described in Trailforks. In general, trails here are wide, flowy, single track in pine forest, well maintained and aren’t technical.
Still it’s a 100 miles with 9000’ of gain and same of descent. Most of trails is loamy with soft pine needles ; there’s dust in July unless there’s been recent rain and there are scarce rock gardens here and there ( volcanic rocks are sharp) but there are some. I got a flat last summer on a pine cones needle so i would pick a tire that offers some flat-resistance given the distance.
It’s not super steep in the parts I’m familiar with.
Still you climb 9000’ so it adds up.
Great info, thanks! I’m from the Pacific Northwest and riding areas are Van Island, Whistler, Squamish etc.
Very different terrain and climbs are often steep grinds which put me over threshold just to get up them. 100 miles with 9000 feet of elevation is definitely on the edge of my abilities, so hoping to stay below threshold as much as possible. Local knowledge always a big help, appreciate it.
My bf and I are riding HC100 this year (though not pacing together, for the sake of our relationship). I’ve ridden many of the Bend trails included in the race and my bf raced it twice as a newer-intermediate mountain biker.
Last summer we did a Van Island, Whistler, Squamish trip. Those trails are far more technical than most bend trails. Bend doesn’t tend to have very steep/ punchy stuff. There are some rock gardens, as mentioned above, and some rock gardens that contain Lava rock so it’s a bit more high consequence. According to my BF, most people walk anything particularly technical (probably from both fatigue and varying skill levels). Compared to your riding areas, this will be a leisurely trail spin for you!
Thanks, really good to know. Hope you enjoyed your time riding up here! (did you get to Cumberland?)
“Raced” it last year and will be “racing” it again this July. From the sounds of it, the course changes from year to year. 2019 took me 12 hrs to finish, which landed me 60th/84 in Open Men. I was around 3.8w/kg. Not great but considering I was falling apart at mile 80, I’ll take it as a win. I also spent way too much time at aid stations. Instead of an hour of downtime, I want to cut that in half (I needed some extra-special time at the mile 80 station).
My full-suspension Epic was perfect for the terrain. I was on Fast Trak 2.3 with the regular 60 TPI casing with no punctures were perfect for the dusty trails.
Nutrition was my downfall last year. I was definitely not taking in enough calories. So that’s an area that I want to improve on. I’m currently experimenting with Maurten 320 but might have to half it to keep it palatable. Plan is to have 1 bottle Skratch and 1 bottle half-strength Maurten. I’ll also bring solid food along with some Shot Bloks. I used a USW pack last year but it was too constricting at the end.
My aim this year is to have better consistency training and be at around 4.2 w/kg and improve nutrition to finish under 10 hrs.
Rode Cumbie last year, phenomenal trail network!
Thanks @rac1ngsnak3 @asteryx @Bdchunk @ccftri for all of the intel - I’m starting to feel better about this event!
Great info, a huge help and very much appreciated. Looking forward to this, but I am definitely intimidated about 100 miles on a MB!
i started using Maurten for ironman last summer and it works great with my stomach.
I can consume ~ 500 kCal per hour (1 Maurten 320 + 1bar) and run off the bike. I cannot get as much calories for 5-6 hours straight with other food.
I also use a bottle of concentrated skratch to get electrolytes.
Yes- spent two days riding and LOVED it. We’re definitely planning a return trip. I was also very into the Cumberland Brewery for both the food and beverages. SO good.
That tracks with what I’ve heard from past racers - that taking in enough calories without upsetting your stomach is one of the biggest challenges of this race. I’m lucky to have a pretty tough gut but do get tired of shoveling food all the time so it’s going to take some practice. Also, just spending 11- 12 hrs on the bike, brilliant suggestion of extra chamois cream in the drop bags.