I’ve been watching Rich’s stuff and its so helpful.
He just posted his 3 quick tips this morning…
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Hey all!
I’m going to be going out for a pre-ride of the final 8mi or so of the Little Sugar Course and wanted to invite anybody that will be there to join!
Contrary to what was said on this week’s podcast recording, it will be on Saturday, NOT Friday. 
When: Saturday, October 11 at 9:00am
Where: Starting and finishing from the race finish on Main Street.
What: Easy cruise up Tristans to Slaughter Pen, then back to the finish on the final 8mi or so of the course.
Route: TR Little Sugar Group Ride | 11.7 mi Mountain Biking Trail on Strava
Who: All are welcome! We may have 2 people, or we may have more! lol
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Pre-riding what I hope the course will be like in Coler Bike Park. Oscar’s Loop had a good bit of chonk, some tricky climbs, loose, bare rock, roots, and lots of evidence of pedal strikes.
If that’s what the race is going to be like, eating is going to be a challenge and a hydro pack will be all but mandatory for hydration. Hopefully it’s a tad more tame, because I really do need to eat out there.
What do you typically consume for calories? I use gel flasks that each contain ~6 gels, 600 calories. Takes a few seconds to take out of my Jersey pocket, take a mouthful, and return to my pocket (or top tube bag).
I’ve used this approach on technical trails with no issues. I look ahead on the trail, and if I spot 5-10 seconds worth of non-tech trail (easiest to do on climbs when you’re moving slowly), I’ll use that as an opportunity to eat. I aim to eat every 20 mins, 100 cals at a time, so it’s pretty easy to find opportunities to do that three time every hour.
And I use a bladder for drinking.
There’s also the option of mixing nutrition and hydration in a bladder, but I’ve never done that as I like keeping them separate.
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That is the current plan. two 5 gel flasks from start to the halfway point, resupply with two more, plus one bottle of carbs swapped at the same time & hydration pack. Not mixing carbs in my pack as I personally have found that to be a great way to not drink at all if my stomach disagrees.
@Jonathan did say that Oscar’s is like all common features we’ll see but far more concentrated, so there will be time to grab a bottle or flask as well as drink. That’s a relief.
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It will be like that for the most part. Some sections will be notably steeper, and a couple more techy bits. Ei, Ledges. But the majority will be like Oscar’s loop.
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I had plenty of problems (er challenges) but getting in fuel wasn’t one of them in 2024. Pack and gel flask will be just fine.
Joe
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Dropped down to the 50k, had an issue with the chain I put on as it was the WRONG ONE. it was my hard tail race chain which was shorter than my full sus bike uses, so I was running with 10 out of 12 gears. I changed it this morning and didn’t check it obviously. Got to the 2nd oasis and the Shimano guys were there and swapped out my short chain for the proper length, so the last 12 miles were WAY easier.
I’m also keeping an eye on my HR, as exercise induced tachycardia is a thing for me, but also wasn’t an issue either so a small victory there.
At the finish I felt like I could have kept going, but was still happy to be done.
So other than the self-inflicted chain issue, no mechanicals.
If you don’t live around here, you really need to spend some time on these trails. It’s the only way to wrap your head around the riding style required to make the distance. No skidding, smart line choices, comfort with features all come into play.
Will I come back? Maybe just to play and not race, but also maybe to race in a couple of years as a young 60 year old. 
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I’d highly recommend Rule of 3 in May if looking for an event. Technically a race, but mostly just a bunch of people enjoying the day on bikes. Mix of single track, road, and gravel. It hits some of the same trails as Little Sugar, but not the technical sections. Sounds like you had a good day, congrats (no flats and no wrecks is a good day imo).
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I was pretty thrilled to see Cam Jones win. He seems like a rider who is always out there having fun. Maybe riding hard when it doesn’t even make the most sense because he wants to - taking risks because he just enjoys riding.
On a Bonk Bros episode, Andrew Dillman mentioned Cam in the Gravel Worlds race how he was just off the front completely drilling the pace so hard and seemed happy about it. That basically confirmed what I envisioned his style of racing to be lol.
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War of attrition out there. 24% DNF in elite men, 18% DNF in 100k regular. I’ve never seen so many flats in my life.
I pre-rode Ledges on Friday and sliced my Fast Trak T7 so I switched to Wicked Will trail, which had zero issues but man that tire is slow as hell. I think if I raced it again I’ll switch to something a faster and roll the dice since I got my finish. Fueling wasn’t super hard but I cramped insanely hard from miles 15-30. The aid station got me rolling again and until the sun started to beat on me the last 10 miles I felt pretty good. Really fun course, really cool town.
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Really fun but hard day out there yesterday in the 100k. Was extremely happy that the weather conditions were great and the trail was dry. Absolute carnage in terms of flats with so many riders off to the side fixing them. It started the moment we hit the single track. Lots of locals out cheering on the riders and many of them offering up drinks and snacks too, which was super cool.
I pre-rode the course 1.5 times Labor Day weekend on Conti 2.4 Dubs with Grip compound and Trail casing and didn’t flat, so used them for race day. Only difference is I moved them from a set of Enve M5’s to M5 Pro’s. No inserts and a bunch of Silca Ultimate sealant. Finished yesterday again with no flats, so at least for me this seems to be a great tire for the course.
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First time out in Bentonville, definitely fun area and love the bike vibes all around! Did the 50K and saw the same thing in terms of flats, mechanicals and a few crashes. We had a nice cool morning start but the heat was picking up after the 1st aid station later. Definitely can feel the temps going up and when that happened, saw a few starting to cramp. Luckily followed my game plan minus the hydration pack which I forgot to bring. If I do this again, I would use it just to keep the hands on the bars as there many times didn’t have that opportunity to hydrate like I would’ve.
On Jonathan’s Saturday morning pre-ride, I also sliced the sidewall on my rear Mezcal. Luckily was only a mile or two from where we entered the singletrack area but also brought a pump, managed to get it inflated/sealed and to the Gear head shop nearby and rear tire replaced. Didn’t want to chance it with an older maybe ~200ish miles on it, so just went with the local recommendation and what they had on hand. Also bumped up the tire pressure which totally helped. Trail and terrain is so different from my usual PNW conditions, but chalking it up as a fun learning experience on what this area has to offer.
Glad these worked out for you. I really like the 2.4 Dubnital Rapid Race for less flat-prone terrain and was considering the Trail Grip as a more durable option, so nice to hear they held up for at least one person on what was a tire eater of a course.
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I had a different experience with 2.4 Dubnital Trail Grip tires; I tore a hole in the sidewall of my brand new front tire while pre-riding Ledges on Friday, and so switched the tires out for a 2.4WT Forekaster in front and a 2.35 Rekon Race in back. Sunday was a long day for me. Started at the back, and although I passed 120 or so riders between Mile 7 and Mile 42 (many of which were fiddling with their tires at the side of the trail), I never really got into a rhythm, and after a hard fall on my right hip at Mile 26 while (unsuccessfully) negotiating another of the endless downhill switchbacks I went into survival mode. The loose rocks on the trail took a lot of mental energy, and the middle of the race seemed endless. Perked up a bit in the last 5 miles, but too little, too late. Glad to have done it, but not sure I’ll be back…
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Anyone know what happened to Jonathon at Little Sugar? It looks like he hit the first checkpoint, but nothing else and shows DNF. I’m hoping it was a mechanical issue and not a crash. Super bummed for him, sounded like he had some really good fitness going into it.
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He posted in his insta about it but flats, rock stuck in frame, broken spoke and called it a day.
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That course seems like it chewed people up and spat them out.
For those who have ridden it, is it noticeably more unforgiving than other XC trails you’ve ridden?
What is the cause of flats - hitting a sharp edged rock and pinch flatting? A sharp rock poking through the tread? Glancing off a sharp rock and cutting a sidewall?
I’m a little surprised an XC trail is that brutal.
A new downhill trail opened on my local trail system this year. One section of it is super rocky. So far I’ve flatted three times and broken a wheel. But that’s a downhill trail where you’re riding fast, hitting things hard, and there are big compressions….
Lots of sharp rocks just everywhere . The locals I talked to before the race said punctures you can fix with a single plug are the exception, not the rule. Slashes are the most frequent cause of flats. It doesn’t have to be glancing off of a sharp rock, it can also be locking up a wheel and dragging your tire over a sharp that’s embedded in the trail. Something that is innocuous if you roll over it, but is like a blade if you drag your contact patch over it.
That, and as others have said in the thread it is by far the most technical XCM course on the Lifetime calendar. Steep little pitches with rocks or roots a the top, teased a cramp quite frequently in the last half of my race.
Sea Otter is my home turf and there are maybe a dozen places on course where you really have to choose a line over a 30+ mile lap. At Little Sugar you’re doing it constantly. It’s as mentally taxing as it is physically.
All in all I had a great four days of riding and I’d go back again just to hit more trails. By Day 4 I was finally getting a rhythm on the bermed switch backs. Most of the trails I ride here in NorCal are on Open Space preserves, County Parks, or BLM. None of them have purpose built features, so going somewhere the trails are built for fun is quite the treat.
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That race was one of the most fun races I’ve done! So bummed to not have been able to finish, but I very rarely experience bad luck, so hard to complain when I have a brief brush with it.
@webdev511 is spot on. I flatted while in a group in a totally tame slightly uphill section with zero big rocks, ledges, or technicality. I was probably doing less than 200w as I had momentum and was in the group. Never hit anything or made any sort of correction to cause it.
The soil there seems to be mostly composed of rock that leaves razor sharp edges when it fractures. I think this year was particularly bad as I was told by locals that it was one of the driest summers they’ve had in recent years.
In terms of my race, the abbreviated report is:
- Neutral was released earlier than expected, so I was already at 315NP by the time the road ended and we hit the infamous grass climb that turns into singletrack. Everybody started fighting for position for that climb after the first minute of the race once the neutral car pulled off.
- I started the climb further back than I would have liked, but I did 485 for 90sec (all-time PR!) to the top and that probably put me around 30th. I was willing to sacrifice my race for that effort, and it paid off with not getting stuck behind riders who would struggle to hold speed on the trail.
- The race just turned into a rinse and repeat of holding 350-450 on the ups and staying laser-focused the whole time on picking ideal lines, not skidding, holding momentum, and being smooth. Additionally, I was making up a lot of time on a larger group ahead of me by just staying around 270-320 any time you came across the rare “flat” section you could pedal. You also had to constantly be aware of pedal strikes, so timing your pedaling was also key. TONS of focus!
- We caught a big group that composed ~10-20th place of all the amateurs and it became clear it was best to be patient and just let others’ impatience and lack of focus take them out of that group. Being in that group let me fully recover and I was feeling fresh and ready for the second half of the race.
- I flatted at mile 22 and it took 3 dynaplugs and 2.5 minutes to fix it, but we got it fixed and started chasing. My power while in that group was only around 240NP, but while chasing it went back up to 280NP.
- About 25min later I got the group in sight, and then while going through a creek bed a big rock got kicked up and found it’s way into my spokes and got caught on my stays. It stopped the wheel and then I heard the spoke break. Hoped the wheel would hold, but after only another minute or so the wheel lost all tension and it was flopping and folding far enough that it wouldn’t turn.
- I walked it up a climb for about 1/3 of a mile, in which time my nearly new shoes started to already get destroyed due to the sharp rock. I had another 1.5-2mi of walking the bike on trail to get to the next aid station where I would have to beg/borrow/steel a wheel. I figured I already likely have to replace a wheel and if I kept walking would have to replace my shoes, so I decided to cut my losses and call it. Got a ride back to Bentonville and got to the finish to cheer on some friends!
In terms of data, it was 334 NP for the first 20min, 296 NP for the first hour, and 275 NP for the whole 2hr18min of the race before the wheel gave out. Most of the day saw around a 1.2 VI (Variability Index), so that gives you an indication of how punchy it is. I was at 69kg for this race.
The guys I was riding with finished right around top 10 for the non-pros and podium to top 5 for age groupers, so that along with the power data can give you an idea of what it takes to be at the front of the AG field (I’m 38yo).
Final notes:
- That might be one of the most competitive true XCM race fields in the US? Massive field of nearly 500 amateurs doing the 100k and some of the strongest age groupers in the country. From what I can tell, the majority of the top 10 age groupers are either current or past National Champions.
- People like to take a counter-culture approach to Bentonville, but I think it is one of the coolest places to go ride your bike. The trails do all feel quite similar, and yes, the town does have a bit of a Truman Show vibe, but I’ve never ridden in such a bike-friendly place with that much infrastructure. It’s a beautiful place where trails resemble art. The people are all so kind. The quality of restaurants and lodging are all top notch too. I love it there!
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