Borrego Springs 400k Brevet

Willie Hunt's Borrego Springs 400km and 600km brevets are always a challenge. A lot of the route is along remote, poor quality roads that really test the riders' self-sufficiency and equipment. This year was no exception.

Dark and raining

We started at Willie's house in Lake Forest at 5am in the cool, damp night and headed downhill to the beach. Last year I had not worn enough layers to handle a 25mph descent in 37F temps so this year I wore extra layers and silk glove liners. No complaints this year.

Descending Hwy 133 to the coast

The first info control caught some riders out as they missed the downhill turn and had turn around and climb back up the hill. My rwgps app gave me the cue just in time. We had to write down the number of the house on the corner.

I always hope the house owner isn't awake, paranoid, and armed

We headed north on a quiet PCH to the Shell gas station at Warner. Some of us wanted a hot breakfast so we ate across the road at the Jack-in-the-Box. It was good.

Jack-in-the-Box, best food for 200 miles

Then we headed back south on the beach path to the Santa Ana River Trail (SART) which was unusually quiet so we were able to maintain a good pace. Because it was so early in the day we still had a slight headwind which quickly gave up all sense of direction and just gusted randomly.

An unusually quiet beach path

Pacelineing behind The Brat.

Alongside the 91 freeway

We continued up the SART to the end, then I decided to stop to refuel at the 76 gas station on Green River Road and somehow lost the group I was with. No matter, we rode the usual route through Norco onto the upper SART, took the detour on Jurupa (the SART reopens this section in late April), and onto San Bernardino for the next control.

More gas station cuisine

At the G&M gas station I noticed a randonneur who I knew was not on the ride, arrive with a group of the 600k riders. He told me he had arranged to meet his friends and ride 30 or so miles with them. This is against the rules and can be grounds for a DQ.

Now we had a long climb up San Timeteo Canyon road to the top of the Banning Pass at 3000'. Last year it was pretty hot and I had to take a shade nap at the Shell gas at the top but this year was perfect so I just grabbed some food and kept going. We picked up a strong tail wind as we rode towards Cabazon. Unfortunately the road (Apache Trail) hasn't been maintained in 50 years and has massive wheel grabbing cracks that I had to bunny hop. It's downhill, and with the tailwind we were coasting at 30mph so I had to be very alert. I spoke to Shai (fixie) after the ride and he pointed out that he can't bunny hop on a fixie. Ow!

Somewhere on this stretch I lost a water bottle. I wish I could have got some video but I didn't want to take my hands off the handlebars even for a second.

Eventually we reached smooth(er) pavement and the wind picked up through the pass so that I was coasting at 35mph and could still feel a strong wind on the backs of my legs.

Coasting through Cabazon

The tailwind and downhill continued onto the shoulder of the 111 to Palm Springs. As the route turns around and heads back West after Salton City, I knew we would pay for all this. I think I made contact here with Wei for a while.

Shoulder of the 111 headed to Palm Springs

We meandered through Palm Springs for a while then ended up on Varner which I remembered from last year because it is possibly the worst stretch of maintained road I've seen for a while (Apache Trail isn't maintained). I was riding with Wei now - we joined up at the prior control, and even though I warned him, I think Varner caught him by surprise. I turn my video on before hitting Varner because only video does it justice.

We got to the info control in Indio in daylight so I knew I was on a better time that last year. All that tailwind had sped me up.

Info control in Indio with Wei

We still seemed to have a tailwind as we got the Arco before the final climb to Borrego Springs. Even though it's not a control, it's essential to stop here because there is nothing but pain and fear for the next 28 miles.

Last stop before the death march

As Wei and I left the Arco we started climbing into a 30-40 mph headwind on very rough road. Some stretches are as steep as 7% and I found myself riding at 3.2 mph so I walked them at 2.8 mph instead which gave my legs and backside some relief. I fact there were 3 sections I walked in the end, mainly because I felt they were too dangerous to ride. The sand was sheeting across the road. I really wish I could have got some video but there was no way I was taking my hands off the handlebars.

Wei went on ahead and as I stopped to eat a packet of GoCubes, I ended up with a group that included Terri and (I think) Charlie. The last 10 miles are slightly downhill and we got some relief from the wind so we rolled into Borrego Springs at 2am at 17 mph.

I got five hours sleep, then we waited nervously for Pete to show up at 26:40. Twenty minutes to spare - no problem. Then we climbed onto the minibus that Willie had rented for us (great idea) and were chauffeured back to the start. Brilliant!

As we were driven home in luxury we passed many of the 600k riders toiling up Montezuma Valley Road. I always wondered why anyone would take a nice flat 400k and ruin it with climbing. I guess it takes all sorts. I take my hat off to them - I couldn't do it.

I completed my Mondail award on this ride. Only took me 15 years!