2020 Hoodoo 500 Voyager

• The Good: I averaged 15.4 mi/hr moving pace; fastest pace for me ever at Hoodoo.

• The Bad: I had four flats in the first 190 miles; had to put on a new tire in Escalante.

• The Ugly: I spent 9.5 hours stopped!

bike path approaching Bryce National Park

Ride data:

• https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/5464907208

• https://ridewithgps.com/trips/55392681

The event:

Hoodoo 500… I love it. The route is a large counter-clockwise loop, starting and ending in St. George, Utah. It’s a tough course of over 510 miles and 29k feet of elevation gain. The scenery is varied, expansive, and awe inspiring. (And that’s just the tiny bit of it I actually see when I’m not busy staring at my front wheel!) Roughly 85% of the course is above 5,000 feet of elevation. The two highest points are 9,910 feet and 9,600 feet. Check out the Hoodoo 500 official website course description for more course details.

course map and elevation profile

The “Voyager” division consists of the folks who ride the entire course non-stop self-supported. We are allowed drop bags at four of the time stations along the route. Other than that, we’re on our own for resupply of food and water. 

Pre-race preparation:

I completed Race Across Oregon six weeks earlier. Raced 2x team with Lori Hoechlin. (Had a wonderful time! Much thanks to Lori, Terri Boykins, and my daughter Regina.) My share of RAO was roughly 350 miles and over 21k feet of elevation gain. Since then, I did some serious climbing rides, and one solo double century (212 mi, 12.4k ft). However, I repeatedly told everyone who asked me about Hoodoo that “I wasn’t feeling it.” That is, I knew I could complete the course within the 49 hour time limit, but I didn’t have a plan or expectation of having a superlative race. 

Accordingly, I decided to travel light. I went with two bottles on the bike and a 2L hydration pack (USWE Outlander 2). Instead of a large rando-style saddle bag, I went with my usual seat bag containing 2x tube, 2x CO2, 2x tire boot, multitool, and inflator. (I carry a tire lever separately.) Taped to the frame I carried a jacket (compact, ultra lightweight) and leg coverings; an emergency space blanket was stuffed in my hydration pack. I have these three things to comply with the Voyager rules, but have no intention of ever using them. Lastly, I had two small bungee cords which I used at times to attach a plastic bag containing clothing to my handlebars as a kind of makeshift burrito bag. 

pre-race mugshot

Start to TS1 [mile 0-90] - 89.7 miles; +5,550'; -2,980':

Voyagers, and 300-distance self-supported riders, start at 0500. We ride together, easy pace, for the first nine or so miles. It was a nice time to chat with newcomer siblings Emily and Max Lippe. There were four of us doing the 500 distance (endurance stud David Haase, friend Kevin Bilbee, young Max Lippe, and myself), and another couple doing the 300 distance (perky Emily Lippe [ride report] and my good pal Steve Meichtry [ride report]). 

self-supported racer startline; (L-R) Dave H., Steve M., Kevin B., me, Emily L., Max L.

After the initial neutral start, the race begins and we are required to separate, as drafting is no longer allowed for the duration of the event. So, I stopped to pee. I had tons of 'liquid breakfast' (Hammer Recoverite & milk!) that needed to go. Soon, I overtook Steve and Emily. Next, Max. Then, Kevin. I could see Dave's taillights in the distance in front of me until mile 26, when he turned onto Hwy 58 and started the climb out of Hurricane towards Arizona. The Hwy 58 climb went okay for me. I tried not to go too hard, like I did in 2014. Pretty soon the sun was fully up. 

Mile 35, I nearly get killed... This section of road is a two lane highway with high speed limit (55, 65, ?). There's no shoulder, and a really rough rumble strip occupies the right-most part of the pavement where one would normally ride. Thus, you're forced to ride further into the road than you'd prefer. So, I have a car coming towards me, in my lane, going ~70 mph, passing multiple cars and a big rig truck all in one go. Rather than get hit head-on, I had to jam on the brakes, pull off the road into the dirt shoulder, and stop. All the while this asshat is still in my lane passing cars at high speed. Okay. Bike back on the road. Start pedaling again. [BTW, this is not the first time I've experienced this exact issue on this section of road.] 

Mile 50, just across the Arizona border in Colorado City... Flat rear tire. Thank you, giant pile of broken glass. [Before y'all start saying "tubeless," let me just say that I'm riding a new bike that I fully intend to setup tubeless, but I just hadn't gotten there yet.] While stopped to change the tube, Dave Haase rides past me -- It turns out he flatted earlier and I had passed him without noticing. Did I mention I tend to stare a my front wheel? -- and then Kevin Bilbee rolls by. That's the last time I'll see Dave. Back on the road, I make it another half mile and the rear tire is flat again. Ugh. Now, I very carefully check the tire, boot one section that's just slightly questionable, inspect everything closely, inflate it, install the wheel. Back in business. Max Lippe passed me while making this second stop. Now I am out of spare tubes and CO2s.

Off the main highway and on to the 'new' section back into Utah through Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. Rear tire seems to be holding up. I overtake Max a few miles before getting onto Hwy 89, where there's a little more climbing before the first nice descent of the course, down into Mt Carmel Junction. A little farther and I roll into TS1, Forscher German Bakery & Restaurant, just outside of Orderville.

TS1 to TS2 [mile 90-138] - 48.3mi. ; +3,390'; -1,190':

Dave and Connie Veilleux were a nice, friendly sight. (Thanks volunteers!) Kevin is still here at TS1 when I arrive, but leaves fairly soon. That's the last time I'll see him. I have a tube and CO2 in my dropbag, along with the usual resupply of food and such. Max arrives. Rather than be in a hurry, I try to go to the bathroom and see if I can empty myself of the rest of yesterday's late lunch. Try, try, try. No luck. Oh well. Like I said before the start: 'not feeling it.'

at time station 1, filling up hydration pack

leaving Time Station 1

Back on the highway, it's all climbing to mile 107 [7,500 feet]. Thankfully, it's not pouring rain, like has happened twice before on this section of the course. Early on the climb, I overtake Max.

After the summit, I get a nice long gradual downhill for 21 miles, before turning onto scenic Hwy 12 and more climbing. Normally I crank it up here and make good time. But, 'not feeling it,' I decide it's better to save myself for the mountains ahead. Somewhere about four miles before the turn onto Hwy 12, I notice my rear tire is soft. By the turn, it's quite low, around 40 psi. Ugh. I hoped to make it to the parking lot where the bike path starts before stopping to fix it, but it was completely flat within a mile past the turn.

Mile 128.5. Flat fix number three... I pull across the highway to a closed up store that has a nice boardwalk patio awning to get me some shade while I replace the tube. Max rolls by while I'm there. We yell at each other. That's the last time I will see Max.

Back on the road, anxious about being out of spare tubes again, it's more climbing along a bike path up to the next time station. It's here where I see Park Ranger Bryan Shlinkmann and his wife Katie taking pictures of the racers. I tried my best to put on a nice smile.

Brook Henderson still cruising even after 3 flats throughout the day. pic.twitter.com/GuFJEPFBR7

— Planet Ultra (@HOODOO500) August 29, 2020

TS2 to TS3 [mile 138-189] - 49.6mi.; +1,970'; -3,630':

TS2 is an unmanned gas station store. I buy water and some snacks, sit out front on the ground and eat, refill my hydro pack & bottles, chill. Here's where I have my first encounter with a racer from another category: solo racer Steve Hadley.

Back on the course, I pass the entrance to Bryce National Park and then there's a nice screamer descent into Tropic. (I think this is my second favorite descent descent of the course.) Next is the climb through the Grand Staircase-Escalante section. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Of course, I never bother to take pictures! There was a bit of on-and-off rain through this part of the course, but nothing that required any special gear. The end of the long uphill is roughly a mile of steep climb (>10%) to ~7,300', around mile 169. Grunt.

Next is a mostly gradual descent into TS3, Escalante. What could go wrong? Sure enough, a few miles out, I notice my rear tire is once again quite soft. Luckily, I was able to make it to the hotel before was completely flat, but just barely.

TS3 to TS4 [mile 189-261] - 73.9 mi.; +6,760; -5,660':

Ahhh, TS3. Escalante. Prospector Inn. Brian Bowling. ("The race starts here." & "Just go to the end of this road and turn left.") I'm a bit miffed as I roll in. Brian joins me in the room reserved for the Voyagers. He says "Let's figure out what's wrong with your tire." I reply with "No. I have a new tire in my drop bag. I'm just gonna put on a new tire." Unfortunately, along with the new tire went the one spare tube I had in my dropbag. So, now I have one CO2 but no spare tube. Scavenger hunt! First, I go through Kevin's dropbag. There's a tube, but the valve stem is too short for my deep cross-section rim. Next, I dig through Max's giant bag. Hey, another tube. But, again, the stem is too short. Finally, I poke around Dave's dropbag. Bingo! A tube with 80mm stem. I pack Dave's tube in my seat bag. In my dropbag for this stop, I have a full new kit for the evening (bibs & jersey) plus warm stuff for the long, chilly descent into Torrey. I wasn't necessarily planning on using the kit -- it's nice to have had there been more serious rain -- but I changed into it anyway. I strapped the warm stuff to my bike, so I could put it on later when I need it.

new kit in Escalante... ready to hit the road again

New kit, new tire, new attitude. I leave the room and get back on my bike. But, I can't leave just yet... In the parking lot is 4x team We're Fine. Friends! Jen Orr [ride report] immediately approaches and asks for a photo, then Dee Mann wants a picture. A few more group pictures, hugs, and I roll out onto the highway choking back some tears as I marvel at how fortunate I am to have people that love me unconditionally, like family.

with Jen Orr

with Dee Mann

(L-R) Rob Mann, me, Jen Orr, Curtis McPherson

It's a gradual climb for a while heading out of town, then comes my absolute favorite part of the course: the descent to Calf Creek and the beginning of the climb out of the canyon, towards The Hogback.

climbing out of Escalante

heading towards Calf Creek

The climbing over The Hogback and into Boulder is no joke. Yeah, it's 'only' 1,500' in over nine miles, but there's plenty of double-digit gradient sections to wear you down before the real torture that comes after Boulder. Luckily, I was taking turns passing my We're Fine friends' van & Chris Davies' crew van along this section. So, I had a cheering squad to keep me on task. Very thankful. Along the climb, the day turns from dusk to full darkness. (Full moon is only three days away, so there would be good moonlight.)

Boulder. Nice town. I highly recommend Hell's Backbone Grill & Farm restaurant. I stop outside the Boulder Mountain Lodge, just adjacent. Once, I bought water bottles from a vending machine here. But, now I know where there's a hose bib to top off my water before the long climb ahead. The parking area here is the last time I see my We're Fine friends' van.

Boulder Mountain... It's 3,100' of climbing over 15 miles, to a final altitude of 9,600'. To this day, I don't know how I did this climb my first time at Hoodoo in 2014. I just remember being a zombie for a couple hours and eventually getting to the top where I urinated on the "Elevation 9,600'" signpost. This year was one of the better years for me on this long climb. I struggled after 10 or so miles, resorted to a bit of paperboy at times; but, overall, not too bad. Just before the summit was a large lighted highway sign, a perfect place to sit down and put on all my cold weather gear for the long chilly descent to Torrey. A solo rider passed while I was stopped. I caught him on the descent, Giovanni Prosperi. I chatted for a bit with Giovanni and his crew before going ahead of him into Torrey. It turns out he was at RAO six weeks earlier, where Lori and I were having fun taking turns, and he would be at the Silver State 508 three weeks later! 

[Note: Last year, on my 4x mixed team, my teammate Martha Filkins hit a deer early on this descent. She was injured and required medical attention (stitches), but was fortunate to have not been more severely hurt. Still, though, I thought of her and that scary moment the entire time I was alone on the descent.]

It's a bit of a gradual uphill schlog from Torrey to the time station in Bicknell, the Aquarius Inn. To make matters worse, I passed the time station by about two-tenths of a mile and had to backtrack to get to the motel. 

TS4 to TS5 [mile 261-359] 98mi.; +3,200'; -3,650':

Bicknell. Half way. The beginning of the end. Ranger Bryan is here, along with another man whose name I cannot recall. (Sorry; thanks Volunteers!) Not in a rush. I wasted waaaay too much time here. I ate some food (instant mac & cheese!) changed into warm kit for the overnight section. I also packed another tube and CO2 to add to the one I "stole" from Dave's dropbag back in Escalante. So, I now have two spares. No sleep here; I just wasn't sleepy enough.

Out in the parking lot was Steve Hadley and crew in their van. Apparently, he was having stomach issues and was waiting to see if things improved so he could keep going. Finally back on the road around 0330, I'm headed towards Loa and the dreaded ten mile climb that follows. Pretty soon I get passed by Steve Hadley's van. DNF. That's too bad. I much prefer seeing people succeed.

The climb past Loa goes okay for me. The steeper parts of the first half are a drag, but the upper parts go by better than expected. Following the summit (8,385') is a nice, chilly descent to Koosharem. The flat/gradual downhill section that follows the descent is usually a fast 40 or so miles for me. Not this time. Now I was sleepy. The road has almost no traffic and the shoulder is safe, so I tried to fight it. But, eventually I gave up. Around mile 296 I leaned the bike against a signpost, sat myself down in the dirt, and nodded off for about 15 minutes. Once going again, most of the sleepiness was gone. That's the only sleep I would get for the entire race.

At the junction/turn of Hwy 62 & 22, by Otter Creak State Park, I stopped to pee and change a bit of my clothing. It was full daylight now, and starting to warm up just a bit. While stopped, a van comes by, slows, passenger rolls the window down and asks if I need anything. It's Chris Davies. Another DNF. That sucks. (I declined help.) By the time I reach Hwy 89, it's warmer still, so I stop and pull off my long-sleeve baselayer from under my long-sleeve jersey. Who doesn't love changing clothes on the side of the highway?!

Oh, the long headwind deathmarch to Panguitch... It's only 30 miles, gradual uphill, but with a dreadful headwind that makes it "special." Fortunately, the wind was maybe a tad less dreadful than usual, and I felt pretty good. I covered this section in just over two hours. Believe it or not, that's much better than usual. The temperatures were climbing. I pulled into the time station at 1044.

TS5 to TS6 [mile 359-429] - 69.5 mi.; +5,030'; - 5,760':

Panguitch! Color Country Motel. Christy McBride & Robin Kashar, fun ladies from Las Vegas. (Thanks volunteers!) Okay... Again I'm not in a rush. I ride my bike across the street to the gas station store to buy some snacks and drinks. Back at the hotel I settle in for a relaxing time of eating, and preparing for the final day. In my dropbag is another tube and CO2, so I add them to my seat bag and return the tube I borrowed from Dave to his dropbag. My day two kit is bibs with a nice cool white jersey. I made a multiple trips to the motel's ice machine. It was another way too long stop.

arriving at Panguitch

my mom requested "more selfies"

Right off the bat, the climb to Panguich Lake and beyond begins. There's some steeper stuff early on, but then it's just a long uphill drag to the Lake. This is a beautiful climb. I keep reminding myself to look up and take in the scenery. Passing the lake (mile 376) I take my one and only ride photo, other than a few selfies I sent my family from the earlier time stations.

riding by Panguitch Lake

Past the lake is where the real climbing begins. I climbed the nasty steep stuff into Duck Creek Village better than expected. The new bike has plenty of low gearing, so I just kept shifting until I could manage the climbs without resorting to too much standing out of the saddle (which is my usual modus operandi). Normally I pull into the frontage road at DCV (mile 398) and stop at the gas station store, but I opted to stay on the highway and keep rolling. This section of Hwy 14 has more steep climbing that goes on forever, finally reaching 9,910' at mile 411. It's also a well trafficked highway with trucks and such, many towing trailers. This year, overall, was noticeably better than 2018 here. Most of the passing vehicles moved over to pass when possible. There was only a handful of close passes, and one very weak attempt at rolling coal. I counted myself fortunate to reach the summit in good spirits.

Normally, I would really enjoy the long descent down to Cedar City (mile 428). However, with all of the extra weight on me and the bike, it handles just a bit differently. Plus, after over 400 miles, it's just too long a descent to enjoy. I even pulled into the shoulder a couple times to allow cars to pass. I don't relish being a wuss on the descent, but getting down safely in one piece is more important than my ego.

Cedar City is hot, as usual. I roll into town eager to make the final stop before the finish. Chevron. Chevron. Where's the Chevron? Ah...

TS6 to TS7 [mile 429-499] - 69.8 mi.; +2,700'; -4,260':

Ice. Gatorade. Lots of water. Again, probably too long stopped here.

Riding out of town I know what lies ahead. The ten mile climb towards Newcastle gains only 1,000 feet, so only 2% average or so. It's a stair-stepper. Some years I've flown up it; others, it was a drag. This was definitely one of the better years. Overall, I felt good. Past the summit (mile 446; 6,450'), it was starting to get dark. By the time I reached Newcastle, and started on Bench Rd., it was full dark. I hate Bench Rd. This year was a bit of an exception. I actually rode decently well on the uphill portion, but dragged on the final downhill/flat parts approaching the left turn to Enterprise. I schlepped on.

Hwy 18, mile 469. The final legit climb. I'm finally here. Checking the clock, I start thinking I'll be finished after midnight. The first half was easy-peasy. The upper mile or two were tougher, but I kept it rolling strong to the summit at mile 474.5; 6150'.

Now it's time I smell the barn. I know it's mostly fast riding from here to Snow Canyon. A few climbs, but mostly fast miles, with plenty of downhills to get some rest for the final drive. The miles seem to tick away just a little slower than I expect, and yet it's looking like I'll reach the finish earlier than my previous calculation, so I just keep applying the power to the pedals until I reach the final downhill to Snow Canyon.

TS7 to Finish [mile 499-513] - 14.3 mi; +160'; -1,560':

Top of Snow Canyon... I stop and call Deb. She's expecting my call. I have to change the battery in one of my headlights. I set my music player to give me something to enjoy on the final ride into the finish. Then, off I go. Overall, I had a strong pull all the way into to the finish. That final hill on Black Ridge Rd is always a gut buster, though!

rolling into the finish

I roll into the finish. Smiling. Rick Jacobson is sitting on the bench hanging out (waiting for me?). Max is there, too, still in his bike shorts. He finished less than half an hour before me. Exhausted and happy to be finished. I check into my room, shower, relax, and walk over to Denny's for a little meal before catching a few hours of sleep.

post-race selfie

Post-race banquet: 

Due to Covid-19, the usual hotel post-race banquet was moved to a local park. We enjoyed the usual shenanigans, awards, and raffle. Brian awarded me with a baby bottle filled with sour candy because I arrived in Escalante with a sour attitude complaining about my tire. (Waah!) And, he followed with a small Buddha pot symbolizing how I left Escalante with a peaceful fresh attitude. Little things like this are part of the reason I keep coming back to do Hoodoo. Thanks, Planet Ultra.

my gifts

(L-R) Emily Lippe, Max Lippe, Steve Meichtry

Mountain West Ultra Cup racers completed Race Across Oregon and Hoodoo 500
(L-R) Giovanni Prosperi, Dave Haase, me, Lori Hoechlin, Shelby Webber

[published 2020-10-03; updated 2020-10-10]