Grasshopper #4: Pine Flat

Race Ride: Grasshopper #4, Pine Flat
Mileage: 65
Climbing: I still can't bear to look
Place: 16th


This grasshopper was attended by 80-100 riders. Those who showed up were all strong. The course in a nutshell was HSBG -> Cloverdale -> The Geysers -> Pine Flat and finish at the top of Pine Flat. For anyone unfamiliar with Pine flat at the top it's just ... heinous, with extended segments of 22% gradients after you've been climbing solid for about an hour. And of course before Pine Flat is the brute of the climb of The Geysers. Ivan Basso's Liquigas teammate Ben King showed up and set the race ride alight, and several others had outstanding rides. For my part, I performed somewhat worse than expected. Was in 7th and moving up on the Geysers which was great, but then the masquerade of the paucity of my mileage was revealed to all as I began unspooling on the final climb, though may I say most riders also suffered mightily and many others also had issues with cramping. 


For those interested in a real report, may I direct you to http://www.grasshopperadventureseries.com/


The final ascent is documented in a sort of timeline below (and sincerest apologies to those in Fukushima prefecture):


Mile 53:


- An 11.5 mile climb, the most substantial ever ridden in Sonoma County, is attempted just before 2:00 pm local time (-800 GMT), triggering a massive anaerobic effort.


- The power supply and cooling systems of Rick Pepper are damaged.


Mile 56: 
- Rick Pepper orders the evacuation of all riders who are close to him at the time, where an explosion occurs in a leg housing one of his calf muscles.


Mile 57: 
- Estimates of five riders have been evacuated from the vicinity of now the disabled Rick Pepper. 
- Grasshopper Prime Minister Miguel Crawford says Rick Pepper is facing its worst crisis since attempting to climb Joy Road on February 19. Millions of muscle cells are without any power or water.


Mile 59: 
- A second explosion occurs at the stricken right leg.


Mile 60: 
- Two more explosions and a severe cramp rock all online quadriceps and lactic levels around the facility reach dangerous levels, prompting Rick to advise riders up to 30 kilometres (20 miles) from his legs to stay indoors.


Mile 61:
- Managers from other teams urge their riders to leave Pine Flat Road and the Grasshopper Adventure Series organization authorises the voluntary departure of Grasshopper family members.


Mile 61: 
- The core of the left quadricep is damaged. 
- Rick's muscular safety agency raises the Pine Flat crisis level from four to five on the international scale of gravity for cramping and failure, which goes up to seven.


Mile 62:
- Abnormal levels of Lactic Acid are detected in the general atmosphere of the stricken rider and traces of lactic acid are reportedly found in his sweat.


- Todd Weizenberg arrives at the summit, the first local rider to arrive since the disaster. He Places 3rd.


Mile 63:
- Rick Pepper, the operator of the now-disabled legs, apologises for the "anxiety and nuisance" caused to other riders forced to flee the dangerous zone around him and to the county as a whole.


Mile 62:
- Three other riders are exposed to high levels of lactic acid at Pine Flat, with two hospitalized after stepping in a puddle of some fluid that appears to be leaking from the stricken Rick Pepper. They are discharged on 01 May with no sign of serious injuries.


Mile 64:
- "Maximum alert" warning is issued after Rick Pepper is observed now smoldering going up the final 22% grade. 
- At least 15 people are exposed to high levels of lactic acid in this area, however, all have summited safely before the stricken Rick Pepper


Mile 65:
- Fatigue and general sense of failure detected in local groundwater reaches a new high of 10,000 times the legal limit. 
- Concentrations of abject disillusion 4,385 times higher than normal are recorded in the surrounding atmosphere extending as a plume to the south-east. 
- Pepper does not expand the evacuation zone, as recommended by regulatory watchdog agencies USCF and SCBC. 


-Pepper finally summits Pine Flat.