Epic Training Systems- 2009 San Diego 400km Page 3

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2009 San Diego 400km Brevet Page 3

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Mile 136- 5:16pm - Aguanga Control-- We got fluids and "proof of passage". The next 35 miles were on
Hwy 79. Nightfall was rapidly approaching and it was starting to get cold. February in the mountains of San
Diego can be low 30's and snow. We were only 140+ miles into this brevet, we were way "out there"-- oh yeah
it's going to be a long night.

Mile 145- Dodge Valley Oasis- a restaurant owned and operated by Sadie, a sweet and energetic gal. She
hustled to get us served quickly and back on the road. We were in serious need of food and a respite from the
elements. We had a real meal; Tortellini, Ravioli, salads and coffee. We were stopped for about an hour. We felt
very well taken care of by Sadie THANK YOU!

745pm 13 hours into the event. -- Leaving the warmth and security of the DVO was very difficult. It was
now 7:45 at night and very cold. Some of the patrons were talking about snow. You are mid way up a climb
when you exit DVO so you got get back on task right away. We continued the climb up to Sunshine Summit.
We did some descending and climbing through Warner Springs and Santa Ysabel. On the last pitch outside of
Santa Ysabel my back was hurting so much I asked Brandy if we could pull over so we could "take 5".

Mile 171.1- Getting to Santa Ysabel was a major milestone for me. Santa Ysabel meant the end of the
climbing, end of the higher elevation, the end of the cold (or so I thought) and the feeling that every mile from
that point forward was bringing us closer to home. Looking at the elevation graph you can see there was a lot of
descending from Santa Ysabel to Ramona and more descending into Rancho Bernardo. We descended Hwy 78
and Old Julian Hwy to Ramona.

Mile 186- 10:58 pm --Ramona Control- I got a danish and a hostess fruit pie. Brandy got brownie and a
coffee. She was falling asleep. I had not experienced any sleep deprivation.

Mile 189- Highland Valley Rd was a fun descent at night. It was the first time I had ever been on that road in
the dark. It's a great stair-step climb going from Rancho Bernardo to Ramona and a very fast descent going
back to Rancho Bernardo.

Mile 202- Pomerado Rd. We stopped to "regroup". I changed to a fresh NiteRider Moab battery.

Mile 207.5- Camino Del Norte- We missed this turn because none of the lighted signs said "Camino Del Norte"
like our route sheet. No... they said Twin Peaks. We were on a slight downhill and blew past the turn and
continued downhill. Eventually, we pulled over consulted our google maps on our cell phone and realized we had
passed Camino Del Norte and "climbed" back to the turn.

Mile 218- We were really tired. We were supposed get on the 56 Bike Path "at the SW corner of intersection".
We stood there trying to figure out what would be SW. It was late and cold and we just wanted clear cut
directions. DON'T ENTER THE BIKE PATH ON THE GAS STATION SIDE ENTER THE BIKE PATH
ACROSS THE STREET. THE ENTRANCE TO THE BIKE PATH WILL BE ON YOUR RIGHT AS YOU GO
UNDER THE 56 FREEWAY.

Mile 223- We were tired, cold and irritable. The bike path was flooded so we had to take the detour. Once again
the directions on the route sheet frustrated us. WHEN YOU CROSS THE STREET GO RIGHT ON THE BIKE
PATH.

It was really cold. I couldn't believe how cold it was on the 56 bike path. Is this San Diego? I know it's
February but come on. We finally figured it out but wasted at least 20 mins and we were furious. Now that I'm
nice and warm and sitting here with a full belly I think about how brain dead we were. It was 245 am!

Mile 225- Carmel Valley Control- Obtained our "proof of passage" while I ate yet another cheese danish.
Brandy didn't get anything she just picked from my danish

Mile 240- Finish Control- We arrived at 4:24 am. Almost 24 hours from the start.

I'm almost embarrassed to tell people who are not Randos that it took us that long to ride 240 miles. But it is
what it is. Randos know the difficulty of these epic rides. The climbs hurt us and steeper climbs hurt us even
more. Even though we can descend faster than solo bikes we just don't make up the time we lost climbing at 4-5
miles an hour. Subsequently, the longer you are on the course, the more stops you will take, the longer the stops
get, and the more tired you get and the slower you get.

The 600km Brevet is on April 4. That gives us a little more time to get in shape. We will have a little more
daylight and it should be a little warmer. We are visiting some of the same climbs. We should be a little stronger
by then.