[greyfox]

Anybody have time estimates for the key spots on the d'ville xc course? I'm going to do a trial run and would like to work on some target times, with a 2:30 time as the goal:

For example:
start in sierra city: 0:00
the shale-ey section of the climb: 0:30
the false summit: 1:00
beginning of baby heads: 1:20
water crossing: 1:45
second divide: 2:00
exit onto the road: 2:20
finish: 2:30

thats just a sample (and i may have some of the name wrong -- I'm not sure about 3rd divide vs 2nd divide).

 

[the.vault]

I don't know many splits for the XC race. When I was going good. I think I made it to the top (Packer Saddle) in 1:06. That got me a 2:17 at the end of the day. That was more than a few years ago.

The 10 minute for the finish road part looks pretty optimistic.

Doing the DH, I can get to the road in <28 minutes and finish in ~ 48 minutes. Last section with 1st divide ~ 20 minutes.

I heard Weir's splits are <22 minutes to the road. ~ 38 minutes to finish. ~ 16 minutes from the road to the finish.

Those are both for the old course, without sunrise trail. That is the road after the third divide descent, not the paved road.

 

[greyfox]

2:17 -- thats a very good time. So 1:06 to Packers Saddle? Thats where the vans drop people off for the downhill, right? So that would put the false summit at around 0:50 ish? Just trying to get an idea. I'm in good shape right now, but I won't be doing Packers Saddle in 1:06, but I can use your suggested checkpoint times as a gauge. Thanks for that. Others out there?

 

[the.vault]

That 2:17 was back in 99',, not even close since then. I'm a little unsure about the time to the top. Last couple times I did the XC race I was coming in around 1:10 at packer saddle I think. and 2:30 at the finish.

I think the XC race is a little quicker now. Maybe buy a couple minutes. You don't do the S-turns on pavement.

Depending on where or how you make up time in a race, if you come over the top slower than ~ 1:10 you start hitting traffic on the way down. Enough traffic that if you are a fast descender you won't have room to run.

 

[greyfox]

I agree 100% about the descending -- that happened to me last year. So I'm really working on the climb and having some "motivating" splits will (hopefully) help me push more on the climb.

 

[the.vault]

Those motivating splits don't always work as planned.

One year I was keeping a solid pace and didn't want to bury myself to soon up the climb. I told myself I'd wait till around 45 minutes and make my move. 45 minutes is about where you make that big right turn. You get off the loose shale onto a more normal fire road. Is that the false flat?

45 minutes came and went and I was happy to just hold it together.

If you post in the Nor-Cal forum, you'll probably get some more info on splits for the XC-race. You might also trying do some searches on Motion Based.