Aug 4, 2009

Funner/Tiddlywinks/Storm King loop

This is about an 18 mile loop that goes down for about 7 miles, up for about 7 miles, and then a few miles of relatively flat before finishing. We leave from Wanoga parking lot and go down Funner. Funner is about 4 miles long with the first couple of miles being relatively flat and the last couple of miles being a pretty fun down hill section.




You may or may not choose to ride this.























This particular drop is a little bigger than it looks in the photo, but you can walk down it.





















After going down Funner we will continue down Storm King for a few miles. Storm king is a very easy, meandering, and fun trail. At the bottom of storm king we will turn up rd. 4110 for a few miles to the bottom of Tiddlywinks. 4110 does have a few sandy sections but for the most part is a pretty nice gradual climb with shade and relatively a firm surface. Although climbing up Tiddlywinks will not be too much fun at the end of 100 miles there are sections of this trail that are smoother than Funner was going down.
Here is an example of a nice section of Tiddlywinks.



























After the hardest climbing on Tiddlywinks we are treated to yet another nice view. Hopefully the wildflowers will remain through August.




















There are a few rocky sections before we hit rd. 4613 and head back into Wanoga on the same rd we started on.















All in all we have a 100 mile race, with about 10,000 feet of climbing, at elevation ranging from
4000-6000 feet. I would recommend a full suspension 26 inch bike with tires wider that 2 inches or a 29 inch wheel bike with tires under 2 inches wide to help with the sections that are sandy/soft dirt. You will not need a mud type tread. Dry tread tires like Bontrager Jones XR would be ideal. Whether or not it's hot, it's very likely to be very dry. I will bring my camel back and my water bottle even though there is aid. You may need more liquid than normal.
I would recommend using electrolytes during the race and starting a regimen of magnesium and potassium now.
I expect the winner to be just under 10 hrs and a lot of people being in the 12-14 hr range. We only have 14 hrs of daylight to work with so you better be ready. If you make the cut offs and finish before dark you are an excellent mountain biker and can hold your head high.
Good luck and hope to see you out there!

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