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Saturday's Double Century went off without a hitch in mild sunny conditions with little wind hindering a field of over 120 riders. The last time I frequented the doubles was in 2006 when it came through our neck of the woods. That year was brutal being called one of the hardest doubles ever in the sense that it covered over 16,000 feet of climbing! In fact it was so hard, some riders didn't return the following year. However since that time, they cut back the climbing to a reasonable amount with 10,000 feet of climbing this year.

I was up to go check it out Saturday. Like I said, I haven't been to see the women do the doubles since 2006, so why not go have a bit of fun, chat with the riders and snag an interview and some photos. Double Centuries always fascinate me because they are so extreme. Why would anyone want to put themselves through such torture? Fact is it seems, lots of people want to, and do! I know humans are painful creatures but what is it that drives us to such extremes?

To tell the truth, I was always decent at 100 miles when I was into regular cycling fitness mode, but never 200. My body simply said no after 100 miles, but I can live with that. I have always thought it took special genes to go 200 miles in one day. However back then I didn't have the specialized nutrition supplements that riders use today like Hammer products. I did all my rides on Cytomax and Power bars.

Still, I'd bet all the women who really do well in these doubles must have good genes. They have to be a cut above in my opinion. There was no shortage of women who rode the double, and I believe like in 2006, most of them didn't drop out either. The dinner waiting for the riders was good, a banquet of Lasagna, cream chicken, soups, and a various assortments of brownies, cookies, and whatever else your sweet tooth might need.

The actual ride started officially at 5:15am for those who wanted a time, and no rider was supposed to leave after 5:30am. One rider left at 3am, and others at 4am. Most left at the regular time of 5:30am. All riders were to be back by midnight, as that is when the services stop. The actual course was sort of a loop with some backtracking. Basically it left Clovis California in the central valley and tracked up into the foothills and finally the Sierra Nevada range circling Bass Lake before the long trek back through Auberry and Millerton lake.

There was a nice gap between when these two titans came in, and when some of the next finishers arrived so I had plenty of time to sit down and do a short interview with Jennie Phillips and Jeanine Spence. The pair covered the course in 12-1/2 hours, averaging a little better then 16 mph. They consumed 4-5 bottles of fluids, around 2-4 liters. These two girls are extremely fit, seasoned to ride, and it really shows.

Bruce:
Ok, can you give me your perspective on the course and how the double went for you today?

Jennie:
The first 70 miles weren't my favorite! The first 70 were pretty flat before the climbing started so that got a little monotonous. Once the climbing started, it was a lot more enjoyable for me.

Bruce:
In 2006, there was 16,000 feet of climbing, how do you compare this course to back then?

Jennie:
I'm not sure if I did that year but I did do it in 2007 and last year I did, although I didn't get to finish it because I had a problem with my derailleur. This year we had about 10,000 feet of climbing so it was pretty challenging, although we only had about 800 feet of climbing in the first 70 miles. When the climbing started it was pretty concentrated making things difficult.

Bruce:
Was there any wind out on the course today?

Jennie:
There was some but compared to doing the Furnace Creek 508, not bad at all cause the winds were horrific over there in Death Valley.

Bruce:
Did you mass start with the other girls?

Jennie:
No, we started at 5am, and there was three of us.

Bruce:
So the weather was nice this year?

Jennie:
Yeah, it was great, last year we were freezing at the start, our fingers and toes were so cold! Very good weather, not that cold this morning, didn't get super hot, so very nice day for a double.

Bruce:
How many doubles have you rode this year?

Jennie:
This is my first one! Last year and this year I have mainly just been focused on road racing. I wait until the road racing season is over and then I try to get in a double or two.

Bruce:
Who are you racing for?

Jennie:
Wells Fargo. We are based out of Contra Costa County.

Bruce:
Have you been on the NRC circuit?

Jennie:
No NRC, I do Norcal and did some racing in San Diego and did some stage racing in Oregon at the end of August.

Bruce:
Road racing is hard, but what intrigues me are doubles, they seem insanely hard?

Jennie:
Well, I started out doing doubles and my background is doubles, and then I went into road racing. What I found out is I can't do both at the same time! So I just wait until the season is over and then do them. A lot of it is mental toughness to get through it.

Bruce:
How long does it take you to recover from a double?

Jennie:
I'm getting a massage Monday, so I will let you know! (Joke)
I'll go out tomorrow and go 40 miles real easy, but pretty much recover the next day.

Bruce:
I would think after a double, a lot of riders would be wiped out, and indeed some riders have said it takes them several days to recover?

Jennie:
There is something to be said for endorphins! Those will last for a few hours and then caffeine will get me home.

Bruce:
I used to think riders who did doubles has a certain gene makeup to be able to do that. Indeed, I was never any good after 100 miles.

Jeanine:
A lot of it is whether or not you think you can do it. If you think you can, then you can.

Jennie:
Some people have a mental block, that they think they can't do it, but if you think you can and you train for it, then you can do almost anything. Jeanine and I both did Paris Brest Paris in 2007, 760 miles and you would never think that either one of us could do that.

Jeanine:
In July I rode my bike from Portland Oregon to Atlanta Georgia.

Cut to Interview Jeanine now...

Bruce:
Can you give me your perspective on the course and how the double went for you today? What can you highlight that was interesting?

Jeanine:
Well, the climb out of Powerhouse was really hard with a 13 percent grade! Jennie is more of a climber then I am, so I struggled!

Bruce:
You didn't hit the wall?

Jeanine:
No, I struggled but I just keep going!

Bruce:
Did you feel better in the first 100 miles or the last 100 miles?

Jeanine:
I felt better in the last 50! Once I get close to home, I put the hammer down!

Bruce:
How much fluid did you consume today?

Jeanine:
Five or six bottles of Hammer products. "Guessing between 2 and 4 liters." It's our food. It has calories, carbs, electrolytes, everything we need.

Bruce:
So you don't eat much solid food, but mostly those specialized endurance products?

Jeanine:
I eat a little at each rest stop, maybe half a peanut butter sandwich. The Hammer products gives you good energy but it can make me noxious if I drink too much of it. Hammer products has helped me through five doubles.

Bruce:
So what was the last 50 miles like for you?

Jeanine:
Well, I know the area very well, and turning away from the quickest route home is difficult!

Bruce:
After 150 miles do you sort of just get into an tunnel vision kind of zone where you just focus on getting to the finish?

Jeanine:
Yeah you do, and you know you got a certain amount of energy left to do that.

Bruce:
How many doubles have you done this year?

Jeanine:
I have done five, this is my fifth one this year! I've done Solvang which is really beautiful, Davis, Grand Tour, and in July I rode across the USA, with a 116 mile average every day for 30 days straight!

Bruce:
Was someone following you in a van?

Jeanine:
It was a pack tour, Pacific Atlantic Coast Tour. There were about 20 of us who did it from all over the World!

Bruce:
What did you feel like after that?

Jeanine:
I couldn't believe I did it!

Bruce:
Were you totally exhausted?

Jeanine:
No, actually the first five days were somewhat exhausting but then you body gets into the rhythm of it.

Bruce:
Did you eat good and sleep good?

Jeanine:
Yeah, ride, eat and rest! I ate several meals a day and still lost weight! I used Hammer products too, I believe in them.

Bruce:
How old are you?

Jeanine:
I am 45.

Cut back to Jennie to talk about road racing...

Bruce:
Who do think is going to be the top road racer in USA now? We know Kristin Armstrong is retiring and Amber Neben has said I believe somewhere she will not stay in road racing forever.

Jennie:
Oh, Evelyn Stevens! Did you see her in the worlds? She did an amazing amount of work! Unbelievable! Also Coryn Rivera, who has won like 24 national titles! She is probably the face of women's cycling right now.

Bruce:
What about Mara Abbott?

Jennie:
Mara is really strong, but Shelly Olds has been doing well. Stevens has a lot to learn yet, so give her another year but she did so much work in that road race. She is so new to it. Shelly has had a great year and has gone overseas to race.

Bruce:
How about Tibco?

Jennie:
Well, they have the national champion Meredith Miller. People that impress me are like Karen Brems who are still around. She is so amazing, such a amazing physique. Tina Pic is amazing, really good at crit races. There is a local gal who has been over racing in Europe who is really good, Flavia Oliveira. She is doing great, it will be interesting to see how she does when she comes back here. Flavia is a great climber and she's also good at crits.

Bruce:
So you're riding with Wells Fargo?

Jennie:
This is my 2nd season with Wells. It's a fun team and I really enjoy it. We got about five cat-2 women. I was mostly a domo during the year. I have done about 40 road races this year. I prefer the hilly road races over the crits. My goal for the off season is to get on my TT bike and work once a week. It's not the bike I grab to do a ride, so I need to work on that.

Bruce:
How's your endurance for stage racing?

Jennie:
My endurance does pretty well.

Bruce:
Have you done Redlands?

Jennie:
No, I had a team mate who didn't finish, Redlands is monstrous! I won't do it without team mates, that's the only way I'll do it. I would love to do the Gila, that's a climbers paradise. I need to get in some stage racing. I went to Eugene Oregon at the end of August, that was a lot of fun. I haven't done Cascade but I might do it next year. I need to get people interested to go up and do it. It's no fun to go by yourself. I did Eugene on my own, but its just not fun without friends or team mates with so much down time in the hotel. Its really fun and exciting when you have team mates in a race, cause you can plan strategy and winning races that way is great and is much more exciting.

Bruce:
Thanks Jennie and Jeanine for your time. Good luck next year!