Here’s a page showing everyone’s bikes for the race:
https://bikepacking.com/bikes/2026-stagecoach-400-rigs/
Had to rep the set, as they say.
2026 Stagecoach 400 Bike Ride
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Taco
- Snownado survivor
- Posts: 6197
- Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:35 pm
I won’t be hauling ass like the pacific coast race a few years back, but if you’d wanna follow along, here be the link to the trackleaders site: https://trackleaders.com/stagecoach26f.php
Here’s a page showing everyone’s bikes for the race:
https://bikepacking.com/bikes/2026-stagecoach-400-rigs/
Had to rep the set, as they say.
Here’s a page showing everyone’s bikes for the race:
https://bikepacking.com/bikes/2026-stagecoach-400-rigs/
Had to rep the set, as they say.
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dima
- Posts: 1869
- Joined: Wed Feb 12, 2014 1:35 am
- Location: Los Angeles
Sweet. Good luck! Is the cocos dura thing also doing the satellite tracking, or you need a separate gizmo for that?
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Matthew
- Supercaff
- Posts: 576
- Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 8:25 am
- Location: Pasadena
Have fun man! I think im 2 years out before I attempt this but im very excited for you to get back out there and race!
stoke is high
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Slowest_Hiker
- Posts: 273
- Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2011 12:31 pm
Ty for posting! I am enjoying watching!
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Taco
- Snownado survivor
- Posts: 6197
- Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:35 pm
I wrote up a trip report last week and then my network crapped out and lost the entire goddamn thing, so now, a week or so later, I'll try to regurgitate some memories from the trip.
My overall goal was to enjoy riding in the Anza Borrego area, meet some people and hang out/make friends and all that (I'm lonely bro), see some new route possibilities for future riding, and maybe push the pace on one day or here or there or whatever felt right while having an overall chill pace and experience. I was not excited to do the western half of the route through the city, so I rode through the night and into the next morning, covering 180 miles in 24 hours before taking a 2hr nap under a tree east of a San Diego suburb. That is the furthest I've ridden my MTB before.
After my nap, I rode onward to Alpine, which involved a steep and very hot and exposed climb to the edge of town. I think the air temp wasn't that high but damn it felt super hot, and my heart was acting up so I was very slow and had to stop often to slow my heart rate down. I was relieved to get to Alpine where I bought a bunch of beverages and sat in the shade for a while. I continued down the main drag to McDonalds where I bought 3 or 4 fish filet sandwiches and laid down in the shade again. Overall I spent 4hrs resting in Alpine. I needed more sleep. Continued onward and slept for 6hrs or so off the side of a dirt road climb towards Descanso.
Got up around 0400 and began climbing the rest of the way up the hill to Descanso where it was 35*, the lowest temp of the trip. Passed a bunch of people bivying up there. The route goes up into the hills winding its way towards Oriflamme Canyon Road which drops into Anza Borrego. It's real pretty up there, some nice meadows with oaks and pines. Oriflamme is real steep, and I was dragging my brakes the whole way down. Made a right on the paved route, S22 or S2 or whatever, took that down to the wash with the Hollywood and Vine sign, which I missed, then into the mud caves. I've ridden there once partway up so it was cool to continue up that wash to the top, where it turns east down another canyon towards Sandstone Canyon. An aid station was set up by some cool peeps from the group with food and drink and beers and a ton of people were chillin there. Thus began my favorite part of the trip, the party. I tried to help a gentleman with his broken electronic SRAM AXS rear derailleur, which had a battery contact pin that would not spring back out to contact the battery. It could not be saved, thus he remained stuck in one gear. I will never use electronic drivetrains. This always happens to people regardless of how many other people ay they don't have problems. It is also not sensible to replace a single simple steel cable with a complex system of batteries, wires, and proprietary components that often cannot be fixed in the field without a cell phone and sometimes, in this case, a spare $350+ rear derailleur. If a derailleur cable snaps, you replace it. Unless you've got a frame with poorly thought out internal routing, this often just requires a small multitool and a spare cable, which doesn't run out of batteries, doesn't require the SRAM AXS app on yer phone plus occasionally an internet connection... see where I'm goin? Humans try to advance their technology but when it comes to being in nature/the real world, there is a limit, and the KISS principle shall stand true until the heat death of the universe. I am a mechanic, I see this all the time, and there's a reason my bikes may be fancy but they're all mechanically simple. You have to be able to fix a problem on the side of the trail or road in bad weather at night while very tired with whatever tools you have alone.
I had a couple beers and after hanging out and talking to everyone, I set off before anyone else. Everyone else then got up and followed behind me, and we partied down Diablo Dropoff and through the wash to Ocotillo Wells. It was really cool. My bike is super smooth in sandy washes with pretty wide tires (2.8" wide). I was a little worried it wouldn't be enough in the sand and was real pleased with the results, as I plan on doing a lot of sandy washes in the future. Night fell as we exited the canyon and headed to the Iron Door Bar, where I got a pizza and two hot dogs (and another beer or two). I had a great time talking to the owner and locals and other riders, and the food was great. They had a Kar98k pool cue, which I played with before breaking the bolt handle off. I thought the bolt was metal, but unfortunately it was cheap fibrous plastic, and cycling it like one of my bolt action rifles was too harsh. I felt like a dick. Why would they make it plastic?! Why would anything be durable these days, cmon you know better. We all left around the same time, heading to Borrego Springs for more chilled athletic beverages. I rode to a spot just outside town to sleep, whereas everyone else continued into Coyote Canyon for the night. I wanted to get a big breakfast at Jilbertos. Got about 6hrs of sleep again, felt great in the morning, and got my mega burrito and a Horchata. I figured I'd meet up with the group in Coyote Canyon, but it was not to be.
I used to go 4 wheeling in Coyote Canyon as a kid, so I was interested in seeing the whole canyon, since we only ever went partway up in the Suzuki Samurai in the 90's. I rode the first big chunk of the route but eventually had to push most of the way. The Willows were cool, a stretch of trail with the stream running through it. I bought some Altama OTB mid top shoes, designed for working in wet conditions, and they were great, drying quickly after the wet part of the route. I lost my earbuds somewhere in there. Met up with Sam and Rich further up and we played leapfrog for a bit. The wash ends and you climb up a steep dirt road to the edge of the town of Anza. Stopped in at the Sunshine Market for more drinks and snacks before heading out towards Idyllwild. I was ready for it to be done by this point, and if I was not on an official event route thing I woulda just taken the fastest route home. My bike is great at long distance rough stuff but singletrack can be a pain in the ass with a long low bike. Closer to the end I caught up with Sam and we continued together to the end and got lodging in town. Got breakfast at the Red whatsitcalled breakfast place in town, with other riders coming in and eating with us as time went on. Got to talk to Meg, who organizes the event, and a buncha other dudes. I mostly want to chill and hang out with cool people these days so this was a major highlight. I don't care about being fast or racing 99% of the time (usually tired from life), and since I spend a lot of time alone I really appreciate the camaraderie.
I figured I'd complete this route in 4 days from the onset and I was right on, finishing on Monday night at 2300 or so. I covered 384 miles over 87hrs, more miles than others cause I downloaded the wrong GPS track and took the original route, so I got some extra in there.
If I was interested in doing this route quickly, I would build a hardtail with a metal frame (probably steel but titanium would be nice), 2.6" wide tires, aerobars on flat handlebars, good brakes, and a dyno setup. I don't see this being in the cards for me personally. If I myself was to do something similar again, I would find a way to get to Borrego Springs in the winter and do one of the loops I've drawn up. I am slowly putting together a route that visits a bunch of the palm oasis' in the area, as well as another loop which involves descending a canyon which looks like it's got a rappel in it. I want to explore a lot of the canyons and stuff I saw a small part of when I was a kid. My bike is perfect for that and needs no changes. Races and events like these show me that I am much more into exploration than sport, though I do like pushing myself often times. I like to push far and then chill at the end. It's good to go fast and far but also sit down and take yer shoes off and relax with a big meal and good conversation. That is the balance I seek to achieve. Won't win any races that way, but it makes my soul feel full and that's my race to be won.
My overall goal was to enjoy riding in the Anza Borrego area, meet some people and hang out/make friends and all that (I'm lonely bro), see some new route possibilities for future riding, and maybe push the pace on one day or here or there or whatever felt right while having an overall chill pace and experience. I was not excited to do the western half of the route through the city, so I rode through the night and into the next morning, covering 180 miles in 24 hours before taking a 2hr nap under a tree east of a San Diego suburb. That is the furthest I've ridden my MTB before.
After my nap, I rode onward to Alpine, which involved a steep and very hot and exposed climb to the edge of town. I think the air temp wasn't that high but damn it felt super hot, and my heart was acting up so I was very slow and had to stop often to slow my heart rate down. I was relieved to get to Alpine where I bought a bunch of beverages and sat in the shade for a while. I continued down the main drag to McDonalds where I bought 3 or 4 fish filet sandwiches and laid down in the shade again. Overall I spent 4hrs resting in Alpine. I needed more sleep. Continued onward and slept for 6hrs or so off the side of a dirt road climb towards Descanso.
Got up around 0400 and began climbing the rest of the way up the hill to Descanso where it was 35*, the lowest temp of the trip. Passed a bunch of people bivying up there. The route goes up into the hills winding its way towards Oriflamme Canyon Road which drops into Anza Borrego. It's real pretty up there, some nice meadows with oaks and pines. Oriflamme is real steep, and I was dragging my brakes the whole way down. Made a right on the paved route, S22 or S2 or whatever, took that down to the wash with the Hollywood and Vine sign, which I missed, then into the mud caves. I've ridden there once partway up so it was cool to continue up that wash to the top, where it turns east down another canyon towards Sandstone Canyon. An aid station was set up by some cool peeps from the group with food and drink and beers and a ton of people were chillin there. Thus began my favorite part of the trip, the party. I tried to help a gentleman with his broken electronic SRAM AXS rear derailleur, which had a battery contact pin that would not spring back out to contact the battery. It could not be saved, thus he remained stuck in one gear. I will never use electronic drivetrains. This always happens to people regardless of how many other people ay they don't have problems. It is also not sensible to replace a single simple steel cable with a complex system of batteries, wires, and proprietary components that often cannot be fixed in the field without a cell phone and sometimes, in this case, a spare $350+ rear derailleur. If a derailleur cable snaps, you replace it. Unless you've got a frame with poorly thought out internal routing, this often just requires a small multitool and a spare cable, which doesn't run out of batteries, doesn't require the SRAM AXS app on yer phone plus occasionally an internet connection... see where I'm goin? Humans try to advance their technology but when it comes to being in nature/the real world, there is a limit, and the KISS principle shall stand true until the heat death of the universe. I am a mechanic, I see this all the time, and there's a reason my bikes may be fancy but they're all mechanically simple. You have to be able to fix a problem on the side of the trail or road in bad weather at night while very tired with whatever tools you have alone.
I had a couple beers and after hanging out and talking to everyone, I set off before anyone else. Everyone else then got up and followed behind me, and we partied down Diablo Dropoff and through the wash to Ocotillo Wells. It was really cool. My bike is super smooth in sandy washes with pretty wide tires (2.8" wide). I was a little worried it wouldn't be enough in the sand and was real pleased with the results, as I plan on doing a lot of sandy washes in the future. Night fell as we exited the canyon and headed to the Iron Door Bar, where I got a pizza and two hot dogs (and another beer or two). I had a great time talking to the owner and locals and other riders, and the food was great. They had a Kar98k pool cue, which I played with before breaking the bolt handle off. I thought the bolt was metal, but unfortunately it was cheap fibrous plastic, and cycling it like one of my bolt action rifles was too harsh. I felt like a dick. Why would they make it plastic?! Why would anything be durable these days, cmon you know better. We all left around the same time, heading to Borrego Springs for more chilled athletic beverages. I rode to a spot just outside town to sleep, whereas everyone else continued into Coyote Canyon for the night. I wanted to get a big breakfast at Jilbertos. Got about 6hrs of sleep again, felt great in the morning, and got my mega burrito and a Horchata. I figured I'd meet up with the group in Coyote Canyon, but it was not to be.
I used to go 4 wheeling in Coyote Canyon as a kid, so I was interested in seeing the whole canyon, since we only ever went partway up in the Suzuki Samurai in the 90's. I rode the first big chunk of the route but eventually had to push most of the way. The Willows were cool, a stretch of trail with the stream running through it. I bought some Altama OTB mid top shoes, designed for working in wet conditions, and they were great, drying quickly after the wet part of the route. I lost my earbuds somewhere in there. Met up with Sam and Rich further up and we played leapfrog for a bit. The wash ends and you climb up a steep dirt road to the edge of the town of Anza. Stopped in at the Sunshine Market for more drinks and snacks before heading out towards Idyllwild. I was ready for it to be done by this point, and if I was not on an official event route thing I woulda just taken the fastest route home. My bike is great at long distance rough stuff but singletrack can be a pain in the ass with a long low bike. Closer to the end I caught up with Sam and we continued together to the end and got lodging in town. Got breakfast at the Red whatsitcalled breakfast place in town, with other riders coming in and eating with us as time went on. Got to talk to Meg, who organizes the event, and a buncha other dudes. I mostly want to chill and hang out with cool people these days so this was a major highlight. I don't care about being fast or racing 99% of the time (usually tired from life), and since I spend a lot of time alone I really appreciate the camaraderie.
I figured I'd complete this route in 4 days from the onset and I was right on, finishing on Monday night at 2300 or so. I covered 384 miles over 87hrs, more miles than others cause I downloaded the wrong GPS track and took the original route, so I got some extra in there.
If I was interested in doing this route quickly, I would build a hardtail with a metal frame (probably steel but titanium would be nice), 2.6" wide tires, aerobars on flat handlebars, good brakes, and a dyno setup. I don't see this being in the cards for me personally. If I myself was to do something similar again, I would find a way to get to Borrego Springs in the winter and do one of the loops I've drawn up. I am slowly putting together a route that visits a bunch of the palm oasis' in the area, as well as another loop which involves descending a canyon which looks like it's got a rappel in it. I want to explore a lot of the canyons and stuff I saw a small part of when I was a kid. My bike is perfect for that and needs no changes. Races and events like these show me that I am much more into exploration than sport, though I do like pushing myself often times. I like to push far and then chill at the end. It's good to go fast and far but also sit down and take yer shoes off and relax with a big meal and good conversation. That is the balance I seek to achieve. Won't win any races that way, but it makes my soul feel full and that's my race to be won.