Team Night Ride

With just over a week to go, We have finally put in a night time ride though we did have to wait a little longer than expected for the sun to go down. The team, minus Jake, was all there. The last time I rode in the dark with lights was around the winter to spring transition. In past years, we've been out after dark a few times throughout July. We just didn't get to it this year.

Riding in the dark is always fun, when it's by choice that is. There is something soothing about it to me. Perhaps it's that most of the living world has calmed down and there is a certain quiet serenity floating about. Perhaps it's the idea that my world only exists as the conical beam of light in front of me.

Riding at night presents a special set of challenges. The trails do not always appear the same as they would in daylight. Some small things appear bigger than they are, and some of the big things appear smaller. I have found that a light mounted on the helmet and one mounted on the handlebars works best. The handlebar light can be aimed higher to see things further ahead, while the helmet light allows you to see where you are actually looking which works well in
tight twisty trails.

All in all, a good night and a good ride.

I might also mention that I am hoping to be able to make updates to this blog on a regular basis throughout the 24 hour race.
That's right, real time race reports! I'll throw out some more details in the near future.

Count Down to Cannon Fire

It is now down to a week and a half until the annual 24 Hours of Great Glen. This is the event upon which the summer training has been focused, as were the previous two summers. In some ways I am more nervous and anxious about this year, yet I also feel far more calm, relaxed and laid back about this year. It's a strange place to be, and I can't decide whether it's good or bad, or if I should really worry about it.

I find myself reflecting upon the three years I've participated in this event. The first year we hardly spent time training, specifically for the event. It was an event that sounded crazy and absurd enough to be fun. Four of us, Taylor, Solin, Bill and myself rolled up to Mt. Washington, and staked out our campsite in the dark the night before the race. I didn't even have a tent, luckily Solin had one big enough for the two of us. We certainly learned a lot that year. We had a great time, though our approach was slightly haphazard.

For year two we got a bit more serious. I had started racing the regular XC circuit again with Taylor. Lee had also started racing as well, and with Bill bowing out, Lee was our clear choice for the fourth man. Solin of course was back and we had a much needed addition of Matt Feiner for pit support. Lee's twin, Chris, and his girlfriend also came up to provide additional support. Our friend Mike came along as well, volunteering a significant amount of time through the night to help the organizers of the event keep things running smoothly. Solin's wife and little girl came along to cheer us on as well. We were trained and hungry for a good result, and with the support we had, we would be well taken care of. I have to say, Matt's entertainment value alone
changed the whole event and atmosphere at camp. He and Chris had us taken care of too, we were certainly eating a lot more than we'd done the previous year. I remember coming back from my night laps, I was drained physically and mentally. Spending 2 hours alone, in the dark, in the woods while pressing your physical limits does strange things to your head. I sat down, with the grandest of blank stares, I'm sure, and Chris immediately got after me to get some food in me. The single greatest bowl of warm oatmeal was in my hands in no time.

Year three saw another change in the team roster. Solin would be unable to join us, so we picked up Jake. We were getting more serious about the event as well. This season was surely dedicated to finishing as best we could, we were hoping for a podium spot. Matt was back for support, and Lee's girlfriend Kristy would be our second pit support helper. I had warned Kristy that we would be in a strange place upon returning from our night time laps. Much to her dismay, I returned from my laps in the dark rather chipper. The biggest issue we had was
the mud. Our bikes came back from each lap absolutely caked in mud. Matt had to spend far more of his time cleaning and prepping our bikes and so we suffered a little in the nutrition category at times. We suffered problems with lights yet again, a running theme for us. Despite placing quite well after a very dramatic finish, we missed the podium in our class by 10 minutes. (The complete account of last year is available in 3 acts plus one for the data crunching, you can read them via the following links; act 1, act 2, act 3, data)

Year four now approaches quickly. The roster has changed yet again, though each of us is a veteran of the event. Lee opted not to ride this year, rather work as our cheif pit man. We are still attempting to secure a 2nd pit person to make Lee's life a little easier since Matt will be unable to join us. Jake, Solin, Taylor and myelf will ride in the expert class, upgrading ourselves from sport. I would have loved to stand on the podium in sport, but none of us really wants to be a 'sandbagger,' so we now aim for the expert podium. We all look strong on the bike this year, we have the potential to complete more laps than we've ever done and finish better than we ever have.

When the cannon fires, marking the start of the race, another 24 hour period will begin. We will have to emulate time, and operate like clockwork. While it seems that 24 hours is a long time, every precious second and every bit of energy, will have to be used wisely. While our fate in the race is yet to be determined, one thing is for sure, memories will be made that we will talk about for weeks, months, even years to come.

6 Hours of Power

The 6 Hours of Power was to serve two purposes; training and preparation for the 24 hour race, and a confidence builder. One thing was for sure, the time spent in and around my home town was worth the trip, I only wish I’d allocated more time to spend there and alleviate a little more stress. That alone was probably worth a bit of confidence.

The morning of the race we were a little later leaving than desired, but I didn’t figure it to be a big problem. With at least six hours of riding, I wasn’t going to need much of a warm-up. We arrived at Holiday Valley ski resort about 30 minutes prior to the start of the race. I checked in at registration and we began to unpack the van and take things to the pop up canopy my uncle Jim had set up. He was there supporting my cousin Pat who was also racing. As I pulled my bike out of the van I realized that my front wheel was not there. In my less than attentive state earlier that morning, I’d taken it off, but forgot to put it in the van. Luckily I had managed to throw my back up wheels in, so I had a front wheel to use. The back up front wheel had less than desirable tread on it, but it would have to suffice.

The race started with a Le Mans style running start, everyone scrambling to get to the bikes as fast as they could. I found mine, and took off up the opening climb. I’d ridden it many times several years back, so I was very confident in how hard I should climb it. I passed several people right away. At the top of the hill, the single track began. Fantastic single track, I’d forgotten how good some of it was, even if it was a little damp and greasy in places.

I finished the first lap, just beginning to feel warmed-up. I took a half banana and a fresh water bottle and got on with the second lap. The field had thinned out a bit, so this lap I was able to see more of the trail ahead of me. I had a blast in the single track, riding it relatively fast, even jumping the bike here and there. I felt smooth and confident.

Each lap I came through, I stopped at the pop up, where my mom had a tray full of food selections. I would grab a thing or two, and shove what I could in my mouth and hold on to what I could to finish off as I headed through the timing area at the start/finish line. When I looked through the pictures taken by the professional photographer, it seemed as if they took most of their pictures in this area, my cheeks were puffed full of food in most pictures. The food was extremely important, in order to ride strong for six plus, straight hours I needed to keep calories coming in.

As I finished lap three, my legs were getting tired. By the end of lap 4, all the zip had left my quads, and my hamstrings were feeling a little sore and over-worked. The final downhill was fast, and also steep and rough in places. On a mountain bike this means hovering above the saddle, using the legs as shock absorbers. My calf muscles were now burning by the time I was getting to the bottom of the hill. The bumps and hard braking from the hill, and the overall nature of handling the bike in the single track was taking its toll on my arms too, especially my triceps.

I started lap 5, knowing I had only two laps more to ride. I went up the hill, slowly but surely. At the top, I stopped. The only time the entire race other than at the pit. I felt like I needed to stretch my hamstrings a little. It helped a little, but not enough to warrant the stop. I continued on, slowly. Anywhere the bike would coast, I was coasting. I began to think about making this my last lap. I could just stop at our pit, located just before the finish line and wait until 4pm to finish. (The rules state that you cannot ‘finish’ before the end of the 6 hours. Crossing the line earlier means completing another lap to finish.) I was headed toward a bad place, mentally.

Near the end of the lap, Pat came through to lap me. I sped up and kept with him for a short bit, it made for a quick uplifting moment, seeing a familiar face out on course. I finished out the lap, and essentially forgot that I’d almost thought about stopping. That is until I crossed the finish line and was committed to completing another lap. Any feelings of regret were soon gone and I focused on getting through one more lap. I even found a little hidden drive and strength over the last half lap as I caught and passed one guy that had passed me earlier. I was determined to finish ahead of him, especially since he was riding single speed.

The confidence I was looking for, didn’t come right away. Some of it did, but some of it has come as I reflect and look over the results. Certainly, I rode well. Despite being tired at the end, I felt good, really good. I have felt much worse at the end of far shorter races.

My total riding time was 6 hours 38 minutes 44 seconds. Throw in a few pit stops, and my total finishing time was 6:44:59. I completed 6 laps of the course for 58.26 miles. I was 26^th overall, of 83 solo riders, 43^rd overall of 123 solo riders and two person teams. (Results here)

My lap times were

lap 1 - 1:01:18

lap 2 - 1:00:19

lap 3 - 1:04:44

lap 4 - 1:11:39

lap 5 - 1:15:30

lap 6 - 1:11:29

There are a few pictures here from the day's event.

Pictures from the professional photographer’s site are here. I’m in photo #18, #252, #253, #468, #565

On a side note, Pat finished in first place for the solo riders. Only two of the teams were faster.

In the search for some confidence

Confidence has been hard to come by lately. Finishing near the back of the pack in every race, sometimes in a race to not be DFL can do a number on your feel good. The weekend after Putney was the race at Domnarski farm. Well, I'll blame it on the sunburn, but I didn't feel particularly chirpy the day after the burn, which was the day before the race. I didn't really have an appetite to eat dinner, then not much of an appetite for breakfast the morning of the race. Domnarski is long, with lots of climbing, and it is rough in places. Just before the start, I felt slightly hungry. Not good.

I never really bonked, thankfully. I even found some kind of power on the last half of the last lap, mainly cause I was trying to drop the other guy so I wouldn't be in last place. It was way too little, way too late though. The entire Cat 1 field had walked away from me on the first climb.

I'm supposed to be good at climbing. It has always been where I stood out in racing. It doesn't seem to be so this year. I find myself wondering, am I just no good at climbing any more?

Truth is, everyone in Cat 1 is just plain fast. There is no hiding.

I'm probably just as fast, if not faster than I ever was, but I don't feel it. Not when I'm hanging out some place close to last in every race. So, with the traditional XC races winding down for me as I prepare for the annual 24 hours of Great Glen I'm looking for a lot of confidence. I think we all know that the mental aspect can be the most powerful part of a sport, especially one like cycling. If you're confident, you'll be fast, if you're not confident, best of luck to you. I'm trying to find that mental boost that makes me feel fast, so that I'll be fast, for me and my team mates.

The first boost finally came the other day. I did a little fitness test. The fastest I'd done this particular loop before was with an average speed of 19.7 mph. Despite the one killer hill, and it's a killer, there are some places where the pace can sit above 20 mph. Monday night, I did the loop at 20.1mph.

Big boost. Maybe I am fast.

This weekend will hopefully give me the next boost. A 6 hour endurance race at the Holiday Valley ski resort. If it all goes well, I'll be mentally ready to shred the 24 hour course.