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.