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Sunday, 14 August 2011
Saturday, 13 August 2011
Sleepless in the Saddle 24hr
Well the time came to complete my first solo 24hr enduro, after competing in the Bontrager 24/12 a couple of weeks ago I felt I was more mentally prepared for this race.
The course was as expected really, a nice length of about an hour long and not too technical. A good course for my first solo 24 especially compared to Bontragers technical course which destroyed most of my body.
The part of the race I was dreading the most was at the beguinning, the run! The le manns style start had us running a short lap around the arena area, and having not done any running for years I was unsure how my body would react to a run then 24 hours on a bike. I took the run steady (maybe too steady) and came back into the arena after my first full bike lap in fourth place.
On my second lap I managed to catch up two places and come in second, a very strange feeling being in second place in my first solo event. In the evening the rain came, I had only just stopped so couldn't pull in and had to keep going. The first lot of rain was a brief shower and was actually quite refreshing; however the second lot was not so nice and came down very heavily. I remember riding through the woods feeling like I was in the Amazon. Not only did this make me cold and wet it also destroyed the course. I could deal with the slippyness and the wet, however when it started to dry up the course became cloggy. Some sections of the course became unrideable and even became unpushable. In certain sections I was having to stop every hundred metres or so to de-mudd my bike, allowing the front wheel to turn again.
After this period I stopped back at the tent to change out of my incredibly dirty kit, re-fuel and to wash my bike. After 45 minutes of my dad standing in the bike wash que my bike was ready and I headed back out with my lights on. I rode up to 1:30am then came in for a break. Unfortunatly I was unable to resist the temptation of my sleeping bag and with it being my first 24 hr solo I felt I wasn't mentally able to complete the race without some rest.
After 2 hours sleep I woke, re-fueled and headed back out. I had stopped in second place and rejoined in third, despite loosing a position it could have been much worse if I hadn't of stopped. I rode until 8am and stopped for breakfast, and after a quick stop I headed back out to ride solidly until the 2pm finish time.
With a couple of laps to go my body finally started to give in, my back was going and my knees were hurting. Thanks to the cheering of supporters and fellow riders I managed to keep going strongly and continued to post decent lap times.
Relief came over me on the last lap, I had managed to complete my first solo 24hr and finished 3rd. I've gained so much respect for solo riders, imagining how hard it is doesn't even come close to reality. I feel I have so much more experience now and aim to complete the next one without any sleep!
The course was as expected really, a nice length of about an hour long and not too technical. A good course for my first solo 24 especially compared to Bontragers technical course which destroyed most of my body.
The part of the race I was dreading the most was at the beguinning, the run! The le manns style start had us running a short lap around the arena area, and having not done any running for years I was unsure how my body would react to a run then 24 hours on a bike. I took the run steady (maybe too steady) and came back into the arena after my first full bike lap in fourth place.
On my second lap I managed to catch up two places and come in second, a very strange feeling being in second place in my first solo event. In the evening the rain came, I had only just stopped so couldn't pull in and had to keep going. The first lot of rain was a brief shower and was actually quite refreshing; however the second lot was not so nice and came down very heavily. I remember riding through the woods feeling like I was in the Amazon. Not only did this make me cold and wet it also destroyed the course. I could deal with the slippyness and the wet, however when it started to dry up the course became cloggy. Some sections of the course became unrideable and even became unpushable. In certain sections I was having to stop every hundred metres or so to de-mudd my bike, allowing the front wheel to turn again.
After this period I stopped back at the tent to change out of my incredibly dirty kit, re-fuel and to wash my bike. After 45 minutes of my dad standing in the bike wash que my bike was ready and I headed back out with my lights on. I rode up to 1:30am then came in for a break. Unfortunatly I was unable to resist the temptation of my sleeping bag and with it being my first 24 hr solo I felt I wasn't mentally able to complete the race without some rest.
After 2 hours sleep I woke, re-fueled and headed back out. I had stopped in second place and rejoined in third, despite loosing a position it could have been much worse if I hadn't of stopped. I rode until 8am and stopped for breakfast, and after a quick stop I headed back out to ride solidly until the 2pm finish time.
With a couple of laps to go my body finally started to give in, my back was going and my knees were hurting. Thanks to the cheering of supporters and fellow riders I managed to keep going strongly and continued to post decent lap times.
Relief came over me on the last lap, I had managed to complete my first solo 24hr and finished 3rd. I've gained so much respect for solo riders, imagining how hard it is doesn't even come close to reality. I feel I have so much more experience now and aim to complete the next one without any sleep!
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