24

Too much happens in a 24-hour race to tell in a blog post, so I’ll hit the needed points. I arrived at Winnona Lake around 10:30 and my team was already there w/ the tent seat up, etc. I unloaded my crap, set up my sweet folding pick0a0nick table and we hit the pre-race meeting. We decided I would ride first and the other really strong guy would be our anchor since he has done these events before and would likely be faster than me at night. Our day laps were about the same, but his night laps DID turn out faster, so it was good strategy. We decided to all go out and do 2 laps to start, then back off to one each as it got dark.
The start is san "enduro start" where your bike has to unrideable at the start. You have to either have a wheel off or your seat and then it’s a running start. I took off my front wheel and went to the start box. I got to my bike, got my wheel on and off I went. Yada, yada, I got us in the lead and got to know the course somewhat (crucial for having to do night laps).
My next lap was a single and it was around 6pm or so. I had to have light on my bike (per rules after 5:30), but I didn’t need it, I was another day lap, basically. But it had cut loose storming while my relay tag was out, about 20 min before I had to go. This made the course very muddy and very hard to ride. This was sign of things to come…
My next lap was around 11:00pm. This was my first it me ever night riding. I was a little nervous, but I had studied the course well enough during the light, that I was confident. Danny P was there doing the solo 6 hour event, but brought his light w/ him and didn’t use it, so I took it. It is a huge pimpin Light & Motion HID light (nicest one available) and it absolutely saved me. It was like riding in the day almost. This thing is sweet. I had no problems riding at night and turned in a sub-hour lap, which is a) pretty fast for a night lap b) pretty fast for the wet conditions and c) pretty fast for my first time ever night riding. The things got worse…
My next lap(s) was a two-sy. Two laps, at night. I think it was around 3-3:30 am and I had slept about ½ hour or so. By this time the dirt was sticky, wet heavy clay-like mud. It would build up everywhere there was open space on your bike and make it nearly impossible to ride. It was rough. I made it through the first of the two in just over 1-hour and went out for another. The course was getting worse. This lap was ssslllooowww; about 1hour 20min or so. I had to do a lot of walking and I about bonked at one point. Luckily I knew where the aid station was (unmanned at about 5-5:30 am) and I stopped and drank some Gatorade and ate a few cookies to get some sugar in me. I really didn’t want a bonk on top of the miserable conditions and it being dark. I got back on my bike and crawled through this lap to have my rear derailer hanger break k off right at the end. So I had to run my bike to the transition to tag off, but I was done riding. Even if I wanted to go back out I couldn’t due to broken bike issues. OS I got in my car and slept for about an hour or so. Well needed sleep.
As it turns out I would have had to go back out around 11am if I could have, but our anchor Jeff took my lap and we won the 24-hour 4-man team race! We won it. The lead I got us in the first two laps we never lost. We started first and finished first.
Overall, I’m glad I did it. During it I was miserable and cursing myself for doing it and the weather for making it terrible, but now I’m glad I have done it. I feel stronger for having done it (that which doesn’t kill us…). If I hadn’t had a team I 100% would have quit, but I couldn’t let them down, so I stuck it out. I’m sure every one there wanted to quit, but those of us who stuck it out are stronger for it.
I didn’t work out Monday after driving home Sunday afternoon, so tired I was road hazard. Deserved day off for recovery.
Today I ran 3.5. It was storming and I wanted to ride CX, but I ran instead due to rain. 3.5 miles 29minutes. Seems okay for my first "long" run of the year (and my second run of the year).
Hilly 10 this weekend. Work, work, work. No rest for the, well, no rest for me anyway.
Entry fee for DINO 24-hour race: $110/person ($440/ 4-man team).
Prize for winning race that cost $440/team: 4 medals. That is larceny.