24 hr Solo Worlds - Race Report
Figured I'd post this report since i posted the 'toes' question -- my toes are still feeling funny from this race - any suggestions?
Worlds Race Report: ~200 miles, 24,000 feet of climbing, 23 hours and 50 minutes on the bike, 4th in the Women's Elite Field
If I had to sum up Worlds in one word it would be 'intense'. It was hot, sandy, and competitive to the end. What a race!
The week leading up to Worlds didn't quite go as planned. Our truck broke down in a small town in Northern California call Dunsmuir. We had to have special Ford parts shipped in from Sacramento and were lucky to find a local mechanic who was willing to squeeze us in and knew what he was doing. We were stranded for about 48 hours which forced us to drive late into the night on Thursday in order to arrive with some time to spare on Friday. It was such bad luck that it was comical!
Friday was spent driving, registering and eating … by the time those tasks were accomplished, it was late and there was no time to pre-ride the course. Not quite as planned … but I did have 24 hours to sort it out.
Race Day …
Saturday was hot. I stayed in the air-conditioned trailer until the last possible minute … and then in the truck until the last possible minute. Fraser took my bike over for inspection and did all of the last minute things so I could enjoy the AC. It was over 105 Farenheit and the skys were clear. The call up got the adrenalin going and before I knew it we were off running. Well, I was jogging … some of the competitors were sprinting. At least it seemed like they were sprinting to me! I grabbed my bike, started pedaling and off I was!
The first lap revealed a course that was 90% exposed to the elements. It was like riding in a desert - a sandy course with no reprieve from the sun (or wind, which came later). My Garmin consistently measured 2000 feet of climbing per lap; with the steepest pitch coming in at 32%. It was a tough course!! My favorite part was a small section of single-track that had a slight down-hill grade .. it was fun, full of corners, and had some trees for shade. I looked forward to that section every single lap! It wasn't a technical course by any means - disadvantage for me … but it was a climbing course – advantage for me!
The first two laps were so hot that I struggled the entire time to keep my heart rate down. I was barely pedaling and it was in the 180s! I felt like I was going backwards, I was going so slow! But I knew I had to pace … if my HR got too high I wouldn't be able to eat and that would be the end of my race. So I had to be patient while others flew by me. I am sure I was not alone in getting cold flashes. I was getting goose-bumps and the whole thing. Over-heating anyone?
Each lap in the pit I would get iced down … from head to toe. Cold water over the head, ice towel on the neck, and cool towels to wipe down my legs. It felt sooo good. On the second lap I started to see people on the side of the trail. They had started out hammering and were baked. People were cracking already. It was insanity.
The temperature seemed to drop and the winds started to pick up at the end of my second lap. The wind was pretty strong and the course was exposed so everyone was getting tossed around. Lucky for me, the road riding here has been really windy lately so the gusty side-winds didn't throw me off at all and they were helping to cool my core temperature. Bring on the wind!! I felt really strong on the 3 rd and 4th laps and my HR had settled nicely … I was able to pick up the pace and it felt good! I started catching some of the girls who'd flew by me at the beginning and that felt good too.
My first night lap I had a really hard time seeing. I am used to biking in the woods or somewhere where there is a definable edge to the trail … but there was no real 'edge'; sand and more sand ... . My lap was a bit slow as I was adjusting to biking at night on the sand. Fraser said my pupils were really dialated. I can only imagine. The next night lap I started to adjust and was speeding up again; feeling confident with my night vision. And then my battery died! I had mistakenly put the 3 hour battery in the 5 hour battery box and vice-versa. It was hard to see but I kept on moving forward and would follow anyone I could for as long as I could! My lap was a little long but not too bad and I was happy with the result.
My next lap was the worst lap. I got a thorn in my tire, but being tired it took me a while to figure it out – 4 tube replacements to be exact. Eventually I just started walking/running/riding my bike to the finish. Those 4.5 miles seemed to take forever and the incident added an extra hour to my lap, almost doubling my lap time. Fraser swapped my wheel and I was good to go. I was soo hungry from being out longer than expected (and a little depressed by the long lap time) that I took a longer pit. Fraser informed me that I had been in contention for 3 rd .. but that now she had just gained an hour on me. I had been 12 minutes behind and gaining. After a wheel swap, a little pep talk, and some food I hopped back on my bike and did my last night lap. My battery died again but by this time the sun was starting to peek up so I could see the trail. A nice samaritain eventually escorted me to the finish so it wasn't too bad!
The sun came up and with it my energy. I decided it was time to put down the hammer … go hard or go home. I just might have time for 3 more laps. And if I did; it was likely that I would beat 3 rd. She was fading fast. I hammered out of the pit and put in a fast lap, flew through my pit and did another lap. I gave it everything I had but it wasn't enough. I didn't finish in time to complete another lap before the cut off.
I know I've missed a few laps in there but it all starts to blur together after a while ...
In the end I am happy with my result … and want to go back next year and do it all again. If I had had a perfect race, I believe I could have contended for 2 nd --> next year!
My bike behaved perfectly and I didn't need to take my spare bike out for even one lap. The Faze once again treated me to nice ride!
About the Pits:
Everyone who goes to Worlds is very serious. They all had 3 person pit crew, minimum; many of them had a 4 – 5 person crew. My DH was amazing once again and did the job of an army. He was as busy at the pit as I was on the course. Between prepping my food, charging my lights, running to town to get ice, etc, and dealing with the 3 rd place pit crew of 3 who were spying on his every move and asking 101 questions; he didn't have a minute to himself. This is the first time we've really been exposed to race tactics so he was a bit unprepared but he did a great job.
Interesting Stats:
~200 miles
24,000 feet of climbing
1 entire bottle of Endurolytes
Thanks again to my wounderfull pit crew and coach; and to my sponsors ... Norco Bikes and Kisslers Cyclery ... for helping me in my quest!!
