24 hour Solo World Championships - Report
This year was the 10th anniversary of the 24hr World Solo event. It was in Canmore and the organizers were doing everything they could to make it a big show ... I doubt anyone was disappointed! There were more than 14 countries represented and the solo fields were very strong and deep - 200 solos in total!!
Fraser and I drove up the week before to acclimatize to the altitude and get some good laps on the course. Our generous hosts, Danelle and JF, once again let us park our RV in their driveway and shared their home with us. It was a great week! Since both Fraser and I were racing our friends Tanya and Vince came out to support us - they both arrived on Friday to prep for the weekend.
Race day started with clear skys and warm weather. The start was kaotic. They called each athlete up by name and they had bussed in locals to cheer on the racers. I don't think I have ever seen such a big crowd at a 24 hour solo race - it was crazy!
The race started with the usual Le Mans start and we were off. I started off at a light jog -- everyone was so excited it didn't take me long to land at the end of the pack. We ran to our pits, picked up our bikes and were off. To make it more exciting the organizers had a prologue lap -- the riders had to ride through downtown Canmore before getting back on the 'real' course. The crowds were everywhere ... amazing turnout!!! I somehow managed to wrap my chain (and I mean wrap - it took 5 or so minutes to get it out) around my front chain rings and had to pull off to the side just before exiting the road to get on the single track. Of course, the camera crews were there to capture it all ... and more than one solo rider stopped to see if they could help. The camaraderie in this sport never ceases to amaze me!!
Finally back on the bike I ventured into the single track and tried to control my heart rate. The excitement of the start and the crowds had raised it much higher than I wanted. I felt like i was going really really slow but kept on dialing it back, knowing that I was in this for the long haul and I had to keep it down.
The first few laps crept by uneventfully. It was hot and humid but my pace was solid and my eating and drinking seemed fine. I had passed a few girls and knew that if I kept up the pace I'd keep on creeping up in the standings. 3 or 4 hours into the race the skys opened up and it absolutely poured. It actually hailed a bit and the wind was crazy. A sign was blown over just as I was riding by it! I welcomed the rain - it was pretty hot and i appreciated the cool-down. It rained for about 40 minutes or so and then stopped ... back to the hot and humid heat ... and mud.
This is a good time to talk about the course ... The course was .... well, technical. It was canmore so had loads of climbing and fun technical descents. I loved the course when it was dry - my technical riding skills give me a leg up on the competition and I know I can descend pretty fast. There was no resting in this course -- no flats -- you were either climbing a grade that varied between 5 and 32% or you were descending an even steeper grade.
When it rained the rooty rocky descents turned even more technical and many people were walking. I've had loads of experience riding wet roots and rocks so was still rocking the descents when my wheels slipped on an off-camber diagonal root and I went flying. Luckily i landed in the soft mud and it was more of a spectacle than anything else. The next lap I changed to the mud tires and was flying down the descents once again.
The raining continued as the darkness descended. It would rain for an hour or so and then stop. It would absolutely pour at times - you had to wear glasses but put them down on your nose like a grandmother so that you could see the course and hope that no mud flew into your eyes. It was crazy. Tinker Juarez, the defending champ from last year, pulled out of the race around 10pm because he had mud in his eye and his vision was messed up.
Everyone who had 2 bikes was changing bikes every lap - the mud was just too much and shifting started to go at the end of each lap. I was glad that I had my two Norco Faze's ... that course was demanding and a FS was the way to go!
Around 9pm i had a bad lap. I had a massive knot in my stomach that felt like a pile of undigested food - my stomach wasn't co-operating. I crept in at a pretty slow pace and told Tanya that I had to deal with my stomach before leaving again. The hardest part of this is that you feel great - your legs are fresh, you are starting to creep up in the standings ... and mentally you are into the race .. but your stomach is gone. Worse yet, I have no idea how to fix these stomach issues except to wait. Time seems to be the only remedy.
I sat in the pit for 2 hours without recovering and finally conceded that i should try to sleep it off - that worked in Spokane. I ate some soup and bananas before heading to bed. I woke up a few times to check on my stomach but it got worse before it got better. Finally at around 4:30am it had stopped rumbling and the nausea had disappeared - i could race again!!!
We headed back up to the race course and I got back on the bike. My legs felt great, my stomach was co-operating and I was wishing that the race would last longer than the 7 hours I had left to ride. I pulled in some decent laps in the morning with help from bananas, ketchup chips, and hammer products ... and ended up 11th in a strong Elite Woman's field, feeling very strong. Not quite what I was hoping for but there is always the next race.
As with every one of these races I met some great people on the trails and have some fun memories.
I've been doing some research and have written to a few endurance nutrition boards ... the feedback I have gotten so far is that perhaps I am eating too much (and i always worry about not eating enough!!) and that I should not start with solids until 4 or 6 hours into the race.
I have a 12 hour race coming up in 3 weeks (http://www.teambigfoot.net/) and am excited to try this new strategy there. Look out girls, here I come!!!
