24 hour racing anyone?

[Irulan]

So how did it go? What a fabulous weekend!!! I figure dust, sunburn and heat exhaustion would be the things to look out for. Some years it's mud and hypothremia and your tent blowing away.

[Drtgirl]

The race was awesome!!! I managed 11 laps and 165 miles. Not bad for a cyclocross racer whose longest ride ever was 75 miles!

24 racing is strange- you have so many highs and lows throughout the race. Lap 1 was fun, #3 was awful, #9 felt super fast, and #11 felt like a death march. And to my suprise I did not get bored riding in circles- I was always thinking about the next pit stop and what I needed. I managed to avoid stomach issues- I ate very little solid food and relied on Perpetuem and gels for most part. I also took two Endurolytes per lap and did not have any cramping either. No mechanicals but my bike is definitely on it's last leg with totally blown front and rear suspension (new bike didn't arrive in time for the race- bummer).

I am totally hooked!

[Andrea]

Congrats on the race! Sounds like you stated with a plan and stuck to it!

[TrekJeni]

The race was awesome!!! I managed 11 laps and 165 miles. Not bad for a cyclocross racer whose longest ride ever was 75 miles!

24 racing is strange- you have so many highs and lows throughout the race. Lap 1 was fun, #3 was awful, #9 felt super fast, and #11 felt like a death march. And to my suprise I did not get bored riding in circles- I was always thinking about the next pit stop and what I needed. I managed to avoid stomach issues- I ate very little solid food and relied on Perpetuem and gels for most part. I also took two Endurolytes per lap and did not have any cramping either. No mechanicals but my bike is definitely on it's last leg with totally blown front and rear suspension (new bike didn't arrive in time for the race- bummer).

I am totally hooked!

Sounds like an awesome race. How many 6 and 12 hour solo's did you have under your belt before jumping to the 24? I'm doing my first 6 hour solo this August and want to try 12 hour solo but am a little nervous. Can you describe your training?

Jeni - who says she races mtb to keep in shape for cross but really really likes mtb too!

[Drtgirl]

Jeni- this was my first experience with endurance MTB racing ever. I came off cross season wanting to do something differeng and decided a 24 solo would be it. I rode the trainer through the winter (1-2 hours at a time) and tried to get out on the MTB once a week if it wasn't too nasty out. By the time April rolled around I was thinking that my training sucked so I did a few 50 and 75-mile road rides. Looking back I should have trained harder but oh well!

My one piece of advice would be to watch what you eat and drink. I barely ate any solid food and still avoided the bonk, but I was super dehydrated- so much that I didn't really pee until late in the evening. I didn't test my liquid diet until the race and was lucky that things worked out. A lot of other racers were not so fortunate!

Good luck!

[TrekJeni]

Jeni- this was my first experience with endurance MTB racing ever. I came off cross season wanting to do something differeng and decided a 24 solo would be it. I rode the trainer through the winter (1-2 hours at a time) and tried to get out on the MTB once a week if it wasn't too nasty out. By the time April rolled around I was thinking that my training sucked so I did a few 50 and 75-mile road rides. Looking back I should have trained harder but oh well!

My one piece of advice would be to watch what you eat and drink. I barely ate any solid food and still avoided the bonk, but I was super dehydrated- so much that I didn't really pee until late in the evening. I didn't test my liquid diet until the race and was lucky that things worked out. A lot of other racers were not so fortunate!

Good luck!

You're horrible. You train JUST LIKE ME! So no 6 or 12 hour solo's. just jumped right into 24? Bada$$, you rock it!