Dar's GEARS Report

[Adventure Girl]

Great report! Sounds like a great time! Kudos to you!

I'm considering doing an 8-hour solo. It is a 12 mile course. My "normal" times are right around 1 hour. On Saturday I rode 4 laps in a row. My times ranged from 66 to72 minutes. Not too much of a drop off.

Here's what I learned (in case I decide to do the race):
1. I must eat. It is hard to choke down food, but it's critical.
2. Filling a camelbak bladder after riding 36 miles is hard.
3. Have multiples of EVERYTHING! (Gloves, helmet, shoes, socks...)
4. Conditions change in the time it takes to ride 48 miles! It got windy!

I took about 5 minutes or less between laps to change anything that needed changing, choke down a little food and fill my camelbak. If I had been racing, I would have to have someone help me with this. I wouldn't "rest" between laps. If I needed to take a minute or two breaks, it would be better to take them when I needed them (like just before a big climb), rather than at the start/finish.

One thing I would dread is the Lemans run start. How did you train for this? (Or maybe you're a runner). I am NOT a runner. And running in cycling shoes can't be very fun!