that was a big one
well, the weekend was as tough as i thought it would be...and i loved every minute of if.
friday night ron and i got out of dodge early and were set up at the best site at the place by 4pm. mike and scott followed shortly and we were off for a practice ride. the course featured a little more single track then years past and also concentrated the climbing to the first 2/3 of the lap. the major climb was a long freshly graveled road that was difficult to get traction on. anyway, we got our packets, finished setting up camp, ate some mexican for dinner, took mike to walmart for his third time ever (we saw 1 really sweet mullet), considered checking out the reo speedwagon concert at the fair, and hit the hay with anticipation of the next days event.
saturday, even when you wake up at 6:30 the 10am race start comes quickly. the night before we decided on the ron, mike, me and scott order. ron was off and came through in a position that allowed us to start chipping away. after the first 2 rounds of laps we were 20 minutes down on the top team (they weren't getting touched this weekend) and 5 minutes down on second (muddy cup-the defending champions). we were battling with twin-six and polska for third with all of us separated by seconds.
nightfall came, and this is where the 24 hour race is won or lost. you don't necesarily need to be fast (it doesn't hurt) but steady. steady pace so you have something in the tank when the sun comes back, steady lines to prevent mechanicals, and steady recovery between laps so you are ready to ride every 3 hours.
while waiting for my second night lap, i was sitting amoungst my competition (muddy cup, polska, and twin six). mike was the first in and we jumped to second. apparently the muddy cup rider 'shit the bed' and i think that was literal. at one point he passed out on his bike and woke up on the side of the trail. we kept plugging away and the race stayed tight. twin six closed the gap and muddy cup (down to 2 riders) was still riding strong. my last lap i just tried to keep some gaps. the muddy cup guy (a wors expert) passed me with around 3 miles to go and i decided that this was the race and that i HAD to keep his wheel. i buried it and gave it everything i had. he only managed 15 to 20 seconds and i finished cross eyed and toasted. scotty went out and put us back up,. ron added to it but twin six was closing fast. mike's last lap started and muddy cup and twin six were only 1 minute back. after 23.5 hours of racing, it came down to this. mike was riding single and was cramping from the start...he put in a herculean effort and managed to only give up 15 seconds with only 3 miles to the finish. after redbud rode, the lead was down to 20 seconds but mike pulled it out. 2nd place in the masters national championship category!!! after 24+ hours or racing, it's amazing that 2nd, 3rd and 4th were within a minute of each other.
and standing on the podium felt GOOD (it has been so long). i'm happy that i didn't hold our team back...something i was really worried about coming in. i mean, i literally didn't touch a bike for almost all of last year.
we were the 4th fastest entity for the race (all 24 hour categories) and our class had 4 in the top 6. this was hard fought and those feel the best. i had a tinge of jealousy when the guys next to us got the stars and bars jerseys...something that will drive me for next year.
i feel reinvigorated (although i won't be riding today or tomorrow probably) and ready to get back on the podium again. thanks for reading.
happy monday.
friday night ron and i got out of dodge early and were set up at the best site at the place by 4pm. mike and scott followed shortly and we were off for a practice ride. the course featured a little more single track then years past and also concentrated the climbing to the first 2/3 of the lap. the major climb was a long freshly graveled road that was difficult to get traction on. anyway, we got our packets, finished setting up camp, ate some mexican for dinner, took mike to walmart for his third time ever (we saw 1 really sweet mullet), considered checking out the reo speedwagon concert at the fair, and hit the hay with anticipation of the next days event.
saturday, even when you wake up at 6:30 the 10am race start comes quickly. the night before we decided on the ron, mike, me and scott order. ron was off and came through in a position that allowed us to start chipping away. after the first 2 rounds of laps we were 20 minutes down on the top team (they weren't getting touched this weekend) and 5 minutes down on second (muddy cup-the defending champions). we were battling with twin-six and polska for third with all of us separated by seconds.
nightfall came, and this is where the 24 hour race is won or lost. you don't necesarily need to be fast (it doesn't hurt) but steady. steady pace so you have something in the tank when the sun comes back, steady lines to prevent mechanicals, and steady recovery between laps so you are ready to ride every 3 hours.
while waiting for my second night lap, i was sitting amoungst my competition (muddy cup, polska, and twin six). mike was the first in and we jumped to second. apparently the muddy cup rider 'shit the bed' and i think that was literal. at one point he passed out on his bike and woke up on the side of the trail. we kept plugging away and the race stayed tight. twin six closed the gap and muddy cup (down to 2 riders) was still riding strong. my last lap i just tried to keep some gaps. the muddy cup guy (a wors expert) passed me with around 3 miles to go and i decided that this was the race and that i HAD to keep his wheel. i buried it and gave it everything i had. he only managed 15 to 20 seconds and i finished cross eyed and toasted. scotty went out and put us back up,. ron added to it but twin six was closing fast. mike's last lap started and muddy cup and twin six were only 1 minute back. after 23.5 hours of racing, it came down to this. mike was riding single and was cramping from the start...he put in a herculean effort and managed to only give up 15 seconds with only 3 miles to the finish. after redbud rode, the lead was down to 20 seconds but mike pulled it out. 2nd place in the masters national championship category!!! after 24+ hours or racing, it's amazing that 2nd, 3rd and 4th were within a minute of each other.
and standing on the podium felt GOOD (it has been so long). i'm happy that i didn't hold our team back...something i was really worried about coming in. i mean, i literally didn't touch a bike for almost all of last year.
we were the 4th fastest entity for the race (all 24 hour categories) and our class had 4 in the top 6. this was hard fought and those feel the best. i had a tinge of jealousy when the guys next to us got the stars and bars jerseys...something that will drive me for next year.
i feel reinvigorated (although i won't be riding today or tomorrow probably) and ready to get back on the podium again. thanks for reading.
happy monday.
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chris