what's a solstice race without rain?
This year we had a 2 hr. rain delay while the Chico boys did an excellent job of shoring up the course so that it was raceable - at 2:00 the gun went off and the race began.
This was my first solo attempt, and I don't think I had ever been so nervous before a race to date. Funny really, cuz all I had to do was sit and spin, knowing I could take a break whenever I needed to, but I suppose it was fear of the unknown, or fear of the pain ahead, that had me worried.The first few laps were pretty slick, but as the skies cleared, so did the course ( a little bit). It never really got dry, but it did get tacky in some spots for awhile. Sadly, as the night fell, the roots became more slick, and the fog set in, making night vision really weak. A little dangerous in some sections, so times were slowed by a good amount.
I managed to keep a fairly steady pace, and fueled as planned with mostly a sustained/carbo pro coctail, and gels - occasionally a little pb and j, roasted red potatoes with sea salt, or bananas. Endurolytes came into play every 2nd or 3rd lap, and somewhere around 10:00, advil was added to the mix, as I could feel my shoulders tightening, and a new pain showed up in my knees. When midnight hit, I felt a little renewed as I knew the next day was already here!
Part 2 - midnight to noon:
Worked hard through the night to stay upright and smiling - saw many, many crashes and wipeouts in front of me, but managed to avoid them all. My bike was working so well - I was impressed. I had brought the singlespeed in case of emergency, but it was not needed. Paid attention to the drivetrain often, and kept it lubed and as clean as possible. The sun began to rise around 5:00, and things once again felt renewed. i was hurting for sure, but coould see the home stretch and was happy to plug away until noon. I was leading; this I knew; but I had no idea how far the gap was, and was afraid of slowing and being caught, so I kept spinning, but asked Lauren to check for me on how things stood. She also brought me a Chico McMuffin at 6:00, and it was heaven! Seems I was in good standing, so I put in the last lap to make 15, and called it a day with 30 mins. to go. I owe a lot to Lauren, Chris, Rick, Phatty Jr. and Dunc - who all stopped by at various points in the day/night. Thanks for amazing support, and for keeping me positive and moving forward. It was great to see so many smiling faces out on course as well - Bent zoomed past me at one point; Holmes gave me a couple good pushes, and even random boys would cruise by and put a hand on my back and give a little encouraging shove - nice!!
I have to give kudos to Chico for putting on a great show despite the rain; as always, and awesome race, and flawless organization - I may just be hooked on this 24 Solo thing afterall!!
Worked hard through the night to stay upright and smiling - saw many, many crashes and wipeouts in front of me, but managed to avoid them all. My bike was working so well - I was impressed. I had brought the singlespeed in case of emergency, but it was not needed. Paid attention to the drivetrain often, and kept it lubed and as clean as possible. The sun began to rise around 5:00, and things once again felt renewed. i was hurting for sure, but coould see the home stretch and was happy to plug away until noon. I was leading; this I knew; but I had no idea how far the gap was, and was afraid of slowing and being caught, so I kept spinning, but asked Lauren to check for me on how things stood. She also brought me a Chico McMuffin at 6:00, and it was heaven! Seems I was in good standing, so I put in the last lap to make 15, and called it a day with 30 mins. to go. I owe a lot to Lauren, Chris, Rick, Phatty Jr. and Dunc - who all stopped by at various points in the day/night. Thanks for amazing support, and for keeping me positive and moving forward. It was great to see so many smiling faces out on course as well - Bent zoomed past me at one point; Holmes gave me a couple good pushes, and even random boys would cruise by and put a hand on my back and give a little encouraging shove - nice!!
I have to give kudos to Chico for putting on a great show despite the rain; as always, and awesome race, and flawless organization - I may just be hooked on this 24 Solo thing afterall!!
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