Hot August Nights, or my official marker of 1 year of where I started from.
Lets review last year. My best time was 1:11. My worst time last year was a night lap of 1:36. This year my WORST time was 1:00:23. My best time was 56:30. I was 15 minutes faster then my best time last year, and on my worst time, I could have possibly turned a double lap this year....
First, I want to thank Rob for the ride in Durham a few days ago. He's much faster then I am, and to keep up with him I had to really stop using my brakes. I learned to trust my bike quite a bit during that ride, usually I'd brake into corners instead of trusting my tires and just leaning into it. After the ride in Durham I really trusted my bike to do what I told it to. It took almost a summer of riding to finally get to this point.
One other mistake I found myself doing was riding with WAY to much pressure in my tires. I was always so pissed that my tires never seemed to grab, even though everyone would gush about how Schwalbe's were the best thing to ever put rubber to dirt. They never hooked up for me. I finally started riding sub 30psi and they seem to grab everything now. Climbing is a bit more of a try, but I haven't slipped the back tire out from under me since.
Prior to the race I hadn't done much riding. In fact I probably increased calorie intake by a significant amount while not doing much but relaxing at home. On top of this, a weekend away last week really put me in a foul mood for the days leading up to the event. I barely packed for it, and wasn't really looking forward to the event at all apart from riding a few laps, sucking, getting back to camp, grumbling about how I coulda been faster, while secretly hating the fact that I'm not improving at all anymore and the wall that I'm seeing lately isn't giving any sort of way by speed or fitness improvements.
After an evening of sitting on the couch, eating kung pao spicy chicken and noodle and drinking diet pop, I took my bloated gut to bed at 10, getting up at 6:30 for the ride out to Albion where I'd stumble my way through another brutal night course.
I was riding with a corporate team. Evolution cycles has some really fast guys. The're mainly in the shop every once in a while, and their body comps are usually about 88% muscle, 11% bone, 1% fat. So already I figure I'm going to shit the bed with times forcing us into the "yay we'll be casual" category. Not to mention that a lot of other riders know them by name.
I arrived around 8ish and met up with the group I was going to ride with.
Bill, Brad, Jeff, Shawn, Al and Herb.
First off, I got there pretty foul mooded. I was worried that I was going to roll up on a group of sausage suit wearing mofo's. Not so much. The Big Unit jokes started flying almost immediately, also being given the initial nickname of Unit before we got to know eachother by name was actually a huge moodlifter for me. I went to the chalet to grab all of our race kit, got back and started talking about lights. Al and Shawn had mentioned their friend was selling some for 100 bucks. Renting a light was 65, I figured for another 35 why not. I'll use it in the fall so its good news if it was a good light.
Turns out they're a name brand. Purchase made, we went back to the camp site. At this point I had totally forgotten about how much I was unsure of riding my first lap, and the race bug started getting into my skin.
Secretly I've been wanting to be sub 1 hour since starting this year. In my 24 hour events anyway.
They decided I was riding 6th. Fffuuu...
So my first lap I finally got out at about 4:50 or so.
Race Report:
The first climb into Gnarly Berms was actually a lot easier then last year. I also caught at least 3 riders on this climb, 1 of which left before me like they were on a mission. Most of them I caught were in granny just spinning out. I made it out and up pretty quickly and flowed through the first part of single track. I'm unsure of the name, but I noticed myself not using my brake almost immediately and coming out of the corners kicking rather then gaining my bearings first. I also noticed myself whipping my front tire around rather then waiting for it to come through.
I rolled into IMBA Alley and railed the entire thing, no brakes, just kept my speed up and came out into the spectator area under a good amount of speed, up and into the small climb there and I just kicked through it without much trouble. I noticed by this time that I wasn't really hurting or breathing hard. Heart rate was low as well so I decided to push through Sugar Rush as hard as I could.
I continued through Woo-Wu keeping my flow and braking to a minimum really happy with myself right now. I actually was super happy with how I was riding but I was starting to breath hard because I was pushing pretty good. I came out of Wu Wu and into some downs and ups where you could get a hill for free if you kept your momentum up. I believe this was Sugar Rush, I remembered it from summer solstice. So I continued to lay off the brakes and pedal when I could to gain speed.
One of the things I noticed myself doing was testing during coasting to see if I could boost my speed at all. I imagine there were a few areas I got a bit more out of cause I did this.
I could hear the music blaring so I knew I was around the Misfits camp site. Up and over the road and into a grassy area, I came around a corner to find some MTBR members sitting on a table ringing a cowbells, but ahead of me was a wicked fun straight down and into a crazy grass berm, I hammered into it trying to make the most of what I could, I did feel like I kept a lot of speed through it.
After this there was a section of double track and it lead into a pretty steep climb to the feed hill. I caught a lot of people here. I'm not sure why. I would hit Eload take a massive gulp of what I got, and fire through. Most people I passed would get sapped. The climb was small and into Moraine Momentum. I knew that after Moraine there was the long section of double track that went into the vista. I would stand and go through Moraine every time I hit it, and try to flow as best I could keeping speed where possible.
Into the vista double track and I would make it a point to drink my water bottle here. The entire thing. I also pushed harder through this section then in solstice knowing that last time I meandered through trying to catch my breath. Also this section lead into Get Groen during to solstice, there was a small climb to get there. This was removed all together in favor of the faster and well known Pinecomb Express.
I wish I spent some time pre riding this section as I chose the easy route every time. I just didn't know what was on the far side of some of the tech, and I didn't feel like eating anything I didn't have to. Looking back I should have actually just went for it as there wasn't anything crazy in those areas, and a rock garden was the only thing that looked like it woulda been tricky.
Double track into the bridge, into live and learn. There's a hard right in there that has netting up. I always hit this corner hard and make it through. Then into the shittastic sand climb I've come to love and hate.
Adding the Albion Witch was perfect.
Into High Roller and I made it through to the double track down back to the starting entrance. There were still some climbs in here but they seemed to be nothing in comparison.
I pushed harder through this section spinning out trying to make up as much time as I could.
Into the small hills before the end and I'm pointed into the timing tent. I pull the card out, check my watch... says 58 min, I figure another 1H+ lap as I had buggered the watch up when I left. Swipe the card, hand off to Herb, and go to the timing tent to see my time.
57:39
Stunned. It took a few seconds to sink in. It took a few seconds to realize that after a year of pushing hard and getting out of the chair and onto a bike. I managed to rock out a sub 1 hour lap.
GOAL.... ACHIEVED.
I was excited for myself. I visited with old race teams and friends. I went out to the Misfit camp to share a beer, listen to some tunes, and I went back to camp fired up for lap 2.
I won't bore you with the night lap, but it was exactly the same as the above, but fired up with my new found riding techniques, and my sudden blackout of my surroundings, I rode faster and managed to pull a 56:30. I was and still am, ecstatic about how I rode.
I really needed this race. I needed something to show me I was improving this year. Some of the other races really dragged me down. The 8H really killed my spirits.
This was the first race I really went out there and killed it enough to be average. And suddenly, it feels like the work I put in finally came together.
The guys I raced with were awesome guys. They're all from Whitby so this means I've gained more riding buddies who ride consistently through the week. I felt like I fit in the moment the Unit jokes started.
Just overall an incredible weekend, and a real lift for me. I was starting to think that the salads, and training weren't doing me anything other then making people at work pity my lifestyle changes.
Then finally, it clicked, and I got that clean pure feeling of achievement again. The same I had last year, the same that pushed me through a winter of training and had me so keen for this summer.
Sub 50 next year?
Never know... but sure as shit I'm going to train for it.
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