This it it. In roughly 48 hours I'll be embarking on a 600-meter run.
At the end of which, I will pick up my bike and begin a 24-hour mountain bike race.
I've never raced a 24-hour event before. Not on the customary 5-person team, and definitely not as a solo entrant. The closest I've come was a 12-hour race that my 3-person team led wire-to-wire. Man, that was a good time. I really miss those "Bicycle Post Trails" in Greenville, NC. Good times.
But that was back in 2001 and my cycling has both declined and then improved a lot since then. So now, for one reason (ignorance) or another (overzealousness), I'll be driving out to Spokane tomorrow morning in the pre-dawn hours to lay claim to a good camping site close to the Start/Finish line and will embark on what will surely be my greatest test of endurance yet. Originally I was planning on riding from noon till midnight and then taking a nice, long, nap till about 6 or so in the morning, at which time I would try and squeeze in another lap or two before calling it a day. But now, as the juices start pumping and the quality of my support crew (i.e. Kristin) becomes evident, I'm beginning to allow myself to daydream about actually trying to ride through the night. My completely ignorant-of-what-I'm-getting-myself-into goal is 10 laps. If the map and elevation profile posted here is accurate, that would mean roughly 150 miles and approximately 13,000 feet of elevation gain. There are 29 entrants in the Solo Men class, another 7 in the Solo Men Singlespeed class, 6 Solo Women, and several hundred teams ranging from 2 to 10 people each. It's going to be crowded.
My nutrition and hydration plans are in place. My goal pace has been determined (this will be the first time I actually pay close attention to a heart rate monitor) and I'm going to have my Giant NRS with me as a backup in case something should (gasp of all gasps!) happen to render the Moots inoperable.
Anyway, it's time to start packing for the weekend and to continue my carbo intake of absurd proportions. It began last night with 5 slices of pizza, continued this morning with a couple of bagels, and will no doubt fail to cease until Sunday afternoon when we begin the long drive home from Spokane.
5 comments:
Good Luck and Have Fun!
As a solo rider, getting a good campsite will be easy -- they reserve spots for us right on the course before the Start/Finish line.
Have fun, and see you out there!
I really admire your athleticism. It's very inspiring. Keep up the amazing feats and have a great time! :-)
I believe there is a 4 hr mandatory volunteer assignment for each team. See if Kristin can get that out of the way as soon as possible. I did that one year, and it kind of sucked to be swatting mosquitoes for hours as dusk fell. I had a citronella candle, but that did not help enough. Also, if she can get that out of the way early, she would be more free to assist you when you are tired.
Have fun!
Solo entrants don't need to provide volunteers.
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