 NB's
Comments (taken in real time during the race): The Race!
Lap length 10.7 miles (according to my
bike computer) 1910 hours, Saturday, October 18th,
2008
I was the fourth rider in the line up
for the 24-hour mountain bike race at Rocky Hill. EZ-e led us off with a
blistering time of one hour five minutes. Brewer did lap
number two in an hour and six minutes. shaggy was third and came in
with a time of one hour and 13 minutes, and me... bum knee and all...
one hour and nine minutes.
I think I blew my load on the first lap in the
first mile and a half. This section is primarily a climb, and once I reached the
top, I was too whipped to pick up the pace to
increase my time on the flatter sections. My plan for the next lap is to throttle back
until I reach the top, then go all out for the remainder of the lap.
I reckon we'll see if this plan pans out or not. shaggy has been out about 30 minutes
now; I'm off to get changed and gather all my gear for my second lap... 2139 hours, Saturday, October 18th,
2008 I guess one thing I failed to consider
in my previous entry was that it's dark outside; hence, this lap was
in the dark with the aid of my NiteRider Enduro Lith headlamp. So 1:12 is actually a respectable time considering... I think I will take a nap for a couple
of hours now... 0813 hours, Sunday, October 19th,
2008 It was about 0030 when I checked in for
lap number three. I felt horrible. Tired. Cold. Sore.
Unfortunately shaggy had a slow lap and didn't make it in until
around 0100, which would have been no big deal had it not been so
cold outside. I kept bouncing around a bit to stay warm and keep my
heart rate up, but not knowing when he'd come in, I didn't want to
wear myself out warming up. I also don't think I ate enough... and I am sure I
can keep this list of excuses going for a while.. but ultimately this
was my worst lap at one hour 19 minutes. When
I got back to the truck, I ate two peanut butter
sandwiches, a Pop Tart, some almonds and two
bananas, then I immediately went to sleep.
My fourth lap began around 0545. Still dark outside...
and no matter how good your lights are, riding in the
dark is nothing like riding in broad daylight. I could
tell right away I was feeling better. I had more energy;
I'm assuming that was the food. With about a mile left
of the lap, the sun started to come up. And we need the
sun to come up—everything is so wet on the trails...
just slippery. And it's still cold as I write
this—cuddled up in my 20-degree sleeping bag inside my
truck (which now has a dead battery... I told you it was
cold). I think that unless we can all turn
under 1:10 paces, this will be the final lap for everyone. Though,
EZ-e is outside talking to shaggy... he just turned in a 1:03. So
maybe... just maybe... EZ-e will do a final lap. I guess it just
depends on what brewer, shaggy and me can do. We'll see. I think I will take a nap for an hour
or so...
1230 hours, Sunday, October 19th,
2008 Well, after EZ-e's 1:03, brewer went
to work. He came in at 1:07-something which left shaggy and me two hours and 26
minutes to get two laps in prior to the 24-hour mark. Our brains could actually
figure out the split—we each had to make a lap in one hour and 13 minutes so we
could get EZ-e out for a final lap. Anything past the 24-hour mark and EZ could
not have gone. Shaggy
took off on his lap while I went back to our camp to ready my bike and gear. I double checked
everything on the bike, because the last thing I needed to happen was
a mechanical failure. Fresh lube on the chain and a run through all
the gears... everything appeared to be in order.
I headed over over to wait for shaggy as the once-miserably cold day turned
sunny and hot. At the one-hour mark, I paid carefully paid attention to each
and every rider coming through... just hoping shaggy would come in early. No
shaggy at 1:13. As EZ-e and brewer looked on, at 1:14 I yelled over to them,
“He's cutting into my time!” Within ten seconds, shaggy rounded the final
corner. My one hour and 13 minutes was now one
hour and 12 minutes. I got to thinking, my fastest lap, when I was fresh, was
1:09. My next fastest was 1:12... which meant I had to turn my second fasted lap
of the race to get EZ-e out for a final lap. I said to myself, “Screw it; lets
do this!” And off I went. Every lap prior had
some sort of issue, mostly coming off the bike in tight curves, or missing turns
causing me to crash into the bushes. This lap was perfect. I just cranked it
out... panting like a greyhound at the track, I just kept pedaling with all I
had. I didn't look at my watch until mile eight. I figured I was doing the
absolute best I could; looking at my watch would make no difference, because it
was physically impossible for me to go any faster. At the eight-mile point, it
appeared I could make. At 23 hours and 55 minutes... and after 54ish miles of
solid mountain biking... I rolled over the line yelling for EZ-e to GO! My final
lap was my fastest lap of the race—one hour seven minutes. Hopefully EZ-e's
final lap will move us up a place or two in standings. If not, I don't care—I
still did what I needed to do! The Awards Ceremony... 1935 hours, Sunday, October 19th,
2008 Well, it turns out the plan to get the
extra lap paid off. We ended up getting third place... third of 13
teams in our division. We won all sorts of schwag and divided it up
between all of us. All in all, this was one hell of a team
effort. Ernest definitely had the speed. Brewer was turning in the
next fastest lap times, I reckon I was right behind him. And
shaggy's quick pace on his last lap gave me enough time to get EZ-e
out on his final lap with about 5 minutes to spare. Excellent job
boys! And this was the last race of the Terra
Firma series for 2008. The next one is a 12-hour mountain-bike race
at Warda. I'm sure we'll come up with something to keep us
entertained between now and then... As soon as Terra Firma posts the lap
times, I will make them available on this page. Until then, enjoy
the pictures below. That's all for now. Later that week
1756 hours, Thursday, October 23rd,
2008 Well, it turns out that wasn't "all"
after all... Looking at the results, it appears we
didn't need EZ-e to make that final lap to remain in third place.
But the way I figure it, that extra 10.67 miles was good for him! And now... That's all folks! NB
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