By Chico Racing
Bolton, ON, Canada
June 24-24, 2016
First off, an explanation of what a 24 hour race is. As the name implies, the race takes part over 24 hours. Riders can do the race as an individual, commonly called "solo" or as a team of anywhere from two to ten people depending on the race format. The course is a lap format, laps usually taking anywhere from one to two hours. Winner is the person/team who completes the most laps in the 24 hour period. At a designated spot along the course, riders/teams can set up a "pit spot", usually a tent and vehicle where they can keep all their supplies for the race. These pit areas typically have an electric hook-up so that people can charge their riding lights and have other electrical equipment they want. This is where food (Honey Stinger nutrition products, granola bars, bananas, chips, pretzels, PB&J sandwiches, cookies), drinks (water, Gatoraid, CarboPro, soda, chicken broth), and any other supplies are kept and accessed during the race.
The Summer Solstice race is in the Albion Hills Park in Bolton, Ontario, Canada. It is advertised as the largest 24 hour race in North America, this year having 2200 people riding. Many of these are team riders, but the solo fields were quite large also, 60 some solo riders. Along with the 24 hour race there is a large expo, kids and family races, live music, and food vendors. It's quite the event- people and things going on everywhere! The course is twisty and turny, with a few short, steep climbs. There are minimal rocks and technical features. Lack of rain this year made the course super sandy and loose, and the dust was out of control. It is a course that is suitable for even beginners to be out there riding. Camping/pit areas are all along the course, with an area specifically for solo riders that is out of the way in a darker, quieter area of the park. We were happy with the pit area; we were right along the course and had friendly solo racers and their family across from us.
Now, on the race. Can one really plan a 24 hour race? A lot can happen in 24 hours both with one's body, their bike, the course and weather conditions. Proper planning is key...but even with the best planning things can still go awry. Neither Joël nor I had the race we planned. Due to various locations of road construction the drive up took longer than expected; thus we arrived late and didn't get to sleep until later than we planned the night before the race. Lack of sleep going into a 24 hour race is not a good idea. Race day arrived and it was hot, temps in the 90s. Grabbing a bottle per lap (about one hour per lap), drinking at aid stations, pouring water over ourselves, and cold towels to wipe down with between laps were still not enough to ward off dehydration and overheating. Our calorie intake was good, effort (measured by heart rate) was where we wanted it, but the heat was just overwhelming.By the time darkness arrived we were at least cooling off but already feeling exhausted. After a few night laps in I had enough, I was riding off the trail and couldn't focus- I needed a nap. At the previous 24 hour race neither Joël nor I slept, and we had planned not to at this one. But sometimes plans need to be altered. I stuffed my face with food and drank cup after cup of chicken broth (kept warm in a crock pot, yup, we bring a crock pot to 24 hour races) hoping all of the calories, fluids, and sodium would sink in while I slept. Changing into a fresh set of clothes but putting everything on- my helmet, shoes, etc- I climbed into the van, wrapped myself in a blanket and crawled into the van. Why keep everything on? So that when I wake up later I can just jump out of the van and go. Mentally it's easier to get going if ready.
About 30 to 45 minutes into my lap Joël arrived. He woke me up and I felt somewhat refreshed to start again. However, Joël was now feeling sub par. We decided to ride a lap together. Joël was now looking how I felt earlier, disorientated and needed a break. As we arrived back at the pit he decided it was time for a break. Doing the same thing I did earlier it was nap time for Joël. After a few laps on our own we met up again at the tent just after daybreak. Both of us were mentally and physically spent, more so than at this point in the previous 24 hour race we did. Joël was currently in third and I was in second so we knew we had to keep riding despite not wanting to at all. We decided to ride together. DUO! This way we would have company and someone else to motivate us. We stayed together for the remaining few laps. Having each other made the ride go so much better; someone to talk to, someone to help motivate, and someone who felt just as crappy as the other person. We rode slowly, walked often, and around 10:30am called it quits. Yes, we stopped early, we both should have done more laps, but we just couldn't go any longer. This worked fine for me, I was able to hold on to second but unfortunately Joël lost a few places and ended up sixth.And now what happens post race? Well, two tired, exhausted people clean up their pit area. Then each of us devoured a huge burger and fries. Showers were located on site which was nice to clean up after racing; all that dust made dirty conditions. Staying awake for awards was tough, Joël had to wake me up multiple times while we were waiting.
Then for the drive. Ha, driving home doesn't happen. Our reward to ourselves is a hotel; a big comfy bed, air conditioning set to cold, dinner at a local buffet, and TV time are our reward. As comfy as the van is no sleeping in the van and cooking on the camp stove post 24 hour race, we want to be spoiled. And did I forget to mention we work full time jobs? So it's back to work on Tuesday (race ended Sunday afternoon) as if nothing abnormal happened over the weekend.
So not all things go as planned. We both definitely felt our races were not what we had planned, expected, nor wanted. During the drive home we talked about what to do different next time to improve the outcome. So when will the next 24 hour race be? Who knows, we need some time to recover and then it will be decided.
YouTube video of the race https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZl3fWXroX4&feature=youtu.be
-Jess and Joël