24 Hours of Summer Solstice
Bolton, ON, Canada
June 23-24, 2018
Joël 2nd overall solo men (on his singlespeed), Jess 1st overall solo women
Joël and I did this race two years ago, and it was not a good race for either of us. Our arrival and set-up were not conducive to being well rested. We battled with hydration, nutrition and temperature regulation. We both slept overnight, and stopped riding well before the 24 hour mark. Both Joël and I did many incorrect things during that race which caused it to be not what we wanted, and we were determined to not do those things this time around. We learned from our mistakes and it paid off with podium spots for both of us this year at the Chico Racing 24 Hours of Summer Solstice.
So how was the 2018 race for Joël? Here is a video recap of his event (just click on video to play):
And my race? Here is race recap from Liv Cycling:
So what did we change this time to give us much better results as featured above? If you are planning a endurance event read and learn from our mistakes.
Arrival and set-up
We always take the day off from work the day before a 24 hour race. It allows for prep and travel time. In 2016 we decided to do bunch of yard work on Friday morning before leaving. Why, I'm still not sure about why we ever decided this. Hedge trimming, grass cutting, and weed whacking the day before a big race is a bad idea, it makes one sore. Also, because of doing home chores, we got on the road later than planned. Of course we hit traffic. We ended up not arriving at the race site until well after dark, in fact well after our planned bedtime. All we did was pull into a spot and go to sleep. This means we had to do all our set-up on Saturday morning before the race. Setting up the morning of a race may not seem like a big deal, but it does take time, energy, it's stressful, and it's time on our feet. for 2018 we were determined to avoid all of the above. On Friday we slept in a bit, did nothing except the last bit of packing, and got on the road at a decent time. We made good driving time and arrived in Canada well before dark. We set up our pit area, had dinner, and went to bed when planned. The proper way to prepare the day before a 24 hour race.
Hydration and nutrition
One would think after so many years or racing we would have hydration and nutrition figured out. Apparently not. The 2016 version of Summer Solstice was hot. We got caught up in racing, didn't drink enough or eat enough, plain and simple. We also consumed the fluids and calories that we would for a shorter race, which after much trial and error we have both learned that for a 24 hour race you need to take in more per hour than what you would for a shorter race. Your body is going for a longer period of time, it needs to be fueled better. We have learned from prior mistakes and now take a bit more time between laps to properly refuel and re hydrate.
Temperature regulation
Joël and I now have all sorts of ways to deal with overheating. 2018 was not nearly as hot as 2016 but we learned from previous mishaps and now know all sorts of great ways to stay cool. We each have our own cooler for our bottles 24 bottles that is, which is also filled to capacity with ice. Buried beneath the ice is sponges, small towels, and tube socks filled with ice. These all sit in the ice water all day and can then be used to keep cool. Stuffing a cold sponge or sock filled with ice into your jersey is a sure-fire way to cool off. Wiping your face and arms with a cool towel between laps helps to cool via evaporation.
Not sleeping
All of the above are important if one wants to ride all throughout the evening hours. In 2016 we were so overheated, dehydrated, and tired from not preparing well the day before that we both slept a few hours overnight. 2018 was a completely different story; Joël did not sleep at all, his actual ride time was only 46 minutes short of his race time. Though I took a short nap in the middle of the night. We were well rested coming into the race and kept up our fluid and calorie intake and these led to bodies that could keep going overnight; no major exhaustion, dehydration, or bonking that required major sleep time.
Every race we learn something. Some races go terribly and we learn what not to do, some races go really well and we learn what to do. No matter what, every race teaches us something we can do better next time. And the goal is to put all these things we learn to use, to have a good race, and to earn a podium spot. Goal accomplished for the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice in 2018.
- words by Jess
- video by Joël
- action shot of Jess by Apex Photography
- media posting by Liv Cycling USA