“6 hours in the Stix in Cranbrook your looking at around 68 miles, 8700ft of climbing, that’s about 13km / 1100ft per lap (Strava).”
#XTC Hardtail setup with 1×10, I was going to find out this probably too hard a gearing for 12 and 24 hour races for this flyweight but ideal for 6 hours.
Running 36T 1x with 10 speed, made me realise how great life be with the 11th speed and just how hard single speeders roll – respect.
The hardtail setup & race route demanded effort to move around a course of short punchy stuff and somewhat bumpy flats, embracing the grind from the start I stood up and worked putting myself at the tail of the first group which I knew contained a few 40+ category guys.
“At this race organisers wrote our ages on our legs so you could figure who your racing.”
Lap1 I passed several front group riders with flats, I slowed down taking note of sharps on course and figured lines.
Lap3 half pee stop I watched 2 positions ride by, dang-it I probably drank half a bottle too much at prep, this race is technical, theres no making mistakes or stopping.
So, when your stopped for a pee, 2 guys pass racing each other, you put your business away within 10 seconds, start chasing, take a couple laps to catch, how fast were they going when they passed? Answer: I have no f#$%^en clue but it made me push and came within 3 minutes of 2nd place and finished within 2 minutes of the time cut.
Making the time cut by minutes reminds me just how critical seconds are even over the course of 6 hours, if I stopped to feed each lap, had a flat or crash I probably wouldn’t have made the 8 lap club, you can’t even afford to stop for a pee.
A major efficiency I have is in my pit, my Wife has been feeding me at races for 10 years and she made it happen again. Its a sight to see her in the feedzone with the 3 kids, pro bottle feed, food when I need it, lap time, split to rider and big cheer at the end, awesome.
With a big pasta meal the night before, I raced light starting the day with a light french toast breakfast, coffee, dose of @sportmulti, then over 6.5 hours of moving time consumed four 28oz bottles of @skratchlabs, 3 pkts of @honeystinger jubes, lost 2lbs and felt great.
Thanks to my sponsors for support during a slow 2015, the beat goes on, life, family, carpentry and rolling wheels – big things are around the corner.