6-12-24 Hour World TT Championship -November 4, 2016
How to describe this All-consuming Overwhelming Unbelievably Totally Cool Race?
Much like the Silver State 508, this sounded very intriguing. Could I put my head down and Just Ride for 12 hours straight ? I planned to wait until after the SS508 to decide, but the price went up just ahead of that, and I thought to myself, 'who are you kidding? Of course you'll like the 508, and of course you'll want to race this!' So I registered, raced the 508, and continued to train into November. As the weather chilled, I longed to put on my running shoes and hit my favorite trails in the off-season, but there were still four weeks to Race Day. I did my longest ride ever - 128 solo miles, heading out and back several times on a stretch of road that mimicked the course. I'd planned 150, but when the temps reached 97, I aborted. This was one of my favorite training rides ever, holding a steady 19 mph thru 85 miles, then 18. I felt I'd be well prepared for my 12-hour adventure, which was TT style, not road racing or drafting.
And then my quads complained. Loudly! With three weeks to go, my occasional nemesis returned to mock me - Very Tight Quads. Everything was going so well, and I was just starting to taper! A massage helped, but not a lot. I ended up with four tortuous Graston and ART treatments and prayed for the strength to manage this race. Departure day arrived, and I'd barely been on my bike in the last three weeks, so I told my friends that I was Extremely Well Tapered! 😜 We arrived after a ten hour drive and settled into a modest motel a mile from the start line. Friday was exciting - sunshine, a lap on the course, sponsor signs on the van, tech check, registration, and pre-race meeting, and a roadrunner (really cool bird)right out side the window! I was calmly excited all day, surrounded by racing friends, as well as the international men's field, all busily preparing for the race. At 6 pm the 24-hour racers were off, which included six-time RAAM Champ Seana Hogan, my friend, neighbor, and mentor in loooooong distance racing. And I do mean Racing - we are not out riding a century - this is a well-planned strategized RACE! I'd mapped out a chart with my pace and expected arrival times for each lap, including how much, if any, time would be spent in the Crew Pit. I had several people tell me I could get in 200 miles in 12 hours, so I set it up to do just that. My CrewMan, Brian Nakagawa, was fantastic - his level-headed enthusiasm was exactly what I needed, and he's a bike mechanic to boot! (Which turned out to be crucial, as noted later!)
We cheered Seana into her first of many laps she would ride thru the long, cold night, and Brian and Robert (70+ men's racer) headed out to dinner, dropping me at my room to eat my own pre-race meal and reflect in the evening silence.
And suddenly it is RACE DAY❗️💓 A great night's sleep, oatmeal plus Hammer whey protein, and a half slice of Common Grounds Fabulous Famous Banana Bread - and we are off to the start line. I tell myself that I'm just going to do a 50 miler, 4 times. I can do that!
I remind myself: Butterflies are lil angels surrounding you from the inside❗️💓🚴‼️💥💪😊 And that's a good thing! We prepare in darkness as 24-hours racers fly by, and suddenly - there we go! The 12-hour championship has begun, and I'm in it! I pray for a joyful and safe ride and head into dawn, following a trail of tail lights that play up the road. Suddenly my computer clicks...and shuts off! What?! I'd fully charged and checked every electronic thing I owned! And then I heard Brian's words in my head, " don't over think it - just ride your bike". I wondered what that would be like without a speedometer, and hit the button to turn it back on. Back in business - the first four miles were gone, but it worked without fault the rest of the ride! Whew! It is so much easier to go 18 mph if I can see my speedometer!
And so I rode, pushing a steady 18-19 mph in the chilly morning air, listening to my quads and protecting them at a safe pace. Three laps, 54 miles, and I stopped to remove cold weather gear,exchange bottles, and say goodbye to my brother-in-law David. Brian reminded me to eat, which was easy on this course, as there were turns and landmarks that I used to stay on a schedule. I fueled wth my usual Hammer products: hourly Endurolytes, race caps, Mito caps, anti fatigue caps,espresso/ raspberry gel, and grape fizz tabs, adding Perpeteum tabs and Hammer Bar (bites) after four hours.
At 108 miles (lap six) I was still over 18 mph average, and had been off-bike three times for a total of 4:00. Perfect!😃 So far it had all felt pretty easy, but I could feel the fatigue setting in in my eyes (hypnotic sleepiness) and chest (from breathing hard). I took a 13:00 stretch and potty break hoping to ward off heavy fatigue in the second half. Legs were tight, but quads were holding up. 13:00 sounds like a long time, but I'd planned my pace around 11 1/2 hours on the bike, knowing that everything beyond 130 miles was The Unknown. I left the pit on schedule and comfortable.
Lap seven: Happy, feeling blessed to be able to Ride All Day. It is a privilege to ride at all, something not everyone has the opportunity to do, so I want to make the most of every single mile. I had five hours of music to pump me up, much of it shared from my friends' playlists, and that perked me right up. (Thank you Seana, Lori, and The Messersmiths ! Even Top Hat Dance tunes were on there!) Photographers and race vehicles were the only cars on these quiet desert roads, and one had just gone by, when suddenly, I left the pavement and hit the sand by the side of the road - at 23 mph on my T bars. I felt the yank and for a moment had it upright, then, BAM, into the middle of the road and laying tangled up with my bike. I heard myself scream as I went down ( no words, thankfully!) and for just a few seconds, sat there stunned. I've never crashed in my 60's and had entered this event telling friends how much safer TTs are than road races! And then I heard," you're not hurt, ya Bozo! Get back on the bike!" It was me yelling into the wind. I wiped off the blood, got my chain untangled and back on,reset the brake so it wouldn't rub, and hopped on. I felt calm and capable, and rode hard to make up the down time, but with three miles to go until the pit, I was feeling .... Weird. Didn't know if it was from the bike (it looked like I'd bent the handlebars), or from hitting my head (I'd heard my helmet smack the pavement), but I felt compelled to ride more cautiously into town. I entered the pit, explained things to Brian, and went in search of a med tent or cot. My head felt tired/weird, so that cot felt great, and thankfully Brian CrewMan Mechanic checked out my bike, repositioned the bent brake lever and fixed a flat. I'd ridden in on 50 psi - no wonder I felt weird! Whew! I jumped on my bike and rode off with three and a half hours remaining in this race. I'd been keeping an eye on the other gals in the race, even tho they were not in my age group, because of course, I wanted to see if I could beat them. Now, with another 31:00 in the pit, I didn't even know if they'd gone by! So I rode hard and decided that since 200 miles was no longer possible, I wanted 180. It was probable that I'd have to ride only two big laps before the race would switch us all to the short loop for the final ninety minutes. I was all for that, finally becoming so tired that I could not remember my race number, which we yelled on every lap as we crossed the timing mat. In my final long lap,I said a weary goodbye to all my familiar landmarks.
And then it gets interesting: I got to the pit ten minutes before the short lap opened, so I could either ride another long one, or wait /rest ten minutes and get in 5-6 short (4 mile) laps. The short lap is faster and feels easier, but there's that risk, since I didn't know where the other women were. I waited, impatient to go finish this thing, put on lights and reflective gear, and took off flying when the bell rang. A racer gal flew by and I chased her down and then she wanted to chat! Really? I wasn't interested, because I wanted 180 miles and needed to go hard to get it, so I raced on. She sounded very nice, but I was in a hurry. Darkness hit and suddenly we rode in an inky, moonless night, with fast Euro racer guys flying by, and a trail of blinking red lights to follow. I was suddenly so tired and disoriented that I just hung on and talked out loud so I wouldn't crash again. The chill of night threatened to seize up my quads, so as much as I hated to stop this late, I pulled in to put on tights. Another two minutes lost, but it worked and my legs continued to pedal me around for two more laps. They felt dismally slow, but I gave it all I had. I think even my bike was tired, for as I rounded the final corner into the pit, my headlight turned off! NO! Two officials called it out to me, and as I crossed the timing chip on last time, I yelled, "please, no penalty, it just went out!" The ladies vouched for me, and I was free! DONE❗️😃 Two minutes remained on the clock, so every last mile was logged in! (My good friend, Karin, finished her last lap two minutes over, and she lost all four miles!😁)
The aftermath was a whirl of noise and a sweaty-face interview, with a large finishers medal hung around my neck, so heavy I thought I'd break a rib! I've never had a post-race interview before, so I was sounding ecstatic and demented ! This was harder and even more satisfying than the Silver State 508, and incredibly satisfying. Brian, in his systematic way, had already pulled up the official stats - not only had I raced 186 miles, but I'd won the over-all women's 12-hour title! The awards dinner was a celebration all right, but all I could eat was my remaining banana bread and some ginger snaps. Great friends, a few more photos, and off to a wired not-much-sleep night. But who cares!?!! We enjoyed a ten-hour drive home, but honestly, riding all day is easier than driving all day!! 😃😜
A week has gone by, and I'm still thrilled to have done so well my first time out. Twelve hours racing is quite different than any other Long Ride. This was pacing, staying alert, trying to stay on schedule with nutrition, tactics regarding down time and that switch to the four-mile loop, how much gear can I remove while pedaling, staying low....but even more importantly, staying positive, which I did. Crashing, hypnotic weariness,but quitting never entered my mind and I never didn't like what I was doing. I didn't even get cranky! I do know I left it all out there. Two weeks ago I was not sure what direction to take next season. Now all I want to do is prepare for more Looooong Fuuuuuun Races! My legs recovered quickly, and I spent a lovely week off painting a school mural and sharing race details with Good Friends. I've learned much from these two Big Races, and boy, am I looking forward to 2016!
Hammer Nutrition - thank you for allowing me to race like a 40-year old: Fuel Right - Feel Great! Total Body Fitness - many thanks for believing in me as your women's cycling coach and your support in my race season! Folsom Bike and Athleticamps - thank you for keeping my bikes race ready! Rudy Project (glasses), Epic ID, and CycleWear (mirror) - thank you for providing me with The Very Best in Critical Accessories! Serenity Springs (Marnene Anderson) and Dr. Lim - many thanks for getting me to the start line - without your hands-on magic I never could have faced this!
To my Delta Tri Club Friends, TBF friends, Calaveras County Friends, and Hammer Friends - thank you for all your enthusiasm and support! 😃❗️🚴💥‼️