The seed was planted, I weighed up the do ability of it... the main positive was that it was during the school holidays, plenty of time to prepare and then also recover, but was I prepared to put myself through all that sustained pain and mental battering??
For some reason the answer was yes?!?! I embraced the opportunity to gain yet again another ‘experience’ and have a crack at different discipline of MTB racing!
Chilling out and conserving energy before the race start!
Throughout the last 4 years Stromlo has been a constant in my mtb racing experience. In the past I had raced numerous Cross Country National Titles, a World Cup race, and memorably a World Championship.
It felt nice to be returning to familiar turf to attempt something altogether different!
I had two team mates who were competing also; Mark Fenner (the evil instigator) and newly signed Scotty Chancellor, who is well known for his talent and results within 24 hr racing.
The three crazy ones; Fenz, Me, Scotty
I felt blessed to have an exceptionally dedicated and passionate support crew, they would be relied upon hugely during the course of the race.
Dean: the owner of Torq Nutrition and the and manager of the team
Dan: my wonderful partner
Dave: Dan's enthusiastic and excitable Dad who kept my bikes ticking along perfectly with his attention to detail and skills with the tools
Kerry: Dan's proud Mum who provided continious encouragement great photographic talent and precise timing skills and
Angus: one of Mark Fenner's good mates who helped get all my nutrition requirements just right!
My race strategy?? I basically had no idea, being my first 24hr race, the plan was to ride conservatively so that I could complete the monster! The longest time I had spent on the bike was a 7 hr training ride, so it was going to be interesting!!!
My main competition would be Jess Douglas, she is the current World Champion and had ridden a heaps of 24hr races, she has fierce determination and knows how to win in this discipline, so yes I was nervous and felt like a small fry!
The gun went off at 12:03, just after the men's category were sent off. Jess immediately assumed her position at the front of the race and dictated the pace. Being fresh, rested and feeling tip top, it was really hard to hold myself back and take it easy. Jess continued to pull away from me, keen to get a gap, I chose not to respond, it was going to be a very very long race and I needed to conserve everywhere I could.
The other girls behind me had dropped off and I was left riding my own race with no one else around. I would get the time gaps given to me each time I came through the pits.... Jess continued to increase her lead steadily by about 30seconds per lap, so this was how a World Champion races a 24hr race.... I just couldn't match it!
We got through to dusk and the lights went on to my bike, I felt a bit of a lift, simply with the change from light to dark and felt I was riding smooth and consistent. I was conscious of maximising any positive sensations as from here on in it would become more about my mental state than my physical capabilities.
My race was tracking well, my lap times were super consistent, I was eating and hydrating well and I felt pretty good considering I was now in unknown territory. I was working in 6 hour blocks and the second block coming up to midnight I had planned a treat; a quick wash and a change of clothes... I got to midnight and the gap between Jess and I gradually started to break down, I was now gaining 30 seconds a lap.... so no time for my planned treat, things were really starting to happen!
I had now reduced what was once a 9 min gap down to 4 minutes, I was pumped but Jess remained illusive and was nowhere to be seen. Finally at 1.30am after 13 and a half hours of racing I came up behind her on the single track, I was blown away, I had actually caught the World Champ!
I made my pass on the fire road and instantly all my pain was forgotten, I felt like I was pedalling on air, it was the most amazing feeling. I made an effort to remain consistent and gave myself the goal of gradually opening up the gap in the next 3 laps, to give myself a buffer.
I got to 3.30 am and had my planned first hit of caffine, ( It was about at this point that Dan told me Jess had gone to the showers to clean up and assess her situation) this carried me through for another 2 hrs feeling great both mentally and physically. I was so surprised and impressed that I was feeling so great at a point in the race where I should be feeling the worst. From 1am til dawn are known as the 'witching hours' the long slog through the dark and the coldest part of the night, I just kept telling myself that when I got to dawn I could expect another positive sensation with the growing light, being able to see the track again and the fact that there would only be 6 more hours of racing to knock off!
2 comments:
Awesome Jo - incredible ride and you are made for this sport. Which is a pain, because it really hurts!
excellent riding, and even more excellent use of the word 'sensations' in your report.
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